Jane Rizzoli must hunt down a killer who preserves his victims using ancient techniques.
Jane Rizzoli/ Maura Isles #7
Ballantine Books
September 2008
On Sale: September 9, 2008
Featuring: Jane Rizzoli; Maura Isles
368 pages ISBN: 0345497627 EAN: 9780345497628 Hardcover Add to Wish List
For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain
forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston’s Crispin
Museum. Now its sudden rediscovery by museum staff is both
a major coup and an attention-grabbing mystery.
Dubbed “Madam X,” the mummy–to all appearances, an ancient
Egyptian artifact–seems a ghoulish godsend for the
financially struggling institution. But medical examiner
Maura Isles soon discovers a macabre message hidden within
the corpse–horrifying proof that this “centuries-old”
relic is instead a modern-day murder victim.
To
Maura and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, the
forensic evidence is unmistakable, its implications
terrifying. And when the grisly remains of yet another
woman are found in the hidden recesses of the museum, it
becomes chillingly clear that a maniac is at large–and is
now taunting them. Archaeologist Josephine Pulcillo’s
blood runs cold when the killer’s cryptic missives are
discovered, and her darkest dread becomes real when the
carefully preserved corpse of yet a third victim is left
in her car like a gruesome offering–or perhaps a ghastly
promise of what’s to come.
The twisted killer’s
familiarity with post-mortem rituals suggests to Maura and
Jane that he may have scientific expertise in common with
Josephine. Only Josephine knows that her stalker shares a
knowledge even more personally terrifying: details of a
dark secret she had thought forever buried.
Now
Maura must summon her own dusty knowledge of ancient death
traditions to unravel his twisted endgame. And when
Josephine vanishes, Maura and Jane have precious little
time to derail the Archaeology Killer before he adds
another chilling piece to his monstrous collection.