BONE HASH

An archaeologist must overcome her fears and sense of loss to save what’s most important to her in this thriller.

Griffith’s protagonist is Aideen Connor, the lead archaeologist at Moenkopi Ridge, an ancestral Pueblo settlement in Arizona. Aideen has thrown herself into work partly to escape the memories of her husband, Clay, killed in a landslide in Peru about a year prior. But peculiar things have started to occur around Aideen. Taking a break at a nearby motel, Aideen is awakened by a hulk pounding on the door. He demands that she return a photograph she found on the nightstand of a young Hopi woman, although he runs off when management calls the police. Then a “bone hash,” a pile of body parts that suggests cannibalism, is unearthed at her dig, a discovery sure to inflame the local tribes. The bone hash is then stolen. There are also reports of strangers entering the collections building at night. Finally, there is a series of attacks meant to terrorize Aideen and her constant companion, her rescue dog, Dakota. Aided by hunky Bureau of Land Management Special Agent Frank Nakai, Aideen must connect the odd happenings at the dig site, the murder of a Native artist, and the assaults against her before she loses the new life she has just started building. In this novel, Griffith’s greatest accomplishment is bringing the ancient dead back to life. In her well-researched work, she does an admirable job of using archaeology as an intriguing backdrop for a murder mystery. What could have been stuffy and academic becomes political and criminal in the author’s skilled hands. Aideen is a memorable focal point for this intense story, as she finds the inner strength she needs to handle the unexpected challenges that are thrown at her. With the exception of Frank, who becomes her protector, almost everyone in Aideen’s circle benefits in some way from the weirdness happening around her—making this an effective whodunit as well. Griffith has created a riveting work that successfully blends a chilling mystery and a revealing character study into a potent whole.

While archaeology can be naturally dry, this gripping page-turner deftly uncovers its myriad layers.