Badlands
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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The #1 New York Times bestselling authors Preston & Child return with a thrilling tale of "hair-raising fun" (Kirkus) in which archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, while investigating bizarre deaths in the desert, awaken an ancient evil more terrifying than anything they've faced before.
In the New Mexico badlands, the skeleton of a woman is found--and the case is assigned to FBI Agent Corrie Swanson. The victim walked into the desert, shedding clothes as she went, and died in agony of heatstroke and thirst. Two rare artifacts are found clutched in her bony hands--lightning stones used by the ancient Chaco people to summon the gods.
Is it suicide or... sacrifice?
Agent Swanson brings in archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate. When a second body is found--exactly like the other--the two realize the case runs deeper than they imagined. As Corrie and Nora pursue their investigation into remote canyons, haunted ruins, and long-lost rituals, they find themselves confronting a dark power that, disturbed from its long slumber, threatens to exact an unspeakable price.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781538765821
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
- Publisher
- Grand Central Publishing
- Published Date
- June 3, 2025
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 368
- Physical Info
- 1.5 in H x 9 in L x 6.3 in W (1.2 lb)

Excellent story line, character building—draws you in until you can’t let go. Everything seems normal until it’s not, then they shift into high gear, You have to read it to understand.
An ancient religious belief of a Native American tribe long ago wiped from existence rears its evil head in a series of unexplainable suicides and murders. Nora Kelly investigates with the aid of the FBI almost succeeding in becoming yet another statistic...5+ stars!
Once again Preston and Child filled the pages with perfect descriptions and detail of the Badlands in that particular part of New Mexico. As a former resident and occasional visitor of Chaco Canyon and the Bisti Badlands, their writing not only captivated my sense of adventure but transported me into this electrifying, thrilling, spellbinding story.
4.5 stars! Another hard to put down novel by Preston and Child. By this time, we have gotten to know the characters in this series. Fun, full of adventure and mystery, with archeology thrown in, this novel is one I recommend. I do recommend reading the previous books in this series in order before reading this novel. It will only give you more to look forward to!
I'm a longtime fan of Preston & Child, including the Pendergast, Gideon Crew and Nora Kelly series along with any miscellaneous work they've done. So, it's with tremendous respect for these guys that I'm giving Bad Lands a 3-star rating. There won't be any spoiler alerts here, but I'll just say that so many of the themes and scenes in Bad Lands seemed all too familiar. It's too similar to stuff we've seen in other series and possibly even this one. Plus, the plot never got very interesting or compelling. It just lacked the stuff that makes Preston & Child legendary for so many readers.Even so, I still read the entire novel in a single day and have recommended it to other Preston & Child fans I know. It's far from their best which is a shame, since the Nora Kelly series offered a really exciting new track. So, here's a fan suggestion: can we see Corrie Swanson pair up with Pendergast for something super novel, preferably not in the Southwest region? I warmly welcome them to tackle a case here in the Pacific Northwest where I live, perhaps to explore Bigfoot or UFOs. Or find an international assignment for Corrie and Nora.To sum it up, if you're a diehard fan of the authors, read the book. My 3-star rating reflects 3 stars for a Preston & Child novel, which is still far better than the vast majority of the stuff out there in this genre. If you're new to Preston & Child, read the book. You'll love it.
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