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Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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OLD BONES

Trudy Nan Boyce

A Detective Sarah Alt Novel

A timely and penetrating mystery about the intersection of policing, racism, and community from an author who’s been in the trenches and seen it all. In a city burdened by history and a community erupting in pain and anger, Salt must delve into the past for answers. A gripping and astute story about what it means to serve and protect, OLD BONES solidifies Trudy Nan Boyce as an evocative, authoritative voice in crime fiction.
A senseless act of violence: During a vigil calling for police reform, students from Spelman College, a historically black women’s institution, are assaulted by rifle fire from a passing vehicle. On her way to interview witnesses, Detective Sara “Salt” Alt confronts the fleeing vehicle of the suspects, but they get away.

A city in turmoil: While other detectives take the lead on the Spelman murders, Salt is tasked to investigate the case of a recently discovered decomposed body. When she combs through the missing-persons reports, it becomes clear the victim is a girl Salt took into custody two years before, and Salt feels a grave responsibility to learn the truth about how the girl died. But before she can pursue any leads, Salt is called onto emergency riot detail—in the wake of the events at Spelman, Atlanta has reached the boiling point.

In a city burdened by history and a community erupting in pain and anger, Salt must delve into the past for answers. A gripping and astute story about what it means to serve and protect, OLD BONES solidifies Trudy Nan Boyce as an evocative, authoritative voice in crime fiction.

Trudy Nan Boyce received her PhD in community counseling before becoming a police officer for the city of Atlanta. During her more-than-30-year career she served as a beat cop, homicide detective, senior hostage negotiator, and lieutenant. Boyce retired from the police department in 2008 and still lives in Atlanta. She is the author of Out of the Blues, the first Detective Salt novel.
Available products
Book

Published 2017-02-21 by Putnam

Book

Published 2017-02-21 by Putnam

Comments

[Another] thrill-ride of a novel from Trudy Nan Boyce.

A superior crime novel . . . the author deftly develops strong characters, crackling, believable dialogue and great descriptions. Boyce’s latest is a dark, fast-paced, violent tale pulsating with authenticity. It’s intense crime fiction at its best!

Boyce lunges at the caldron of Atlanta racial/sexual/institutional politics as if she can't wait to tear the lid off. Readers prepared for the deep dive will find themselves enlightened, sobered, and maybe even cautiously uplifted by the heroine's reckless courage.

Superlative . . . Boyce, a former Atlanta police officer, knowingly explores an officer's calling, as well as moral questions, while maintaining realistic dialogue and Atlanta scenes.

Former Atlanta police officer Boyce presents a vivid, unflinching view of police work in a southern setting in which disturbing legacies can come to haunt native residents. An exceptional police procedural, with a compelling protagonist and strong moral underpinning.

Timely . . . Boyce, who was an Atlanta cop for 30 years before turning to writing, captures the roiling tension of a city in turmoil. Alt, for all her power as a detective with an admirable moral compass, can only do so much toward fixing such systemic injuries. In addition to being a fast-paced crime story with an empathetic, feisty lead, Boyce’s latest also offers a -meditation on -violence and institutional racism.