Badlands by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

 

First Line: August 2020; Precise date uncertain. The woman paused and raised her head, looking over the wavering landscape toward the horizon.

It is a puzzling death in the New Mexico badlands. The victim went out into the desert, shedding clothes as she walked, and died a horrible death of heatstroke and thirst. When her skeleton is found, her bony hands are clutching two incredibly rare lightning stones, stones that the ancient Chaco people used to summon the gods. 

When FBI Agent Corrie Swanson is assigned to the case, she can't quite believe that someone would choose to commit suicide in that manner. With the presence of the rare artifacts, she calls in archaeologist Nora Kelly to help her investigate. 

Then a second body is found-- in exactly the same circumstances. Corrie and Nora pursue their investigation into remote canyons, finding haunted ruins and learning about long-lost rituals. They have awakened a dark power that will put their lives in danger.

~

I have been a fan of Preston and Child's Nora Kelly series from the very first book (Old Bones). I have learned so much about the landscape and history of New Mexico in reading the series, and Badlands is no exception. This fast-paced tale had me exploring remote areas along with Nora and Corrie and learning more about the Pueblo and Navajo cultures. (Never skip the Author's Notes at the end of the books.)

The progression of the lives of the characters has completely won me over. Corrie continues to grow as an FBI agent, and Sheriff Homer Watts, with his immaculate cowboy hat and pearl-handled six-shooters, tries his best to always ride in to save the day whenever his damsel, Corrie, is in danger.

I do have to admit that I did get annoyed with Nora, as she knowingly put herself in danger (what I call a TSTL Moment-- Too Stupid To Live), and her feckless brother, Skip, never ceases to amaze me. Is his luck ever going to run out? Especially when he becomes friends with the local law unto himself rich guy. 

As much as I enjoyed the characters, the story, and all the things I learned, I couldn't totally buy into what caused the women's deaths. It was a tad too far-fetched and had my suspension bridge of disbelief swaying wildly in the breeze. Is that going to keep me from reading the next book in the series? Of course not! I'm ready to read it right now.

Badlands by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

eISBN: 9781538765852

Grand Central Publishing © 2025

eBook, 362 pages

Thriller, #5 Nora Kelly & Corrie Swanson

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Dead Mountain by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

 

First Line: Brandon Purdue and his frat buddy Mike Kottke sat on a rock underneath a big fir tree, near where their Jeep had skidded off a Forest Service road into a ditch and run over a sapling.

 

Once again, FBI Agent Corrie Swanson enlists the aid of archaeologist Nora Kelly when two drunken frat boys stumble on ancient remains when they find shelter in a cave. However, Kelly not only uncovers Native American remains, she finds two much more recent ones.

The recent ones turn out to be from an ill-fated 2008 winter backpacking trip into the New Mexico mountains. At their final campsite, searchers find a bizarre scene that suggests something appearing in the door of the hikers' tent that was so terrifying they cut their way out of the tent and ran barefoot into a blizzard and certain death.

Only one hiker of the so-called Dead Mountain 9 remains to be found, and with the help of Nora Kelly, Corrie Swanson is determined to not only find him but also find out the truth of what happened to them all.

~

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Nora Kelly series has turned into a must-read for me whenever I want some high-octane fun-- although I do wonder if Nora will ever turn Corrie down when she asks for help because, every time she says yes, she finds herself in a big mess.

 

I fell in love with New Mexico on a visit a few years ago, and I always look forward to what bits of that state's history these two men will use to fuel their story. Although Nora does help Corrie with the Dead Mountain 9 investigation, she finds herself pulled away by her impulsive brother Skip who runs afoul of a corrupt sheriff when the two help people from the Isleta Pueblo repatriate ancient remains found in the cave. Learning more about NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) laws was very interesting, and I enjoyed how Skip was extricated from his dire situation. 

 

The major storyline involving the Dead Mountain 9 uses Kirtland Air Force Base as a possible focus for Corrie's investigation. Watching Corrie and her new mentor, Agent Sharp, unravel all the knots surrounding the coverups of what happened during that blizzard fifteen years ago was a blast. I love how Preston and Child's minds work!

