The #1 New York Times bestselling authors Preston & Child bring the
true story of the ill-fated Donner Party to new life in this thrilling
novel of archaeology, history, murder, and suspense.
Nora Kelly, a young curator at the Santa Fe Institute of Archaeology, is
approached by historian Clive Benton with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal:
to lead a team in search of the so-called "Lost Camp" of the tragic
Donner Party. This was a group of pioneers who earned a terrible place
in American history when they became snow-bound in the California
mountains in 1847, their fate unknown until the first skeletonized
survivors stumbled out of the wilderness, raving about starvation,
murder-and cannibalism.
Benton tells Kelly he has stumbled upon an amazing find: the long-sought
diary of one of the victims, which has an enigmatic description of the
Lost Camp. Nora agrees to lead an expedition to locate and excavate
it-to reveal its long-buried secrets.
Once in the mountains, however, they learn that discovering the camp is
only the first step in a mounting journey of fear. For as they uncover
old bones, they expose the real truth of what happened, one that is far
more shocking and bizarre than mere cannibalism. And when those ancient
horrors lead to present-day violence on a grand scale, rookie FBI agent
Corrie Swanson is assigned the case...only to find that her first
investigation might very well be her last.
