Old Bones

Detective Sarah Alt #2

by Trudy Nan Boyce

A timely and penetrating mystery about the intersection of policing, racism, and the community—set in a city at its boiling point—from an author who’s been in the trenches and seen it all.

A senseless act of violence.

During a vigil calling for police reform, students from Spelman College, a historically black women’s institution, are assaulted by rifle fire from a passing vehicle. On her way to interview witnesses, Detective Sarah “Salt” Alt confronts the fleeing vehicle of the suspects, but they get away.

A city in turmoil.

While other detectives take the lead on the Spelman murders, Salt is tasked to investigate the case of a recently discovered decomposed body. When she combs through the missing-persons reports, it becomes clear the victim is a girl Salt took into custody two years before, and Salt feels a grave responsibility to learn the truth about how the girl died. But before she can pursue any leads, Salt is called onto emergency riot detail—in the wake of the assault on the Spelman students, Atlanta has reached the boiling point.

In a city burdened by history and a community erupting in pain and anger, Salt must delve into the past for answers. A gripping and astute story about what it means to serve and protect, Old Bones solidifies Trudy Nan Boyce as an evocative, authoritative voice in crime fiction.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

Audible Audio

First published February 21, 2017

About the author

Trudy Nan Boyce had a more-than-thirty-year career as a police officer for the City of Atlanta. She served as a beat cop, homicide detective, senior hostage negotiator, and lieutenant. Boyce retired from the police department in 2008 and still lives in Atlanta. Boyce also has a Ph.D. in community counseling.

Reviews

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trudy Nan Boyce - Detective Sarah Alt #2 - Old Bones 2017
Audiobook: 10:19 hours - Narrator: Rebecca Lowman
4-Stars
Commenced listening again: August 23, 2025
March 01, 2019: - I started listening to this almost as soon as I had finished Detective Sarah Alt #1 Out of the Blues. I really enjoyed #2 Old Bones, but I don't think it quite reached the expected level of tension and story telling already established in #1 Out of the Blues, but it was a close call!
I'm glad I have book three of the trilogy, Detective Sarah Alt #3, The Policeman's Daughter, (narrator: Alison Ryan) ready and waiting for me!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Old Bones, Trudy Nan Boyce brings back many of the characters from her first novel in another story involving Detective Sarah Alt and the city of Atlanta.

In this novel, she also interjects more police humor that I found lacking in the first novel.

The story this time involves Alt investigating a murdered young female, which again leads Alt and her co-workers to places many would wish be left alone. The investigation also unfurls as the city of Atlanta is in turmoil after college protesters, protesting police brutality, are fired upon by suspects believed to be tied to a white supremacist group. Alt's investigation is further imperiled by those with influence over those in Atlanta politics.

While reading this novel, I think it is clear Boyce is a novelist to watch. She captures and describes Atlanta, history and policing very well.

If I had to characterize her writing style, I would suggest it to be comparable to that of a blend of James Lee Burke (for capturing history and flavors of a region), Michael Connelly (for police accuracy and bureaucratic nightmares of the police culture), with a bit of George Pelecanos (for the heartbreak of cultural aspects of life) thrown in.

Boyce successfully creates tales that are believable in their plot lines and characters that are multi-layered.

As far as any negative criticism of this novel, after finishing the novel, I did realize she did leave some acts in the novel unanswered and one major plot line appeared to be completed in a very quick manner.

Still, she has created characters readers should grow fond of and look forward to in future novels.

Highly recommended.

[Chris Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow!!! This is the second Salt book and it was fantastic. I am so glad that I paid attention to Louise Penny's recommendation. This series can only get better as we watch Salt and her motley "family" go through more trials.

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

 
Read It, Rate It and Record   
A short review to update challenges
 

I read the first book, Out of the Blues, in the  Detective Sarah Alt series    a few years ago after seeing it and thinking it sounded different and interesting. It was and I liked it, but there weren't any more books, and I sort of forgot about it. Recently, I saw the blurb on The Policeman's Daughter (the third book) which I am reviewing later today. So I requested it and went to the library to find Old Bones.

The author actually worked in this field, so the stories are realistic. It's gritty and complex, dark, where people get hurt and die. It is clear this work is dangerous and time-consuming.  In Out of the Blues, Salt has just been promoted off the beat to homicide detective.  Old Bones continues her growth both personally and professionally. I really enjoyed it quite a lot.

The Policeman's Daughter was not what I expected. Stop back and see what I mean.