 

No matter how good the story, it wouldn't really work if the characters weren't up to the same high standards, and they are. Archaeologist Nora Kelly is the more seasoned of the two and keeps Corrie's worst impulsiveness in check. She also has valuable knowledge to bring to the table. Neither woman is someone you want to mess with when you're in the wrong. Nora's brother Skip is the class clown, the comic relief. Will he ever learn when to keep his mouth shut? You can count on me to keep reading to find out. And of course, there's Sheriff Homer Watts, the handsome six-gun-toting lawman who takes special care of his cowboy hat. He can be counted on to ride in and help save the day. Seeing these recurring characters develop is one of the best parts of reading the series.

 

This cast of characters is one that is determined to confront injustice, and watching how Agents Swanson and Sharp and all the rest bring justice to the Dead Mountain 9 is the icing on the cake of an extremely enjoyable read. I can't wait for the next book in the series! 

Dead Mountain by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

eISBN: 9781538736838

Grand Central Publishing © 2023

eBook, 393 pages

 

Thriller, #4 Nora Kelly & Corrie Swanson

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Diablo Mesa By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

 

First Line: Dr. Marcelle Weingrau, president of the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute, slowly unfolded her hands on the glossy surface of desk in front of her.

 

When you've got billions of dollars of disposable cash, you're used to having your whims obeyed. This is what happens when billionaire Lucas Tappan approaches the president of the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute. Suddenly, archaeologist Nora Kelly finds herself being told to head to Roswell to head a dig where a UFO supposedly crash-landed in 1947-- whether she wants to or not.

 

Once there, Kelly finds the bodies of two murder victims whose bodies were deliberately mutilated to evade identification. The proper authorities have to be called in, and Special Agent Corrie Swanson is put in charge of the case. 

 

As both women pursue their investigations, bizarre and inexplicable things come to light for both of them, and the closer they come to unearthing the truth, the closer they come to a showdown with a group that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets.

 

~

 

I absolutely love this series. I get to participate in archaeological digs. I get to learn fascinating bits of history. I get to tag along with two intelligent, brave women, and-- last but not least-- I get to vicariously savor thrilling chases, narrow escapes, and plenty of quick thinking and derring-do. There are times that this is exactly what the doctor orders, and I can rely on Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child to serve up the correct dosage prescribed.

 

I have to admit that, although I loved Diablo Mesa, I'm not as passionate about it as I was about The Scorpion's Tail, and I think that's due entirely to the central Quest. My taste buds fire up more when served a tasty Native American and Spanish treasure than it does with a course of UFOs, but that's just me. (Although a certain one-word message did send a chill down my spine.)

 

Preston and Child can be relied upon to build fantastic plots as they have done here, but it's the cast of characters that brings everything to life. Nora Kelly and her brother Skip. The continuing maturation of Special Agent Corrie Swanson. Sheriff Watts of Socorro County with his pearl-handled six-shooters and Resistol hat. This ensemble cast sparkles, and can even have me laughing in the middle of a dire chase scene.

 

Once again, I've finished a Nora Kelly book with a smile on my face and resigned to the interminable wait for the next adventure. Bring it on!  

Diablo Mesa by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

eISBN: 9781538736739

Grand Central Publishing © 2022

eBook, 374 pages

 

Thriller, #3 Nora Kelly mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Scorpion's Tail by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

First Line: Since graduating from the Academy eight months before, Special Agent Corrie Swanson had learned to expect almost anything.

 

Rookie FBI Agent Corrie Swanson is given what she believes to be a throwaway case. A mummified corpse has been found in the basement of a building in a remote New Mexico ghost town. Once on the scene, she can see that a professional should be in charge of uncovering the body, so she uses the old "Hey, I saved your life" schtick on archaeologist, Nora Kelly. Fortunately, the Santa Fe Archaeological Society looks favorably on the positive PR of working with the FBI, so Nora obtains the all-clear and travels to the ghost town.

