Description de l’éditeur
“There’s a reason Kathy Reichs is the doyenne of forensic fiction—because her MO is to keep the reader guessing till the last paragraph.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twenty-third high-stakes thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself at the center of a Washington, DC, arson investigation with deepening levels of mystery and, ultimately, violence.
Always apprehensive about working fire scenes, Tempe is called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a deadly blaze. The devastated building is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and when Tempe delves into the property’s history, she becomes suspicious about the ownership.
The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the 1930s and ’40s the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. While interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his home in an affluent part of the district. Coincidence? Targeted attack? So many questions.
As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another fire claims one more victim, and slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the obvious. But her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated—and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reichs's rewarding 23rd mystery featuring Temperance Brennan (after The Bone Hacker) finds the forensic anthropologist unraveling a complicated conspiracy in Washington, D.C. Brennan's hopes for a getaway with her PI boyfriend are dashed by an urgent request from Jada Thacker, D.C.'s interim medical examiner, who's probing a fire at an illegal Airbnb that killed four unidentified people. The case's key questions—who was killed and whether the blaze was arson—are complicated by evidence that the building was used as a meth lab, and by Temperance's discovery of a fifth corpse in the sub-basement. While investigating the building's history, Temperance learns of its involvement in a 20th-century bootlegging operation, and decides to team up with a local journalist to learn more. Soon, more bodies pile up and other fires break out across the city, indicating the resurgence of a long-dormant gang. Reichs nimbly balances developments in Temperance's romantic life with a propulsive investigation whose copious twists never feel cheap. Not only does this work as an entry point for series newcomers, it's sure to satisfy longtime fans.
