The Bone Chamber

THE BONE CHAMBER
By Robin Burcell
Poisoned Pen Press
December 2009
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-06112-229-3
400 pages
$7.99
Mass Market Paperback

You can be killed if you have the third key. What is the third key to? What about the first and second key? Sydney Fitzpatrick quickly feels the need to answer these questions in THE BONE CHAMBER. She also has the feeling that she is always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

THE BONE CHAMBER begins with Sydney being summoned to Quantico to create a drawing from a skull of a possible victim who was obviously murdered and so extremely disfigured that she was not recognizable. Since she is a forensic artist for the FBI, this does not seem unusual except that the FBI is not involved with investigation. No one will tell her who is in charge or why she is to work with another agency.

To complicate matters, Sydney’s colleague and friend is also killed in a hit-and-run incident once she has begun this investigation. She is being followed but has no clue as to why. Added to this is the hunky, Zach Griffin who just wants her safely out of this case.

The victim turns out to be an archeological student who seemed to have made a recent discovery or to be near a discovery. To complicate matters, this particular student is also the daughter of the ambassador to the Holy See. Supposedly, she had found one of the three missing keys left by the Templar Knights and seemed to know where to find the long-hidden map to their treasure.

THE BONE CHAMBER is written as an action/adventure where no one ever sleeps. The characters are believable. It also leaves you frequently wondering who are the good guys and the bad guys that greatly added conflict and excitement to the story.

Personally, I think authors need to look for other hidden treasures and give the Templar/ Freemason connection a rest. There have to be a multitude of worldly treasures lost that have never been found with secrets that could upset many people just waiting to have someone write about them.

Robin Burcell actually trained to be an FBI-forensic artist and has worked for over twenty years in law enforcement. She has previously written the novels EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES, FATAL TRUTH, DEADLY LEGACY, and COLD CASE. THE BONE CHAMBER is actually the second book in the Sydney Fitzpatrick series. It works as a standalone but I think I would have been more attached to the character if I had read the first book, FACE OF A KILLER which I do intend to read now.