Bone by Bone

Joshua Hobbs has been missing for 20 years, but now someone is delivering his skeleton to his father's house in the dead of night, bone by bone. The grisly phenomenon has brought home his brother, former army cop Oren Hobbs, who relaunches an investigation with corrupt and incompetent local sheriff Cable Babitt and the delightful Sally Polk of the California Bureau of Investigation. There is a fascinating cast of eccentrics, each character beautifully drawn, all of whom have something to hide - as well as something to contribute to the re-energised investigation. The grave is soon discovered, only to yield the revelation that there were two bodies buried there, one a woman. The process is also muddied by the fact that Oren, one of the last to see his missing brother, is himself a potential suspect. The unspoken love affair between Oren and Isabelle Winston, who attacks him physically every time they meet, is priceless.