The Bone Thief - by Vanessa Lillie (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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"--

Book Synopsis

"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

Washington Post 'Best Mystery Novel' of 2025

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.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Bone Thief

"The Bone Thief is not only a page-turning mystery of a missing Indigenous woman, but a gripping portrayal of the ways American history can reverberate beautifully, painfully, and even fatally into the present. Lillie will keep you guessing until the last, action-packed page."
--Tracy Sierra, author of Nightwatching

"A taut, multi-layered plot...Lillie has delivered yet another deeply captivating mystery-thriller."
--Elle

"A riveting, thought-provoking, must-read mystery--a perfect blend of truth and fiction that resonated with this reader for days after reading the last action-packed page."
--Mystery & Suspense Magazine

"A gripping, twisty mystery that poses questions about legacy, violence, power, ancestry, and attempts to control or suppress Native culture throughout U.S. history."
--Shelf Awareness

"Lillie shines a spotlight on problems in the Native community, including the mistreatment of women and the lack of compassion and answers to address these issues. Syd Walker is a force, and Lillie has a perfect heroine to spotlight essential topics while also crafting a great mystery/thriller."
--Criminal Element

"Lillie goes even deeper and darker than she did in the previous installment, folding powerful questions about who gets to write history into a crackling mystery plot."
--Publishers Weekly

"Lillie delivers a multi-layered plot that skillfully weaves history and culture into the suspenseful."
--Sun Sentinal

Praise for Blood Sisters

"Blood Sisters sets its hooks on page one and then pulls relentlessly and colorfully through buried secrets and rediscovered Native heritage."
-- C. J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Storm Watch

"Blood Sisters is about Syd and Emma Lou, as well as the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women whose cases are never solved, if they're investigated at all."
--New York Times

"Gripping...provides a valuable insider's look at the injustices that continue to be part of daily life for many Native Americans."
--Washington Post

"The story of Syd's multiple investigations combines the informative power of nonfiction books such as Killers of the Flower Moon with the high-octane action of recent crime novels like S.A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland."
--Los Angeles Times

"Bingeworthy. A propulsive story of familial fault lines with as much to say about the dark side of people as the potential for redemption."
--Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of the You series

"Vanessa Lillie's riveting thriller explores the elusiveness of truth, and the history that binds people together--and to a place--no matter the time or the distance. At once captivating and illuminating, surprising and powerful, Blood Sisters is a story that resonates."
--Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls

"[A] tale with all the twisting fury of a tornado. Set on the complex checkerboard of Indian land in northeastern Oklahoma, it delves deeply and dramatically into the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. But it also mines the rich territory of family, kinship, love, loyalty, guilt, and regret. Vanessa Lillie is a remarkable and courageous storyteller and an important Native voice. I recommend this book with all my heart and the hope that it will make a difference."
--William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land

"Combines pulse-pounding action with Cherokee myth and customs. I loved Syd Walker, a compelling new character who's dealing with her own disturbing family history while trying to unravel the disappearance of several Native women. I hope we'll see more of Syd Walker soon!"
--David Heska Wanbli Weiden, award-winning author of Winter Counts

"Combines Cherokee history and legend with contemporary drug and land problems in a gripping story of missing Indigenous women. Readers looking for LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit characters will hope for more about Syd Walker."
--Library Journal (starred)

"With a direct narrative voice and strong female characters, Lillie pays homage to her Cherokee heritage and uplifts the living Native culture of Northeast Oklahoma."
--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Vanessa Lillie expertly balances a compassionate look at Native American culture and a comprehensive examination of the treatment by the government and white settlers, never once allowing these issues to override the gripping plot of Blood Sisters."
--South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"This suspenseful mystery will not only captivate you, but it may just teach you something about Cherokee history, land rights and the plague of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Including queer and Two-Spirit characters, Blood Sisters is a meaningful and compelling thriller."
--Ms. Magazine

"Lillie paints the beautiful yet bleak landscape with a fine brush. Readers who enjoy strong voices will be pulled in by the characters, while those who are drawn to setting will feel as if they are in Picher."
--Booklist

"Lillie does an excellent job of balancing a riveting plot with a moving portrait of her troubled lead."
--Publishers Weekly

"Just a few pages in and this novel is roaring with mystery, danger, anguish and regret. Lillie fuels her Native characters with hope, resentment, anger and despair...A crime novel's journey often runs toward escapism, but the best, like Blood Sisters, lead us on a path toward knowledge and discovery."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A dark tale of justice and injustice."
--Denver Post

"Cherokee citizen Vanessa Lillie tackles a variety of threats to Indian people in and out of Indian Country. Blood Sisters is gritty, authentic and full of heart. This is the novel of justice this Cherokee woman wanted to read."
--Andrea L. Rogers, author of Man Made Monsters

About the Author

Vanessa Lillie is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the author of the USA Today bestselling Blood Sisters and suspense novels Little Voices and For the Best, and coauthor of the Widows series. Vanessa hosts an Instagram Live show with crime fiction authors and was a columnist for the Providence Journal. Originally from northeast Oklahoma, she lives on Narragansett land in Rhode Island and is proudly Two Spirit.