In this gruesome and stylish debut thriller set in 1980s New York City, a forensic artist gets trapped in the nest of a seductive and strange ornithologist following the murder of her closest friend . . .

As a forensic artist for the NYPD, Cassie Stefanidis must rely on the memories of others to capture her subjects. At her best, she can draw only flawed doubles—like fraternal twins of the perpetrators, or their spirit photographs. When the body of her closest friend, Ginny Haberman, is discovered on a wet spit of sand in Jamaica Bay, however, Cassie has a feeling that she herself can find the killer. Signs suggest that the victim knew the murderer, but reserved and reclusive Ginny barely knew anyone—even within the rather insular Manhattan birdwatching community that meant the world to her.

With the grudging help of her ex-husband, homicide detective Del Gutierrez, Cassie flings herself into a life-or-death chase—one that leads her into the darkness of her own past, and face to face with a dangerous killer.

Calling forth Thomas Harris’s indelible Clarice Starling, Bone Black renders 1980s New York City in scorched inks as Cassie’s obsession for the truth may be her first, and last, calling.