Restless Bones

Readers of crime novels are used to main characters being flawed though essentially working on the side of right. Shawnee, or Shaw, Connolly is no exception. A crack crime-scene expert especially known for her skill with fingerprints, she is faced with multiple heart-wrenching crimes. A long-missing young woman is found in her car in a lake, creating a daunting but not impossible fingerprinting task; an elderly woman is found outside her home, dead of exposure with her house wiped clean. Shaw is also facing her younger son being bullied, returning romantic feelings for her ex, and recovery from the physical and emotional trauma of finding and convicting her sister’s killer. This killer provides the main conflict, offering to reveal burial sites of other victims, but only if Shaw is involved. She reluctantly complies, but struggles with a search through stark landscapes in harsh weather. Shaw is a woman with much to commend her as a character. We will all look forward to the next book.—Danise Hoover