Field of Bones: A Brady Novel of Suspense

A serial killer investigation disrupts Joanna Brady’s maternity leave in bestseller Jance’s exciting 18th novel featuring the Cochise County, Ariz., sheriff (after 2016’s Downfall). Acting sheriff Tom Hadlock is on duty when June Carver brings in her son, Jack, with a skull that the high school senior found in the remote San Bernardino Valley. Evidence at the scene suggests that a serial killer has been using it as a dump site. Readers know from the first chapter that a man known only as the Boss has been keeping his victims prisoner, torturing them, and disposing of their bodies in the desert. Hadlock puts every available officer on the case, while Joanna offers advice and secures an FBI profiler willing to help. Jance ratchets up the tension by switching between the Boss’s depredations and the police’s efforts to identify him and rescue his prisoners. The birth of Joanna’s daughter, Sage, and other developments in her personal life will enthrall established fans. This long-running series shows no signs of losing steam. Agent: Alice Volpe, Northwest Literary Agency. (Sept.)