John Lowery was declared dead in 1968, his body buried long ago in North Carolina. Four decades later, Temperance Brennan is called to the scene of a drowning, where the victim appears to have died while in the midst of a bizarre sexual practice. The corpse is later identified as John Lowery. But how could Lowery have died twice, and how did an American soldier end up in Canada?

Soon another set of remains is located, with Lowery's dog tags tangled amongst them. Three bodies – all identified as Lowery.

And then Tempe is contacted by Perry Hadley, Honolulu's flam­boyant medical examiner, who needs help identifying the remains of an adolescent boy found offshore. Was he the victim of a shark attack? Or something much more sinister? A complex and riveting tale of deceit and murder unfolds…

Also published under title Spider Bones.

Praise for Kathy Reichs

• ‘Reichs has reasserted her supremacy in the field.’ Independent
• ‘Reichs’s seamless blending of fascinating science and dead-on psychological portrayals, not to mention a whirlwind of a plot, make [her novels] a must read.' Jeffrey Deaver
• ‘It is becoming apparent that Reichs is not just “as good as” Cornwell, she has become the finer writer.’ Daily Express
• ‘Reichs’s punchy, straightforward prose style and her own undoubted expertise make hers by far the best in the subcategory of inside-the-path-lab thrillers.' Literary Review
• ‘Reading Reichs is always an education one way or another. There is plenty of action … but it is the detail that actually makes it gripping.’ Evening Standard