Bloodlines

From the Edgar Award–winning author of Bones comes another suspenseful installment in the Irene Kelly series, following the intrepid reporter as she unearths a cold case that suddenly brings decades-old secrets careening into the present. The year is 1958. Conn O'Connor, a young reporter for the Las Piernas News Express, is determined to uncover who brutally attacked his mentor, legendary journalist Jack Corrigan. Slipping in and out of consciousness, Corrigan insists he witnessed a blood-soaked car being buried on a remote farm—but his reputation as a heavy drinker calls his strange story into question. That same night, a seemingly unrelated tragedy unfolds. A yacht carrying four members of the wealthy Ducane family vanishes in a violent storm. Investigators soon discover that the Ducane estate has been broken into, the nursemaid murdered, and Max Ducane—the infant heir—abducted from his crib. Though Corrigan eventually recovers, neither the police nor his own relentless digging can unravel the mystery of the buried car or the fate of the missing child. The unanswered questions haunt him to his grave. Twenty years later, Irene Kelly is a rookie reporter working under managing editor Conn O'Connor when she covers the groundbreaking of a new shopping center—which unexpectedly yields the unearthing of a buried car. Inside the trunk are human remains. Could they belong to the kidnapped Ducane baby? And if so, who is the young man who has recently resurfaced under the name Max Ducane? Once again the trail goes maddeningly, suspiciously cold. Now, decades later, Irene is a seasoned journalist married to homicide detective Frank Harriman, facing the imminent closure of the Las Piernas News Express. As circulation plummets and veteran reporters are replaced by fresh graduates, Irene finds herself longing for the days when she learned the craft under O'Connor's watchful eye. So when the long-dormant case suddenly resurfaces, her loyalty to her mentor and her devotion to the truth outweigh any trepidation. Determined to solve the mystery that tormented O'Connor until his death, Irene chases a story that pulls her back into the past, and toward a final reckoning that could cost her career—or her life.

Jan Burke is the author of a dozen novels and a collection of short stories. She is the founder of the Crime Lab Project and is a member of the board of the California Forensic Science Institute. She lives in Southern California with her husband and two dogs. Learn more about her at JanBurke.com.