Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Boneyard by Michelle Gagnon. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
Boneyard by Michelle Gagnon
A Kelly Jones Mystery
Mira (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2539-3 (0778325393)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2539-0 (9780778325390)
Publication Date: July 2008
List Price: $6.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): On the trail of a serial killer, the path splits in two …
FBI special agent Kelly Jones has worked on many disturbing cases in her career, but nothing like this. A mass grave site unearthed on the Appalachian Trail puts Kelly at the head of an investigation that crosses the line—from Massachusetts to Vermont, from wealthy vacationers to poor transients, from a serial killer to a copycat nemesis.
Assisted by law enforcement from both states and a forensic anthropologist, Kelly searches for the killers. But as darkness falls, another victim is taken. Kelly must race to save him before he joins the rest … in the boneyard.
Review: All of FBI agent Kelly Jones' investigative and diplomatic skills are put to the test when she is assigned to a serial killer task force with victims found in three states (and three jurisdictions, each with their own special brand of bureaucracy) in Boneyard, the second thriller in this series by Michelle Gagnon.
Though the remains of the victims were found in multiple locations, Kelly and her team quickly determine they have something in common: they were all young men who had criminal records including solicitation. But there are some significant differences that puzzle the team: some of the bodies appear to have been buried then unburied, and the age of some of the bones seems to indicate that the killings took place years earlier. Could a serial killer be at large for so long a time yet no casework filed? The way the men died also presents a twist: some appear to have been meticulously tortured and others quickly killed. Is it possible there are two killers at work here?
Boneyard has several unusual elements that elevate it above the standard serial killer thriller. For much of the book, the focus is on relationships, primarily between Kelly and her team members, and between the team members themselves. This creates a character-driven story that is deeper and more complex than merely the search for a serial killer. And it has the effect of drawing the reader in, making them part of the team. For the most part, and to her credit, the author minimizes much of the graphic detail of the torture the young men experience prior to their deaths. It's not necessary anyway and it works to the benefit of the book as a whole.
If there's a weakness here it's in the motivation of the killer which isn't well established. A hate crime to be sure, but it could have been better outlined and defined. And Kelly's romantic element, introduced in the first book of the series, is furthered in this one but is still more of an intrusion than not.
Kelly Jones is not a typical FBI agent and this is not a typical serial killer series. Both Boneyard, and its predecessor The Tunnels, are recommended.
Special thanks to Mira Books, an imprint of Harlequin, for providing an ARC of Boneyard for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
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