Publishers Weekly
★ 01/10/2022
Bestsellers Preston and Child go full X-Files in their excellent third thriller featuring archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI agent Corrie Swanson (after 2021’s The Scorpion’s Tail). When Nora’s boss at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute asks her to direct excavations at Roswell, N.Mex., the site of a supposed UFO crash in 1947, she quits, refusing to be part of a project that would make the institute a laughingstock and harm her career. The billionaire funding the project later persuades Nora to work for him directly, though she insists on first checking the accuracy of a recent aerial survey that detected evidence of human remains at the site. The subsequent discovery of two decades-old corpses, with bullet wounds in their skulls and burned-off features, involves Corrie, a skilled forensic anthropologist with a talent for facial reconstruction, and proves the precursor to more puzzles, including a baffling 1999 locked-room murder of a nuclear scientist and possible proof that what crashed at Roswell was not from Earth. The taut suspense and tight plotting that marked the authors’ earliest Pendergast novels are very much in evidence. Fans of kick-ass female leads will be delighted. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Diablo Mesa is thriller-adventure writing of the absolute highest order that takes Preston and Child back to their high-concept roots... It reads like a hybrid of the best from Wilbur Smith and Alistair MacLean, making for flat-out great reading entertainment.”—Providence Sunday Journal
“The story has tension, mystery, murder… Down-to-earth action tackles an otherworldly mystery in this devilishly plausible yarn.”—Kirkus (Starred Review)
“Excellent… The taut suspense and tight plotting that marked the authors’ earliest Pendergast novels are very much in evidence. Fans of kick-ass female leads will be delighted.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Thoroughly entertaining.”—Booklist
“The last third of the novel is not to be missed and is impossible to put down. Everything from Cold War espionage to Soviet agents at Roswell and, of course, our top-secret group that is behind all of this will cause enough suspense and unpredictable thrills that you will not be able to see the next move coming before Preston & Child cast a literary checkmate. Diablo Mesa is just what thriller junkies require, and this always reliable author duo delivers at every turn.”—Bookreporter
“Diablo Mesa is thriller-adventure writing of the absolute highest order that takes Preston and Child back to their high-concept roots in books like Mount Dragon and Thunderheart. It reads like a hybrid of the best from Wilbur Smith and Alistair MacLean, making for flat-out great reading entertainment.”—BookTrib
“Diablo Mesa touches upon one of the most enduring and popular topics of the past 70 years… a great hook.”—The Big Thrill
“Diablo Mesa will keep you enthralled.”—The Florida Times-Union
“Preston & Child are back with a thrilling, excellent third novel… Nobody writes like these two and this book keeps you the edge as you read along with the adventure.” —Red Carpet Crash
Praise for the Nora Kelly series——
"Mystery thriller writing of the highest order."—Providence Sunday Journal
"There's nothing else like them."—Washington Post
"Consistently exciting and never predictable."—Associated Press
"The two strong female protagonists [Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson] share a dynamic reminiscent of that between Pendergast and his friend on the NYPD, Vincent D'Agosta."—Publishers Weekly
"Long-time readers of Preston and Child will love to see the beloved characters of Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson take center stage in what is a terrific start to a new series. Their writing talent shines as this mix of history, exploration of nature and crime will without a doubt land on the top of the best-seller lists. Though some of the historical facts have been tweaked a bit for the story to work, a note to the reader from the authors at the end reveals what is true and what they made up, and is sure to lead to a surge in attention for non-fiction accounts of what really happened that horrible winter."—Associated Press
"Old Bones exceeds expectations at every juncture, a thriller extraordinaire that turns history upside down in forming the basis of a riveting and relentless tale."—Providence Sunday Journal
"A smart, satisfying read."—Kirkus
"This outing belongs to two dedicated women, whose future adventures will be happily anticipated."—Booklist
"From the thriller world's dynamic duo comes a new work of archeology, murder, and the Donner Party. This one should please longtime fans of Preston and Child, as well as new devotees drawn in by that ever-appealing set up of a past crime coming back to haunt the present."—CrimeReads
"Preston and Child have created a fine mix of fiction and historical fact. The story is peopled by complex and engaging characters with sometimes murky ambitions. . . The ending, which seems far-fetched, is definitely, disturbingly possible."—Booktrib
