THE SCORPION'S TAIL

5 stars out of 5

For a plain old whodunit-when-how story, this series offers a refreshing new direction. If you're a history buff, you'll like it even better. If it matters, I read the first one, Old Bones, and I loved it as well. The stars of the show are archeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, both stationed in the Santa Fe area of New Mexico. Here, Carrie is fresh off a case in which one of her skills was put to the test - with an outcome that's left her (and possibly her superior officer) uncertain of her future at the FBI.

When a new case comes along - the discovery of a mummified corpse in High Lonesome, a ghost town near White Sands, where the atomic bomb was tested in 1945 - Corrie gets the assignment (mostly, she suspects, to keep her mind off recent events). She's not thrilled, but given her degree in forensic anthropology, she quickly realizes she needs professional help. She and Nora are the kind of friends who hold hands to keep from fighting, but Nora's expertise - and proximity to the mummy's burial site - mean Corrie must put aside any personal misgivings and ask Nora to make an examination. Nora isn't pleased either - she's working another important case and hoping for a big promotion - but Corrie's persistence wears her down and off she goes.

Two things are striking right from the start: the manner in which the victim was poisoned and how the dead man came to be holding tight to an extremely valuable, centuries-old artifact. That brings up questions about the nearby Army base and unearths interesting history of the people who once inhabited the lands.

All told, it's another great adventure from a pair of writers who never disappoint. It's not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but it's always a good idea to start at the beginning - especially when that one is equally delicious.

The Scorpion's Tail by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing, January 2021); 309 pp.