Badlands

Preston and Child’s fifth adventure featuring Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson (following Dead Mountain) tackles a terrific story while highlighting the continued growth of two stellar characters. Though she has not become a full FBI agent yet, Corrie Swanson lands a baffling case. In the New Mexico badlands, a film crew’s drone spots the remains of a woman. Swanson recruits her friend, archaeologist Nora Kelly, to inspect the bones. Found clutched in the skeleton’s hands are some extremely rare stones. When a second body is found with the same stones, the women learn that both victims were students of a professor known for his aggressive manner with women and his fascination with the ancient Chaco people of the region. Will their investigation lead them to a terrifying truth, and is there an entity that lives in the canyon that demands human sacrifice?