The Bone Chamber

Readers seeking a DaVinci Code-type thriller will dive right into this page-turner from Anthony Award winner Burcell, an FBI-trained forensic artist, much like his protagonist Sydney Fitzpatrick. Sydney, who previously confronted her father's murder in Face of a Killer, now works for the FBI in Quantico. When Special Agent Zachary Griffin asks Sydney to identify a murder victim without a face, she postpones her vacation to help, then continues the investigation on her own. Clues lead Sydney to the Vatican, where she rejoins Zachary to pursue the lost, legendary Templar treasure. Meanwhile, the two agents are being pursued themselves by two separate sets of killers. From Washington to Rome to Tunisia, the action is fast-paced and non-stop, compensating for characters that lack dimension.