Old Bones

Definitely not worth the time.

The main characters instantly hated each other, for no reason, which wasn't very endearing.

The mystery was predictable, except for one tiny aspects.

And there's no way that someone who's either an FBI agent or an archeologist (of recent things, mostly) doesn't know about prion disease.

I did not care for the first book by this duo, but this spin off sounds interesting.

This was a solid, legit book if you ask me. I wasn't disappointed with the ending which was great. I enjoyed the pace of the writing and unfolding of events. Good stuff.

It's my first Preston & Child book, and I have a feeling it won't be the last. It was entertaining, and kept me interested until the end.

A nice little romp (if a tad slow) for a spin-off from the Agent Pendergast series.

Ever since Lincoln and Child introduced Corrie Swanson into the realms of Pendergast, I was waiting for them to expand her role. I figured she would have been great for a YA series with Pendergastian overtones, but now she's an adult, a grown woman who followed in her mentor's footsteps and joined the FBI. At first, I was looking forward to this, but she does not come off too well in the first book. She's a little uptight, a little by-the-book. She's lost some of the goth edge that she possessed when she was first introduced.

Nora Kelly, the widow of the last William Smithback, is an old friend from the Pendergast realms. It's nice to see her getting a larger role in this world. She's intelligent and strong, and a good protagonist.

OLD BONES starts off promising, with a hunt for Donner party campsites, but the book really only simmers and never boils. It does not really live up to the expectations I have for typical Lincoln & Child work, but I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that it's a first book and they're still finding footing for both of the characters. Both women, formerly secondary characters in Pendergast's world, are now front and center and the writers seem to be figuring them out.

The first book in this spin-off series is solid, but doesn't really hum. However, I anticipate a second book will not suffer a sophomore slump.

This was my re-introduction to the works of Preston & Child, having read The Relic and perhaps two others many years ago. Old Bones is the first in a series revolving around archaeologist Nora Kelly, based out of New Mexico.

In the early 90's, I had participated in an archaeological dig in southeastern Kansas which eventually led to my taking formal classes at UNM in Albuquerque. While there, I met a few FBI agents who worked out if the Field Office there. I have also had a long-standing interest in the history of the American West.

Thus, this novel piqued my curiosity on a number of different levels. It was merely a bonus that it's a great story with enough suspense to make it difficult to put down when one needs to sleep, etc.

I had never read much about the tragedy of the Donner party but now I am intrigued enough to – as suggested at the end of the book – to read one of the non-fiction accounts as well.

This novel was as much about FBI agent Corrie Swanson as it was about Nora Kelly. The historian who sets everything into motion – Clive Benton – is also prominent and fully characterized.

The novel's conclusion is satisfying and also leaves a bit of mystery for the reader to wonder about.

Well done!

I will definitely read the next installment in the Nora Kelly series when it appears. In the meantime, I want to seek out and read as many of the previous Preston & Child novel's as I can....

I fun novel with clever links to the Pendergast universe. It stands up well on its own, but fans of the main long-running series will enjoy this all the more for its links common characters.