Bones

Winner of the 2000 Edgar Award

For four long years, no one has known what became of Julia Sayre. On the morning after this mother of two disappeared, her family sought the help of reporter Irene Kelly. But despite Irene's best efforts, until now only one person has known where to find Sayre: her killer.

Nick Parrish, brilliant and sadistic, already faces the death penalty in a torture-murder case. Now he wants to cop a plea — life imprisonment in exchange for directing police to the isolated mountain grave where he buried Julia Sayre. The D.A. agrees to the controversial deal, and forms a specialized team of law enforcement and forensic experts to accompany Parrish on his grisly journey. When the Sayres and the newspaper pressure the D.A. to include Irene on the expedition, their wishes are honored over the protests of the team.

From the start, Parrish makes Irene the object of his unnerving attention. His knowing smile and relentless stares make her wonder if heavy chains, armed guards, and a protective search dog will be enough to keep him at bay.

But Nick Parrish's deadly plan to regain his freedom is already in motion, and Irene will need all her courage and ingenuity to remain the reporter — not the victim — in tomorrow's headlines.

"Burke pits reporter Irene Kelly against a cruel serial killer....What follows is a harrowing adventure — and heartrending discovery — to which Burke adds a breathtaking twist. Run to the nearest bookshop for this one." Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

"This mystery has all the necessary ingredients for an outstanding read — a terrific sense of pacing, great characterization, and a suspenseful plot that will keep readers turning the pages....[H]ighly recommended for older teens..." VOYA

A female reporter makes a personal pact with a serial killer in this award-winning thriller that reinvents the genre...

Irene Kelley bets her life on a deal she makes with a serial killer in the novel that "firmly ensconces [Burke] in the mystery pantheon with Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Robert B. Parker, and John Sandford" (The Tennessean).

Jan Burke is the recipient of the Macavity Award, the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award, and the Romantic Times's Career Achievement Award for Contemporary Suspense. She lives in Southern California with her husband, Tim, and her dogs, Cappy and Britches. Her latest Irene Kelly novel, Flight, is available from Simon & Schuster.