The #1 NYT bestselling authors Preston & Child bring the true story of the ill-fated Donner Party to new life in this thrilling novel of archaeology, history, murder, and suspense. Nora Kelly, a young curator at the Santa Fe Institute of Archaeology, is approached by historian Clive Benton with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal: to lead a team in search of the so-called “Lost Camp” of the tragic … in search of the so-called “Lost Camp” of the tragic Donner Party. This was a group of pioneers who earned a terrible place in American history when they became snow-bound in the California mountains in 1847, their fate unknown until the first skeletonized survivors stumbled out of the wilderness, raving about starvation, murder-and cannibalism.
Benton tells Kelly he has stumbled upon an amazing find: the long-sought diary of one of the victims, which has an enigmatic description of the Lost Camp. Nora agrees to lead an expedition to locate and excavate it-to reveal its long-buried secrets.
Once in the mountains, however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson is assigned the case…only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.
however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson is assigned the case…only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.
however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson is assigned the case…only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.
however, they learn that discovering the camp is only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson is assigned the case…only to find that her first investigation might very well be her last.
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In Old Bones, bestselling authors Preston & Child tackle the myth and legend surrounding the Donner Party, a group of pioneers who set out from Missouri in 1846. They followed the Oregon Trail, bound for California. But the brutal Sierra Nevada winter arrived early that year, trapping them on the high pass (Donner Pass) near Truckee Lake, which would later become known as Donner Lake. They ran out of food, and some members of the party set out on foot to seek help. The first rescuers were unable to reach those who remained behind until February 1847. Many of the party succumbed to starvation and sickness, and some of those who survived did so only by resorting to cannibalism, making their ordeal one of the most notorious and tragic in the history of the settlement of the west.
The story opens with a series of grave robberies. And a seemingly unrelated theft from the Donner House before it is demolished. That house belonged to the daughter of Jacob Donner, a member of the Donner Party. Preservationists lost the battle the save the home, and bulldozers are about to raze it to make way for condominiums and a golf course along the Bear River when a stranger sneaks in and retrieves an old journal.
When Clive Benton claims that the journal is that of Tamzene Donner, the wife of the leader of the Donner Party, Nora Kelly is intrigued. Benton contends that the diary identifies all of the persons who were stranded at the Lost Camp and includes a description of the camp’s location. The Lost Camp has never been discovered and the chance to find valuable archaeological evidence of exactly what transpired there more than a century ago excites Nora once she hears Benton’s underlying thesis. Benton maintains that members of the Donner Party were transporting treasure that has never been found and may well be in the vicinity of the Lost Camp. Nora’s boss, director of the Institute, is persuaded that the Institute should fund the expedition.
Meanwhile, Corinne Swanson, a neophyte FBI agent, is finally assigned to investigate her first homicide case. But when she finally lands that assignment, she has no idea that she will find herself on horseback in the remote Sierra Nevada mountains, wrapped up in a mystery that is more than a century old. Corinne was a Goth teen with purple hair and attitude, so she is able to relate to a troubled teenage boy that she encounters in the course of investigating his sister’s disappearance. Corinne found her way to the FBI via Pendergast, and is able to relate to the youngster with whom her interactions are authentic and touching.
Preston and Child use real members of the Donner Party and actual aspects of their story to craft a fast-moving thriller. Nora is still grieving her husband, devoted to her work, and determined that the expedition comply with strict protocols. She is compelled by her professionalism and awareness that if the expedition is a success, she will have contributed to extremely important discoveries. She is accompanied by not just Benton, whose credentials and motives seem legitimate, but the former lawyer who resides in the areas and puts together the team that leads them through the treacherous terrain to the campsite where the excavation will take place. They are an eclectic, mysterious group and it is soon clear that each is a suspect when things start to go horribly wrong.
The subject matter is handled with sensitivity by Preston & Child, who point out, through several characters, that the expedition has found its way to hallowed ground — grave sites — and the remains they discover must be handled with respect. One character takes that approach to an unfortunate extreme. Before long, bodies are literally piling up — some from the 1800’s, but the recent deaths are alarming as Nora realizes that she is in grave danger and Corinne finds her way to the camp where Preston & Child expertly meld the seemingly disparate mysteries into one cohesive, frightening, and shocking conclusion.
Preston & Child never disappoint, and Old Bones is a promising start to a new series featuring Nora and Corinne who are both featured in prior novels but meet for the first time in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
I thought Old Bones was perhaps not really up to the expected standard
for Preston and Child. However that standard is very high, so the book is
still a worthwhile read. I live right in the area so local names were of
interest.
Like I need another series to read, but of course this first one in Preston and Child’s new series with Nora Kelly, I will be reading it. Just as good as his Pendergast series. This book talks about the ill-fated Donner Party. It is a little ghastly at times, but if you get past that, it is quite good. Looking forward to reading more of the Nora Kelly Series.
Well-researched storyline about the ill-fated Donner party with memorable characters. The ending was completely unexpected!