 

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Bones is the second offering in the Detective Sarah Alt series. TThe first was Out of the Bkues and set in Atlanta. Trudy Nan Boyce was an Atlanta police officer for more than thirty years and served as a beat cop , homicide detective, senior hostage negotiator and lieutenant. safe to state that she knows about police procedure. A fellow detective gave her the name Salt after dropping the "arah". During a vigil calling for police reform, students from Spelman College, a historically black women's institution in Atlanta, are assaulted by rifle fire from a passing vehicle. On her way to interview witnesses, Salt confronts the fleeing vehicle of the suspects, but it gets away. Other detectives take the lead on the Spelman murders, Salt is tasked to investigate the case of a recently discovered decomposed body. When she goes through the missing-persons reports, it becomes clear the victim is a girl Salt took into custody two years earlier and she feels a responsibility to learn the truth about how the girl died. Before she can start looking through files, she is called onto emergency riot detail because in the wake of the assault pf the Spelman students, Atlanta is in turmoil. She must delve into the past for answers. But, first, she is told she must attend sessions with the police therapist because she has been involved in two deadly encounters the past year. Her doctor tries to peel away some of the horrible things she has witnessed and forms a bond with Salt. This rings authentic and is an amazing read.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 3 out of 5]

OLD BONES by Trudy Nan Boyce is a police story set in Atlanta. Detective Sarah Alt, Salt to her friends in blue, is the center of attention here. She carries the story really well. The problem I had was I wasn't certain just what the story was meant to be. She is investigating a murder of a young girl, but there is so much of her time being used as a riot patrol officer that it seems she never actually investigates the circumstances around the murder.
There are politics involved when she is accused of aiding in the looting of a shoe store. The video showing her possibly handing a box of shoes to aid in his stealing, or just getting them out of the way as she tries to help a man laying in broken glass, is so tenuous it can be read either way.
But the main thing is reliance on the history of the entire group of characters as they weave themselves through the story and entangle themselves in each others lives. I was surprised when I learned this was just the second in the Salt books. It read more like there was already a long established set of relationships between all the characters and this might have been the fifth or even the tenth novel featuring them. I felt this way because, even though this is a stand alone novel, it really isn't. There are so many references to the past you can't get deeply enough into the story without thinking "Here we are in the past yet again!" Very distracting.
Ms. Boyce is a good writer and, with the exception of the bumps in the road regarding history, one to keep an eye on.

[Darrell Grizzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Sarah Alt (“Salt”) returns in this novel that combines the best aspects of a police procedural with the richly-developed characters of a literary novel. The author is a former Atlanta police officer, and it shows – in her knowledge of police work (the positives as well as the negatives, which are usually political), in the hard-edged compassion of “Salt” and her fellow officers, and in her use of the city of Atlanta as a character in its own right. I enjoyed “Old Bones” even more than I did the first novel, “Out of the Blues,” and I have a feeling the next novel in the series will be even better.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlanta detective Sarah Alt is back and the series continues to have legs.

Salt is investigating the murder of a young girl, whose body was left unreported for several months.

But a mass shooting at a college demonstration pulls her off of her case and back into uniform.

Conflicts between the cases, complications in her personal life and more information about her dead policeman father combine with another well-written entry in this series.

Trudy Nan Boyce is the real deal. Her career as an Atlanta detective infuses the series with reality. But her talent as a writer sets it apart.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has imagined and gifted the reader with characters and settings as complex and satisfying as one can expect from light fiction. This, a realistic, carefully crafted plot, good dialogue and interpersonal relationships made the story rewarding and compelling. Looking forward to more.

[Maribel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to get into this so badly. I tried the book and found myself mentally wandering, I thought the audio would be better...it wasn't.
Filing it under DNF.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det. Sarah Alt (Salt) tries to find the murderer of a teen girl she knew, while Atlanta reels from a racist attack on black women.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received this book from a GR Giveaway.
Not bad. Would love to check out more from this series....

[Dan Curnutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much appreciated this novel. It is written by a former police officer. She has retired, but she writes from her experience and thus she writes with the knowledge that one has after spending a lifetime serving the people of her city.

The story revolves around three separate crimes that the Atlanta Homicide Detective Department is working on. One is the senseless killing of a College Student in a drive by shooting that may be racially motivated. The second is the death of a young girl who is dumped like yesterday's trash and not found for over three months, even though she was suppose to have been living with her grandmother. The last is a case of multiple homicides when a mass grave is found that may be decades old, but we won't know until more investigation and science work is done.

But the main character in the story is Detective Sarah Alt (whom I assume is based on the author herself). "Salt," as she is called by your fellow officers, is a true police detectives detective. What I mean by that is she is respected by all the other officers and in an good way is also respected by the community. But she has her own demons to deal with.

While working the cases she has to deal with several issues of her own, the lingering effects of her father's suicide, the use of deadly force twice in the last two years of her work, and the love of her life, another detective, who wants to get married.

But here are some issues that the novel will address and address very well.

