Review: The Bone Vault

A body is discovered at a loading dock on a New Jersey Pier. It is found in a stone sarcophagus that is about to leave the country and is supposed to hold an old Egyptian Mummy. The Sarcophagus traces back to the Metropolitan Museum and the body is identified as Katrina Grooten, a previous employee that nobody knew was missing. Her body is perfectly preserved but evidence suggests she has been dead for months. Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper is at a glitzy reception at the Museum when she learns of the body and manoeuvres the case onto her docket.

Cooper joins forces with NYPD Detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace to make sense of the crime and search for clues among the many acres of floor space that make up two of New York Citys most famous Museums The Met and the American Museum of Natural History. Both museums have complicated record systems and it seems almost impossible to find where the sarcophagus had been previously stored and just who had access to it. When the murder weapon is discovered, the suspects seem as endless as the crime scene possibilities. Cooper and her detective friends make a search of the Museums and interview the men and women who work there, ending with a showdown in one of the many hidden museum rooms when the suspect takes a hostage.

The Bone Vault is Linda Fairsteins fifth book in the Alexandra Cooper series. Fairstein is a New York Times best selling author and a former Manhattan Prosecutor. Her previous position brings a certain amount of verisimilitude to the inner workings of Coopers job. Fairstein integrates a multitude of Museum facts into the plot enticing the reader to make their way to New York at all possible speed. Most of these details, while interesting, are unnecessary and detract from the story. Readers are likely to miss possible clues to the suspect as they are overwhelmed by the amount of research Fairstein obviously did for this book. A nice read if you are interested in museums, but stay away if you are not.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jaynie - Australia

Book Review: The Bone Vault