Finally. THIS book merits the “Preston & Child” name! I’m a long time fan, but the last few books had convinced me that the authors were burned out. I only purchased Old Bones because it’s a new series and I was hopeful. Wow! Was I rewarded! I couldn’t put it down. The plot is tight, the mystery is worthy of Pendergast, and the dialogue is excellent. The little surprise at the end was fun, too. While Corrie and Nora seem a little flat, I still look forward to seeing them in action again!
Just – bad. If you are hoping for a repeat of the wonderful ‘Thunderhead’ you won’t find it here. I found Old Bones extremely bland, boring and superficial. It’s like the authors wrote an outline then handed the book off to a third-level assistant to flesh it out. Don’t waste your time with this book – it’s very disappointing.
Always like Preston & Child’s books.
Great read. Once I got started, it was hard to put down. Amazing twists and turns coming from real places and drew from histrical events. Would recommend this book to as nyone who likes suspence, an other worldly flavor, and mystery.
A new series from the writing duo with a tidbit of Pendergast. A good read.
The writing team of Preston & Child never fail to to keep me reading well into the night. This 1st book of a new series brings familiar characters together in a different setting and weaves a fictional story based on a true incident.
Another knock out of the park! Love, love, love the whole story, from the beginning to the ending twist. Nora and Corrie feel like old friends by now; I’m already waiting eagerly for the next one.
I could not put Old Bones down and was sorry to see it end. This is the first book in Preston & Child’s new Nora Kelly series and it absolutely rocks. I love how the authors combine history and fiction as well as their extensive knowledge of archeology to deliver a page-turning read. This one is about a lost group of people from the Donner Party and combines reality with speculation and mystery in the best way possible. I couldn’t put it down! It will keep you guessing to the very end.
The first chapter was good but the second chapter hooked me completely.
The story felt very steady. Not really a thriller but a steady line of suspense throughout. Nora and Corrie were interesting and I enjoyed how their mysteries came together. I found myself constantly thinking about the book throughout my day and itching to pick it up where I left off. This book did leave me with a few questions but I will read more of the series and even go back and check out the Pendergast series where both of these characters make their debut as side characters.
When word landed that Nora Kelly, a character that made her solo debut in 1999’s Thunderhead and has since been a recurring character in several of the authors’ Pendergast novels, was to finally get a series centering her front and proper I was pretty damn enthused. Given the propensity for the authors to pack in plenty of scientific rigor, twisty mysteries, and loads of adventure, I figured this was going to be some tasty brain candy. Unfortunately, my high expectations just weren’t met and the title Old Bones just feels way too apt for this sluggish non-thriller.
Nora finds herself recruited by historian Clive Benton, a descendant of the infamous and doomed Donner Party, to search for The Lost Camp where many emigrants to California met their end to cannibalism and madness. While she and her team of archaeologists work with Benton to uncover these old remains, FBI rookie Agent Corrie Swanson is investigating a series of murders and desecrated graves that all point toward a common ancestor — one of the doomed pioneers from that ill-fated expedition west.
Fans of Preston & Child will recognize characters like Nora and Corrie, both of whom have played supporting roles to the popular Agent Pendergast over the course of several of his novels. Seeing them striking out on their own, however, isn’t as rewarding as it should be. Old Bones lacks the thrills and tension of prior Preston & Child books, and it creeps along at a slow but determined pace. Instead of thrills and high adventure, much of the book’s narrative relies too heavily on repetitious details.
The authors start out with a bang, setting up what should have been an interesting mystery about stolen skulls and the race to find a murderer. There’s a promising idea at the core of Old Bones, but it feels like neither Preston nor Child knew what to do with it. They spent a lot of time narratively spinning their wheels and treading water, going nowhere fast. The bulk of Nora’s side of the story involves uncovering a dig site, going back to camp for dinner and a ghost story, and recapping the details of the Donner Party, who killed who, and who survived. Corrie’s side of the story involves investigating a murder or a disappearance, making wild speculations, and being told by her supervisor to reign it in and that’s she making the same mistakes every other rookie has made. Rinse and repeat for damn near every chapter. Eventually, the two stories intertwine, but by the time some additional murders and a dash of conspiracy and paranoia get tossed into the mixed, it’s far too late to be of any real interest. The reveal of the book’s antagonist comes as no surprise at all, and the unwrapping of why such extremes were undertaken is too neatly resolved and with too little exploration, at that.
While I was delighted at the chance to see Nora taking the lead on a book of her own, for the first time since 1999, I felt supremely disappointed that both her and Corrie’s agency were severely undercut in the book’s denouement. Considering that much of Corrie’s story element involves dealing with local yokels and good old boys who think they know better than this little girl with a badge, it’s self-defeating that both her and Nora need a man to solve one of this book’s puzzles on their behalf. I won’t get into the details of it, but I will say it’s ultimately a disappointing and ham-fisted bit of fan service.
In fact, disappointing, ham-fisted fan service pretty well sums up Old Bones as a whole. Preston & Child have shown countless times that they know how to write complex and engaging thrillers. Sadly, Old Bones isn’t one of them. This one’s slow and creaky, content to tell you the same little factoids gleaned from Google over and over and over. While I do look forward to another expedition with Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson, Old Bones should have been left buried.