1) The effect of long term stress on a police officer
2) The effect of family dynamics and tragedy that add to an officer's stress
3) The effect of knowing your community well and the people who live in it and caring for them. Thus when one of them is brutally murdered it is painful and also takes a toll on one's life.
4) The effect of racial tensions that are brewing and bubbling to the surface in the community.
5) The truth that one office can make a difference when they truly care to serve, protect and befriend people in her community.

I loved the writing. I loved the book.

Being a former Police Chaplain I felt that this book truly resonated with the truth of issues that police officers face as well as those who live in the hardest parts of the city.

Read with an open heart and mind and you will learn as well as enjoy the story.
Comment Comment | Permalink

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dead Ends! Written by Trudy Nan Boyce, and published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2017, this book is the third in the series of stories about Atlanta police officer Sarah Alt, also known as “Salt.” In this story, Salt has been accepted into the Homicide Squad by the other detectives, and has been awarded a felt fedora to wear, marking her as a member of the elite “Hat Squad.” Like a badly frayed rope, this story has a lot of short dead ends that seem to contribute little, if anything, to the plot.

I noted a few inconsistencies that left me confused. On page #155, for example, the author tells us that Salt has located an “excavator” at a construction site. It has “tracks,” which she climbs on while entering the cab. Even though it is a tracked vehicle, she tells us that it has a “steering wheel.” Such machines might exist, but I have never seen one. Most continuous track vehicles, such as military tanks and bulldozers, use differential steering that is not initiated by a steering wheel. We later learn that the machine is probably a large backhoe. Another inconsistency is to be found on page #229, when the author tells us that Wills and Pepper: “. . . moved from the car amid the rising dust, fedoras at jaunty angles.” Ms. Boyce has told us in her previous novel, and repeatedly in this one, that the only detectives to wear fedoras are Homicide detectives. That’s why they are known as the “Hat Squad.” Wills is a Homicide detective. Pepper, however, is a Narcotics detective— not Homicide. How is it, then, that his fedora is at a jaunty angle?

Then, on page #180, Salt and some other police officers are discussing the role of cops during periods of civil unrest when Salt introduces the name of “Trayvon Martin,” whose death had nothing whatsoever to do with police, and nothing to do with Atlanta. She adds the name of Michael Brown, who sworn testimony and evidence shows attempted to shoot a police office in his police cruiser with his own gun before being killed by that officer. She also mentions the same names on page #10. Boyce obviously did not do her research to a sufficient extent to know the facts before dropping names in a back-handed political statement that has no place in this novel.

The story is full of short vignettes that come from nowhere, contribute nothing to the plot, and then just end. The story reads like a badly frayed rope—short threads that split off from the main story, then just end. Of the three books written by this author in the series about Sarah Alt, this is the worst. She seems unable to keep her focus on the plot line, and to keep it moving. This story moves a bit faster than the previous one, but it is still disjointed and uninteresting. The number of loose ends at the end of the book is appalling. Ultimately, we don’t know what happened, or if anything happened, to the mayor, to the grandmother, to JoJo, or to Flash. It is interesting that Salt built an aikido dojo upstairs in her house, and that Pepper and his boys come to it for training and practice, but do we really need to know all about the alter, the picture of the Sensei, the candles, sitting seiza, or any of the other details that have nothing to do with the plot? Not in my view.

I doubt that I will read this author anymore. Many might like her work, but, with the exception of The Policeman’s Daughter, she has some work to do on her writing skills. Feel free to skip this one. It is a slow, boring read. I can award no more than two stars, and register my disappointment.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now what will I do? I have read all three Salt books and there are no more and I want more! I wrote an email on Boyce's website to see if another was in progress but if it is, I'm sure I will have to wait until 2019 or later.

These books have it all--mystery, history, the realism of police life, romance--and a recognition of
the past that isn't even the past as Boyce writes about the long term effects of owning slaves and being slaves on life in Atlanta.

Boyce was a policewoman. She knows about what she writes about. She also has a degree in counseling and the role of a counselor is an important and interesting one in this book as Salt must be declared "fit for duty."

Yes, it is gritty. There are scenes I wish I did not have fixed in my mind but there is also redemption and reconciliation. And there are scenes of real love and brotherhood (sisterhood) among police of different races and sexual preferences. And also scenes of real love between residents of public housing and Salt who they know to be persistent but also "straight."

I enjoyed the relationship of Mr. Gooden, Salt's dear white 80 some year old neighbor in the country , and Sister Connolley, a black matriarch who knows everything about her urban neighborhood and the friendship that develops between them. Maybe that is the most unrealistic part of this book but one would like to think it could be possible. Is this something Boyce based on what she knew as she did other parts of the book?

Two other thoughts while pondering this book later--Boyce is into smells. She mentions the odor of the public housing project, the strippers who enters her car, the smell of clothes after a 12 hour shift, the smell of food cooking, the smell of burning trash during a riot. Boyce says Salt is not a church goer but churches play a role in her books--both good and bad. She quotes Scripture and songs from her childhood.

