The Bone Thief

By Vanessa Lillie

"The Bone Thief is a riveting mystery with a plot that seamlessly blends history with fiction. And Syd Walker is an unforgettable protagonist."
--Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods

When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town--a place with dark ties to an elite historical society--archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate...from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie.

In the hours before dawn at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker receives an alarming call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen. Not only have bones gone missing, but a Native teen girl has disappeared near the camp, and law enforcement dismisses her family's fears.

As Syd investigates both crimes, she's drawn into a world of privileged campers and their wealthy parents--most of them members of the Founders Society, an exclusive club whose members trace their lineage to the first colonists and claim ancestral rights to the land, despite fierce objections from the local tribal community. And it's not the first time something--or someone--has gone missing from the camp.

The deeper Syd digs, the more she realizes these aren't isolated incidents. A pattern of disappearances stretches back generations, all leading to the Founders Society's doorstep. But exposing the truth means confronting not just the town's most powerful families, but also a legacy of violence that refuses to stay buried.

From the national bestselling author of Blood Sisters (a Washington Post Best Mystery of the Year and Target Book Club pick) comes a new Syd Walker novel that proves the sins of the past are destined to repeat until the truth is finally unearthed.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593550145
• ISBN13: 9780593550144
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Riveting

Syd Walker is a five-year veteran archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Rhode Island who takes over for her retired boss. Syd is there to preserve the cultural integrity of ancient Narragansett remains discovered at a dig site on private property. All kinds of politics are involved along with discovering a long-term case of artifact theft. Mixed in with all that is her past and home life which are beyond complicated and involves abduction and murder as retribution. Unputdownable. I requested and received temporary uncorrected digital galley from Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley via NetGalley. #TheBoneThief by @vanessalillie #SydWalkerBk2 #NetGalley @berkleypub #goodreads #bookbub #librarythingofficial Also available in audio The Grave Robber by Tim Carpenter is a recent detailing the worst-case scenario about an individual who spent nearly half a century looting artifacts. In the US there is the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women's movement, the DOJ for the Not Invisible Act, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign against human trafficking. #m.m.i.w #TrueCrime #theft #murder #repatiationofartifacts #disrespect #Indigenous #artifacts#Contemporary #enslavedindigenouspeople #History #Fiction#Mystery Thriller #Suspense #Horror #Cultural #archaeologists #relics