| Questionable Remains by Beverly Connor |
| (Worldwide, $5.99, NV) ISBN 0-373-26385-6 |
 |
|
Dr. Lindsay Chamberlain is a forensic archaeologist on a busman's holiday. After offering some controversial testimony in a murder trial, Lindsay decides to take a little driving vacation through Tennessee, visiting some of her colleagues dig sites. During her first few days away, Lindsay runs into a skeleton, perhaps 500 years old, with many unanswered questions, meets a grieving woman who hopes Lindsay can prove her brother's death two years earlier was murder, and finds a fellow archaeologist who may have been murdered before he was pushed off a rocky ledge. Lindsay doesn't know why, but her gut tells her that there is a connection between all these seemingly unrelated incidents.
As Lindsay begins to investigate Ken Darnell's disappearance and death, she keeps in mind the fact that bones never lie, but that people do. Lindsay comes across several discrepancies that someone doesn't want her to see and is willing to kill again to keep hidden. Questionable Remains is a fast-paced, engrossing mystery and while it has its roots in a combination of science and history, it is totally approachable. Lindsay does not lord her knowledge of archaeology and anthropology over others, but rather, she graciously shares it with others in an attempt to educate. Lindsay is a very strong, brave heroine without being in your face and is very likable, making people trust her after knowing her a short time. Beverly Connor has constructed a very clever mystery with several seemingly unconnected parts that all fit neatly together like reassembling a human skeleton. Flashbacks to the sixteenth century help solve one of the mysteries and add a bit of extra interest to an already entertaining, well-written mystery.
--Jennifer Monahan Winberry |
Please tell us what you think!
Back Home