First published 2021
FBI Agent Corrie Swanson gets assigned what looks like routine work: identify a mummified body found in an abandoned building in a remote New Mexico ghost town. The corpse is over fifty years old. Corrie brings in archaeologist Nora Kelly from the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute to help excavate the remains. What they uncover shocks them both. The victim died in terrible agony, curled in a fetal position with skin peeling away and a face frozen in horror. Hidden on the body lies a Spanish gold cross from the 16th century worth a fortune. When Corrie and Nora finally identify the victim and discover the bizarre way he died, they unlock access to a dangerous secret world. Ancient treasure and modern obsession collide around one of the most frightening moments in American history. The investigation pulls them deeper into forces that someone will kill to protect.
Genres: adventure, suspense, mystery, crime, archaeology, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: New Mexico, Santa Fe
Period: 16th Century, 20th Century
309 pages · Kindle Edition · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence