by Andrew Davis and Jeff Biggers
SYNOPSIS
A plot to disrupt a global peace summit in Chicago collides with a civil rights case breakthrough at a mysterious archaeological site . . .
Chicago detective Randall Jenkins has not been back home to the historic Civil Rights hotspot of Cairo, Illinois since the disappearance of his mother, a well-known journalist, several decades ago.
That all changes the day Dr. Molly Moore, an ambitious young archaeologist in the national spotlight for her groundbreaking high-tech discoveries, uncovers a set of strange bones at a huge 12,000-year-old site at a highway construction project. With retired military general and contractor William Alexander breathing down her neck to cover up the dig, Molly and Randall soon find themselves in the middle of a wild military conspiracy.
The detective and archaeologist’s entwined family mysteries suddenly thrust them into the central position as the only people who can ensure the safety of the ongoing Chicago global peace summit. They must take on the rogue general who views any disarmament agreement as a clear and present danger to the United States. The fate of global peace and the lives of Molly and Randall hang in the balance.
REVIEW
Dr Molly Moore is a well-known archaeologist, and during an excavation of a site in Illinois which is due to be turned into a highway, she discovers the remains of a journalist and civil rights activist who went missing in the 70s. This is an incredibly difficult situation for Detective Randall Jenkins as the missing woman was his mother. He returns to his hometown to finally uncover the truth of what happened to her.
The beginning of this story is definitely more of a slow burn but the pace ramps up and it quickly turns into a fast-paced, action-packed thriller. It all gets a bit tense (slight understatement) with a nuclear weapons incident, an upcoming election, military elements, racism, civil rights issues, conspiracies, corruption and plenty of politics – the authors really threw everything at this storyline and as a result it reads like a non-stop action movie. In amongst all of this chaos, and despite warnings to stay away, Molly and Randall do everything they can to solve the mystery of Florence’s death. I thought that they were a really interesting pair, both very different people but this led to a great and slightly unusual dynamic.
Disturbing The Bones is a timely and chilling storyline. It’s unfortunate that as I was making my way through the story, I could see similarities with some of the current political issues being faced globally and this made it even more stressful to read. I’m a huge fan of investigations featuring cold cases and this, combined with the political thriller elements, added that extra level of excitement to an already intriguing plot.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Davis, raised on the southside of Chicago, is the acclaimed director and screenwriter of numerous films, including Holes, Under Siege, Code of Silence, A Perfect Murder, and The Guardian, and whose landmark film, The Fugitive, chosen in 2020 by Los Angeles Times readers as the ultimate summer film, was nominated for seven Academy awards including Best Picture.
Jeff Biggers is the American Book Award-winning author of many works of investigative journalism, history and theatre, including Reckoning at Eagle Creek, winner of the Delta Prize for Literature and the Brower Award for Environmental Reporting, and the recent In Sardinia. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and on NPR.
Thanks to Melville House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Contemporary Thriller / Political Thriller
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
ISBN: 978-1685891459
Pages: 368pp
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