Cut to the Bone

"A genuinely gripping thriller . . . for fans of Patricia Cornwell and for readers who crave more mysteries with women of color in the lead." —Booklist, starred review

In Ellison Cooper's new standalone novel Cut to the Bone, a bus full of high school students has disappeared from Washington D.C. and FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair must hunt down the culprit who has a link to her own past.


After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Agent Sayer Altair is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer's newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl's body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing in this case is what it seems.


As the investigation draws her in to a tangled web of fake identities and false leads, the trail soon begins to point directly to her own life. Now, Sayer must confront her painful past to uncover her connection to the deranged killer if she hopes to save the missing teens and protect everything that she loves.


"The sharp, intricate story, full of chills and unexpected twists, will keep readers guessing to the end." —Publishers Weekly, starred review


"Cooper confidently propels Cut to the Bone to its conclusion, tossing off a gasp-worthy twist toward the end . . . with impressive dexterity." —Air Mail