DISTURBING THE BONES | Jeff Biggers

Chicago Public Library Must-Read Thriller 2024!

“(A) thrillingly cinematic collaboration between The Fugitive director Davis and journalist Biggers… Intense, vivid action (with a) breathless denouement.”--Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

"From a Mississippi riverside archaeological dig revealing an unexpected atrocity to the back streets of Chicago, detective Randall Jenkins and archaeologist Molly Moore drive a knife-edged investigation that morphs into a political thriller about a world on the brink. Davis and Biggers deliver an ingenious page turner."--Michael Mann, film director and #1 NY Times bestselling author of Heat 2

"Andy Davis fans will find everything in this story they expect from the creator of The Fugitive --a high-voltage thriller, an amazing range of characters, and an astonishing conclusion."--Sara Paretsky, NY Times bestselling author of the V. I. Warshawski novels

"An exceptional easy-to-read edge-of-your-seat murder mystery connected to modern day Cold War global politics. With echoes of current domestic political intrigue the tale hooks the reader from the beginning and never lets up until the very end."--Ron Stallworth, #1 NY Times bestselling author of Black Klansman

“Disturbing the Bones is a great thriller, but also a beautiful evocation of why one human–a complicated set of bones–is worth as much as all humans, in the world of loyalty and honor.”—Susan Straight, bestselling author of Mecca and In the Country of Women

"Suspenseful and action-packed, Disturbing the Bones combines all the elements that has made the movies of Andrew Davis so compelling, with the thoughtful perspective and insights that can only be found in a novel."—Louis Sachar, NY Times bestselling author of Holes

“Andrew Davis is a cinematic master, and Jeff Biggers is a brilliant scribe of wild places. Together, they have created a thriller that will keep you up all night.” –Luis Urrea, NY Times bestselling author of Good Night, Irene.

"An ingenious thriller that doesn’t miss a beat."--Robert Baer, NY Times bestselling author of See No Evil, Sleeping with the Devil

"It takes a movie maker of Above The Law, The Package, Under Siege and The Fugitive to tell the stories behind the news. With forensic anthropologists uncovering the horrors of the past and the very real possibility of a nuclear weapon going off in Ukraine, while a treasonous cabal operates at the highest level of our politics, Disturbing the Bones should disturb you awake as "we sleepwalk into dictatorship."--Ian Masters, host of Background Briefing

"The plot is thought-provoking and the characters are compelling. A startling and action-packed political thriller."--Mystery and Suspense Magazine

About Disturbing the Bones

A propulsive debut political thriller set in the aftermath of a global nuclear weapons crisis — from the acclaimed filmmaker of The Fugitive and an award-winning journalist

A plot to disrupt a global peace summit in Chicago collides with a civil rights case breakthrough at a mysterious archaeological site

Chicago detective Randall Jenkins has not been back home to the historic Civil Rights hotspot of Cairo, Illinois since the disappearance of his mother, a well-known journalist, several decades ago.

That all changes the day Dr. Molly Moore, an ambitious young archaeologist in the national spotlight for her groundbreaking high-tech discoveries, uncovers a set of strange bones at a huge 12,000-year-old site at a highway construction project. With retired military general and contractor William Alexander breathing down her neck to cover up the dig, Molly and Randall soon find themselves in the middle of a wild military conspiracy.

The detective and archaeologist’s entwined family mysteries suddenly thrust them into the central position as the only people who can ensure the safety of the ongoing Chicago global peace summit. They must take on the rogue general who views any disarmament agreement as a clear and present danger to the United States. The fate of global peace and the lives of Molly and Randall hang in the balance.

Read an excerpt on LitHub: Disturbing the Bones prologue

Reviews and Interviews

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Global peace struggles collide with intimate family drama in this thrillingly cinematic collaboration between The Fugitive director Davis and journalist Biggers (In Sardinia). During an archaeological dig in Alexander County, Ill., in which ambitious young scientist Molly Moore uncovers ancient villages dating back to 6,000 BCE, her drones and remote sensing equipment also unearth the bones of Florence Jenkins, a civil rights reporter who went missing in 1978. The discovery catches the attention of Florence’s son, Chicago homicide detective Randall Jenkins, who’s long wondered what happened to his mother. Ignoring warnings from federal officials, Molly and Randall try to piece together Florence’s fate. Meanwhile, a breakthrough defense program operates out of nearby Fort Defiance with hopes of giving the U.S. clear dominance over Russia. A misstep in that program causes a nuclear disaster in Siberia, further heating up the impending U.S. presidential election and increasing pressure on an upcoming peace summit in Chicago. Eventually, Molly and Randall’s investigation intersects with the ever-worsening political mess, ratcheting up the stakes until the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. Intense, vivid action and the intricate interweaving of the two main plot threads elevate this above standard-issue disaster thrillers. By the time the breathless denouement rolls around, readers may find they’ve been up all night.

Chicago Tribune: Fugitive director with new novel

IndieWire: The Director of ‘The Fugitive’ Returns to What He Does Best — but Not on the Big Screen

21st Show: Illinois Public Radio: Filmmaker and journalist team up on new crime thriller novel set in Illinois

ABC TV: Chicago filmmaker Andrew Davis debuts first thriller novel 'Disturbing the Bones'

FOX TV Chicago: Renowned filmmaker Andrew Davis releases debut novel 'Disturbing the Bones'

CultureBuzz: Unearthing the Truth in Andrew Davis’s ‘Disturbing the Bones’: A New Chapter for the Acclaimed Director

Chicago Film: DISTURBING THE BONES: FILMMAKER ANDREW DAVIS BRIDGES PAST, PRESENT AND POLITICAL IN RIVETING DEBUT NOVEL

Film International: Made in Chicago: Andrew Davis on his Career and Disturbing the Bones

Tucson Local Media: Take a deep dive into a thriller novel

Tucson KUAT- NPR Arizona Public Media: Jeff Biggers on co-writing "Disturbing the Bones".

BookNook WYSO-NPR: 'Disturbing the Bones' By Andrew Davis and Jeff Biggers

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Cinematic thriller set among archaeological remains in Cairo, Illinois