You never gave a warning sign: CUT TO THE BONE.

Cut to the Bone by Ellison Cooper

My rating: 4+ of 5 stars



A dark, riveting thriller featuring a great protagonist


FBI Senior Special Agent Sayer Altair, who is also a renowned neuroscientist, is heading home for a party to celebrate her adopted daughter Adi when she gets the call. There are two dead in Washington, DC, and the situation looks suspicious. A young girl is dead in what looks like a ritualistic killing: her body left inside a circle of animal figurines, with a message written in blood. Sayer and her trusty FBI data analyst and computer wizard, Ezra Coen, quickly realize that the girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students who are supposed to be at STEM conference states away. Sayer and Ezra are pulled rapidly into the case, where they find that nothing is as it seems. A series of fake leads derails them and soon Sayer begins to wonder if the murder has ties to her own past. She knows only one thing: this case is deadly.


"It wasn't her job to accept the improbable, it was her job to unravel the mystery until it made perfect sense."


I absolutely love the Sayer Altair series and book three didn't disappoint one bit. What is not to love about an incredibly intelligent kickass black FBI agent who takes no prisoners? While Sayer lost her FBI agent fiancé, Jake, several years ago--something she's still reeling from--she's now surrounded herself by her own makeshift family: Adi; her neighbor, Tino; and Ezra. And, of course, there's her witty and tough grandmother, Nana, who raised Sayer. Coming back to this crew as a reader feels like returning to family. Cooper excels at capturing each character's unique voice, and I'm so fond of them all. We even get an appearance from Sayer's former boss, Holt, who has been kicked out of the FBI in a scandal covered in the previous books.

The mystery plot here is a really wild but totally engaging case. There are lots of references to Egypt and plenty to keep you on your toes. It is a tense and suspenseful tale and Cooper throws in plenty of well-timed twists and turns. The story turns personal for Sayer, and I was certainly riveted. Cooper writes in a quick, fast-paced style that makes it easy to keep flipping the pages.

All the books in this series are dark, and this one is no exception. They are not especially for the faint of heart. A lot of death and gruesome descriptions. It is easy to see that Cooper, who has a Ph.D. in anthropology and worked as a murder investigator, knows her stuff. For me, the authenticity just makes the story pop off the pages even more.

This book ends with a total boom for Sayer, and I cannot wait for the next installment. As I said, I love this series and adore Sayer and her little family. If you haven't read the entire series, I recommend starting with book one, but this one will standalone, especially if you love a twisty and engaging thriller. 4+ stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books in return for an unbiased review.

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I have squandered my resistance: BURIED.

Buried by Ellison Cooper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's been six months since Sayer Altair discovered a prolific serial killer inside the FBI. She's still dealing with the fallout--including Congressional hearings and independent counsel combing through hundreds of past cases. Her boss, Assistant Director Janice Holt, is testifying at Capitol Hill. Sayer, a neurobiologist with FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, has been recovering from her injuries from her previous case and working on her research of serial killer brains, when Holt calls. Max Cho, an off-duty FBI agent and his Human Remains Detection dog, found a cave full of bodies in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The FBI is thin on agents during the hearings and investigations and Sayer is called back to duty. Her "team" is slight--Max; Piper, a park ranger; Kyle, the local sheriff; Ezra, our beloved IT whiz; and Dana, a FBI medical examiner just back from overseas. Together they set up shop in the National Park and investigate the gruesome scene. Before they know it, they are being attacked by the presumed killer--and they quickly have two fresh bodies dumped on their crime scene. Even worse, one of Sayer's research subjects starts meddling in her case, and she quickly realizes this supposed psychopath is a high-ranking Washington official. Can Sayer solve these cases in time, or will she lose her job during the craziness that's happening in Washington?

This book gets started with a bang, as Max and Kona find a cave full of skeletons. Sayer and Dana are attacked as they investigate the new findings, and things never slow down from there. Sayer is the same tough cookie from the first book--driving her motorcycle around and taking no prisoners. Luckily, she's at least found a bit of family now and she seems to be maturing. It was nice to see her make some personal strides.


"The only benefit to being on TV was that at least no one was surprised anymore when the FBI agent turned out to be a thirty-something brown-skinned woman."


There is a ton of stuff happening in this book, but Cooper handles it all really well. The cave full of skeletons, two more fresh bodies, the hearings and their impact on the FBI/Sayer's career, her research and one of her subjects meddling in her career, her personal investigation into the death of her late fiance, Jake, also an agent... It's definitely a lot, but all the threads work together. This is shaping up to be a really good series. I enjoyed this book more than the first, even. The writing is stronger, Sayer's character is tightening up, and while the case is resolved at the end, there are loose ends that lead me to hope there is a book three coming.


"She hated that she even thought it, but she'd learned the hard way not to trust anyone, not even her own coworkers at the FBI."


Sayer is a great character--complex, intelligent, and tough. She dives right in to any challenge, and her team is loyal to her because of it. Which is good, because man, does trouble follow this woman! They are attacked constantly! They also see a lot of gruesome things. You'll need to be the type who enjoys a good twisted, dark mystery. This is no light and fluffy thriller. But Cooper clearly knows her stuff--police procedures, DNA, psychology, and more. It makes for a really good read.

I especially enjoyed the local angle for this one. It's practically set in my backyard, and I actually read portions of the book where they were occurring, at the University of Virginia campus and such. It's always fun to read about places you actually know. (Maybe not so fun when people are being abducted from there, but...)

Overall, I really enjoyed this mystery. It features a strong main (female!) character in Sayer, a great twisted story that keeps you guessing, and the true star of the show, Kona, the cadaver dog, whom I adored. Definitely recommend! You can read this as part of the series or a standalone. 4+ stars.

I received a copy of this novel from Minotaur Books and Netgalley in return for a honest review.

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Always one foot on the ground: CAGED.

Caged by Ellison Cooper

My rating: 3.5+ of 5 stars


Dr. Sayer Altair is a neuroscientist, investigating the brains of serial killers for the FBI. But when the police find a young girl, dead, after being locked in a cage and left to starve, Sayer is called on to lead the murder investigation. The case intensifies when it turns out she's the daughter of a famous Senator. Soon another girl is missing and Sayer feels the pressure of the case surrounding her. Can she find this next victim before it's too late? And can she find the horrible person who is doing this--before they strike again?

This one had been on my shelf for a bit, and I picked it up as part of my self-imposed #readwhatyouown challenge. I also have the second book, Buried, coming up soon and wanted to read the first Sayer Altair book in the series.

I found Caged to be a quick, compelling read, and I warmed to Sayer immediately. She's a smart, complicated protagonist with her own set of issues, but also an endearing love of hot dogs, actual dogs, and a deep desire to solve her cases and help her victims. I had a slight sense of deja vu starting this one as I'd just recently read a book about another Ph.D. who was studying the brains of serial killers (The Killer on the Wall). What are the odds, right? (Fairly small, I suppose, when you read a ton of thrillers.)

This was a fast read--a race against time aided by short, quick chapters. I actually had a pretty good feeling about who our sicko killer was, but it didn't stop me from finding the entire book very compelling. The novel is a dark read, with the idea of a killer conducting experiments on caged girls very creepy. There's a lot going on--ties to mythology, Sayer's research, some mentions of Sayer's past (she's lost a loved one), office politics, Sayer's (wonderfully feisty) grandmother popping up, and more. At times, it's a bit much and some of the pieces don't feel fully explored, but overall, I enjoyed all the various plot lines.

Sayer is assisted by a great supporting cast (Ezra, one of her researchers, was my favorite, along with her FBI partner). Her grandmother, as mentioned, is also pretty fun. The thread of strong women in this one is interesting, and it's nice to have a main character whom--while obviously flawed--is still really tough and really smart. I'll read about them any day.


"'I think you might just be a badass, Sayer Altair.'"


I sometimes found the writing to be a little simplistic, especially when depicting Sayer's thoughts and feelings (along the lines of a little more telling versus showing). Still, it was well-written for a debut novel and well-done from a forensic and crime perspective--the author's background (Ph.D., murder investigator, and more) shows.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I'm always up for a good mystery that holds my interest, especially one featuring a strong female protagonist. I'm looking forward to reading Buried soon. 3.5+ stars.

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