Bone Dust White: A Novel
Rural Montana’s frozen tundra is the setting for this literary mystery debut. Eighteen-year-old Grace is home alone after recuperating from a heart transplant when she sees a man stab a woman on the fringes of the property behind her home. Despite the cold, she runs out the back door to try to help. She is shocked to find the victim is the mother who abandoned her 11 years earlier, but she is too late to save the woman’s life. Detective Macy Greeley is assigned the case, as she’s been tracking the victim in connection with a sex slavery ring. But Collier, Montana, is a small town full of evil secrets, and no one is talking, least of all Grace, whom Macy believes knows a lot more than she’s telling. Meanwhile, Macy must deal with a pregnancy that’s the result of a liaison with her married boss. Looming over the action and contributing to the dark, brooding atmosphere is the icy winter, a physical and metaphorical presence in the story. The sharp twists, idiosyncratic characters, and vivid setting should appeal to fans of C. J. Box and Nevada Barr. --Stacy Alesi