 

As she slowly uncovers the body, two things jump out at Nora. One, it's obvious from the position and appearance of the body that the person died in terrible agony, and two, hidden on the corpse is a sixteenth-century Spanish gold cross of immense value.

 

What Nora and Corrie will soon learn is that identifying the body and the cause of death will open the door to a world of ancient treasure, modern obsession, and one of the most defining moments of American history.

 

~

 

If you're in the mood for a book that's flat-out fun to read, by all means, get your hands on a copy of The Scorpion's Tail. Preston and Child's story of treasure and obsession had my eyes glued to the page, and when life intruded and I had to put the book down, my mind kept wandering back to it, wondering what was going to happen next.

 

These two authors pushed so many of my WOW buttons that I don't think I can list them all. I learned several interesting tidbits of New Mexico history such as the Pueblo Revolt. I was taken to the White Sands Missile Range. The trip to a remote ghost town reminded me of so many similar trips my husband and I made here in Arizona. Ones where the trails were so bad I thought my kidneys and spine would never be the same-- but so much fun! Then there was the fabulous lost Spanish treasure, the white-knuckle night escape from the bad guys, a little Army-Navy joke, and of course, the archaeology.

 

There's so much "wonderfulness" in The Scorpion's Tail that I think the brief appearance made by Preston and Child's Agent Pendergast was completely unnecessary. This book's adventure, its marvelous setting, its mystery are all taken to the next level by the authors' characters. Corrie Swanson's backstory is slowly being revealed, and it's an interesting one. She's going to make an excellent agent, but she can be impulsive and does need Agent Morwood's mentoring. Nora Kelly is my kind of archaeologist who's learning about the politics of promotion at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute, and her brother Skip is the perfect person to bring along on a dig. There's the smart, handsome sheriff of Socorro who wears two six-shooters strapped to his hips, but don't let the theatricality fool you. When you've got a cast like this, it makes the mystery and the adventure shine even brighter.

 

If you can't tell that I loved this book, I have to say that I'm worried about you. I'll also worry about you if you like this sort of book and decide not to read it. The Scorpion's Tail is a fantastic, fun read. What are you waiting for?

The Scorpion's Tail by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

eISBN: 9781538747292

Grand Central Publishing © 2021

eBook, 402 pages

 

Thriller, #2 Nora Kelly mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Old Bones by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

First Line: Night had come early to the City of Lights, and by 1:00 AM, with the moon obscured by thick clouds, Paris no longer lived up to its name.

When historian Clive Benton discovers a journal giving the location of the "Lost Camp" of the Donner Party, there's only one archaeologist he wants to work with. He's done his homework and Nora Kelly is talented, dedicated, and knows the high Sierra Nevadas well.

Nora agrees to lead an expedition to locate and excavate the site-- the third camp belonging to the infamous Donner Party that in 1847, trapped by twenty-five feet of snow, had to resort to cannibalism to stay alive.

The team soon learns that finding the Lost Camp is only the first step in an expedition leading them deeper and deeper into shock and fear. As the old bones are uncovered, Nora and her team expose what really happened, and this knowledge leads to present-day violence on a grand scale. It's Rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson's first case-- and it may be her last.

I've always been an easy mark for a mystery steeped in history, and Old Bones is an excellent example. I grew up close to where the Donner Party started out in 1847, and that tale of being trapped by brutal winter weather in an unforgiving land and being forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive has always held a strange fascination for me. Preston and Child flesh out (pun guiltily intended) their story with the history of the Donner Party, a bit of genetics, a marvelous wilderness setting, some archaeology, and-- why not?-- a bit of treasure.

The story is fast-paced, and I really enjoyed getting to know both archaeologist Nora Kelly and rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson. Prendergast fans will be happy to know that he does make an appearance in this book, but it's really all Nora and Corrie-- and I am definitely looking forward to more.
 

Old Bones by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

eISBN: 9781538747216

Grand Central Publishing © 2019

eBook, 385 pages

Thriller, #1 Nora Kelly mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley