Canadian detective Andrew Ryan, who is also Tempe's romantic interest, is also involved with the case. They travel to Israel, following a lead as to where the stolen skeleton may have been transported. Tempe's friend, Jake Drum, who is a Biblical archaeologist, believes that the skeleton came from a first-century tomb that contained the remains of the family of Jesus Christ, and that the articulated skeleton may even be Jesus. This is a serious threat to the religious community, who preaches resurrection, and wants to keep these discoveries secret from the rest of the world, and their theologies intact. What would happen to modern religions if the resurrection were proven false? Some would even kill to keep that idea from getting out. Reichs does give a couple of pages of facts to support the premise that excavations on and near Masada are thought to shed light on the burial of the Holy Family.

Her extensive and meticulous research is obvious.

Tempe, Ryan and Jake find themselves in danger because of their persistence in trying to solve the mystery of the bones. The multi-level plot is complicated and exciting, but I didn't enjoy this effort by Reichs as much as her previous novels. It is a great read, and well worth your attention, but I just felt that the story was bogged down in places with the explanation of the Masada excavations and the religious history of the family of Jesus.