The Keepsake

A mummy that has sat forgotten in the basement of Boston's Crispin Museum for untold years is found again by the staff. Nicknamed Madam X, it looks like an ancient Egyptian artifact, and the museum, which is short of money, welcomes the attention. Medical examiner Maura Isles then finds a message hidden inside the body. The mummy is a modern murder victim.

Maura and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli read the forensic evidence the same way, and it frightens them. Another woman's remains turn up in a hidden part of the museum. The killer is still at large, and he is now taunting the investigators.

Archaeologist Josephine Pulcillo is pulled in when his cryptic messages come to light. A third preserved body is left in her car. His knowledge of post-mortem rituals suggests to Maura and Jane that he shares scientific training with Josephine. Josephine alone knows he shares something else: details of a secret she believed was buried for good.

Maura has to draw on her own rusty knowledge of ancient burial customs to work out what he intends. When Josephine disappears, she and Jane have little time before the Archaeology Killer adds to his collection.

This is a suspense thriller in a forensic crime series setting, with a dark tone, a grisly set of crimes and a killer who stages his victims.