"Preston & Child is one of those "names" on a book that make you want to set everything else aside in order to read what amazing words they've written [...] From the best writing team out there, you do not want to miss this book."—Suspense Magazine
"Old Bones has it all: chills, thrills and a blend of history, along with archaeological expertise you can only get from a Preston & Child novel. I loved spending time with Nora Kelly and Corrie Swanson, and look forward to seeing them in future adventures. Longtime readers will be rewarded not only by this pairing but by some other surprises leading up to the conclusion of this exciting read."—Bookreporter
Library Journal - Audio
06/01/2022
Preston and Child's third "Nora Kelly & Corrie Swanson" mystery (following The Scorpion's Tail). Handsome billionaire Lucas Tappan believes that the remains of an alien spacecraft that landed on Earth in 1947 are hidden in the sands of New Mexico. He approaches the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute to excavate the site, and Nora, an archaeologist, is tasked with it. When Nora, who remains skeptical that her team will uncover a UFO, begins the dig, she unearths two shriveled corpses whose faces and fingerprints have been obliterated by acid. Nora notifies FBI agent Corrie Swanson, who takes the case. As Corrie and her mentor proceed with their investigation, more murders take place. The U.S. government and a secret military organization have been hiding a secret for 75 years and will kill anyone who gets too close to discovering what happened so many years ago. Cynthia Farrell does an excellent job narrating the story. She believably voices the different genders and characters' accents, especially the British and Hebrew ones. VERDICT Fans of the series will enjoy the tension, mystery, suspense, and romance the characters experience in this installment.—Ilka Gordon
Library Journal
09/01/2021
The indefatigable Preston/Child team brings back archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson in a timely tale featuring the slightly off-the-wall billionaire founder of Icarus Space Systems, who hopes to bring his project publicity (that is, glory) by persuading the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute to excavate the 1947 Roswell Incident site. As Nora's turn of spade uncovers two murder victims, she needs to call on Corrie for help. With a 250,000-copy first printing.
JANUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Cynthia Farrell is the perfect narrator for this action-packed audiobook featuring homicide, government conspiracy, and maybe UFOs. She delivers both male and female voices with aplomb and adds the appropriate urgency when protagonists Nora Kelly and FBI Special Agent Corrie Swanson land in trouble, which occurs fairly frequently. The plot may stretch credulity for some listeners. Lucas Tappan, a really, really rich guy, hires Nora, an archaeologist, and her brother to excavate a site in Roswell, New Mexico, where a UFO supposedly crashed in 1947. The dig uncovers two corpses. Adventure, peril, and romance follow. Farrell keeps the plot as real as possible, and thoroughly engaging. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. G.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-12-15
Two desiccated corpses aren’t the strangest discoveries made by archaeologists in this third entry of Preston and Child’s unusual crime series.
Nora Kelly is summoned to her boss’s office at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute and assigned to investigate the site where an unidentified aircraft, perhaps a UFO, supposedly crashed in 1947. She believes that claims of an alien space landing near Roswell are “wacko.” But billionaire Lucas Tappan has provided a generous grant to the institute, and he specifically wants Nora to lead the expedition because of her reputation. She declines and is fired. So Tappan comes to her directly. But “I can’t put digging up UFOs on my resume,” she tells Skip, her less-skeptical brother. “It’s too weird.” Tappan wears her down and hires them both. Reluctantly she takes a team to the area, where they uncover a pair of corpses buried in New Mexico’s high desert. They notify the police, and FBI agent Corrie Swanson takes on the case because they’re on federal land. But the depression in the sand suggests that the vehicle—a flying saucer, maybe?—had struck the ground at a low angle and skipped repeatedly, like a flat rock across a pond. When they come to a possible final resting place, the archaeologists start digging. Just as they are about to make a shocking discovery, armed men stop them. Whatever is under a couple of meters of earth is a secret the government has closely guarded since the ’40s, and these dudes demonstrate that they will kill intruders on the spot. Kelly and Swanson aren’t friends, but they’ve worked well together ever since they debuted in Old Bones (2019), and they are smart, strong, and appealing protagonists. The story has tension, mystery, murder, and enough romance to give Kelly “a powerful glow, a whole-body tingle.”
Down-to-earth action tackles an otherworldly mystery in this devilishly plausible yarn.