[Bakar H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot summary of this book is basically about cops and racism in the community.
Students from a college, (a black women's college) are assaulted by a rifle fire from a passing vehicle.One of the cops, Detective SALT finds herself confronting the fleeing car and the suspect trying to get away. She corners them and gets close to the suspect but she gets shot at and the suspect gets away.

The chief had to answer some Questions and one of them was "why didn't detective SALT fire back at the suspect, did race play an important role in this" because of that moment it makes the reader think if it really was because of race, if it played a important role in this investigation or not. Then after that detective SALT gets called onto emergency riot detail about another assault on the Spelman college students. Atlanta has reached the boiling point.

But Overall this book is a amazing book I like how the Author used race and community problems that happen in real life to connect to the reader weather they witnessed or been part of a situation like this. The city of Atlanta has been through so much Historically and now the community has reached its boiling point in anger because of all these problems going on with the students At the Black women's college Now it is up to salt to Protect and Serve for her city.

[Linda Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts with a senseless act of violence:

A vigil calling for police reform at a historically black Female Colled; end when shots are fired into the protesters. Called to interview witnesses, Detective Sarah Alt, known as Salt, sees the vehicle earlier described as holding the assailants. Turning to pursue, Sale finds herself ambushed by the gun toting thugs; giving them time to get away.

This leads to a city in turmoil.

Although originally tasked to interview witnesses, Salt is pulled from that case, sent to investigate the case of a recently discovered decomposed body. After searching through missing persons reports, Sale realizes that this is Mary, a girl she had taken into custody only two years prior. Now Salt, feeling responsible, is determined to solve this murder.

Before Salt can truly begin her investigation, she is called into an emergency riot control. This deals with the Spelmen College assault and the city of Atlanta has reached the boiling point.

I cannot go further without divulging some significant spoilers.

Salt has been so busy helping others that she forgets that she too needs care…. Very realistic.

[Lisa DeWaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the second in a series about Detective Sarah Alt aka "Salt" to those who know her well. In the midst of an uprising in the city of Atlanta that was provoked by an attack on a vigil calling for police reform at Spelman College, Salt is asked to investigate the remains of a two year old body that has been found. She identifies the body as a girl she had taken into custody a couple of years before, so she makes it her mission to find out what happened because she feels responsible for the girl. I enjoyed the book, but parts of it were hard to understand because I haven't read the first one and there were a lot of references to it. That being said, the story was very interesting and kept my attention. I liked the characters and felt like they had a lot of depth to them. The author also knows a lot about police procedure since she used to be with the police force, so there was a more in depth feel to that part of the story as well. I would like to read the first book in the series and then read this one again. It's a very good story that I would recommend.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first in this series, Out of the Blues, not that long ago and felt like I wanted to stick close by to continue developing a relationship with the character of Sarah Alt, who everyone knows as Salt. After reading this second book I have to say I will wait to continue with the next book. While there was still a lot of descriptive Atlanta in this book, and a few good hits of police humor, I felt the story was disjointed. Perhaps that is the point the author wants to make...the life of a detective can be pulled in various directions, not only at work but in personal territory. But also, I felt as though some of the actions in this novel were simply not believable, like how the psycho who tried to kill Salt was let out of prison and was living in the community. Plus, why after a year in the Homicide department was she still working cases alone? Maybe I'm naive, but these seemed more like devices to move the story instead of good writing.

[Marc Cullison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though not exactly a page-turner, it did have its moments with an interesting story line. I’m not sure about the characters’ viability as appearing real, but close enough for a decent read. Some of situations seemed too contrived, as well as, some of the dialogue, and the plot seemed to wander from this story to others. Very confusing. I just can’t wrap my mind around real people doing some of the things these characters did. The author’s knowledge of earthmoving equipment presented a few embarrassing inaccuracies, but many readers might not know the difference. The slow storyline made it difficult to keep a positive outlook on the book, but I did manage to finish it. The rather quick and disappointing ending did not do much for my wanting to like the book. However, some folks might find this book exciting. Good for them.

[Patricia Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Alt "Salt" is assigned the investigation of 'old bones', and not the current shootings of black students at Spelman college. The 'old bones' are the remains of a black teen female that had been jailed, released and sent back to her grandmother, an environment which Salt would have strongly objected to. The setting is Atlanta and the Spelman shootings lead to rioting and looting and Salt being pulled into the bigger investigation. I liked that along with the mystery, issues such as racism, sexism, ethical dilemmas, perception of what happened vs reality, knowledge of the community culture were integrated into the story line without any "preachy" element. I won this book from GoodReads

[Deb Moehrke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Sarah Alt , called Salt by her fellow homicide officers, is working to solve the case of a young girl found dead in a field. The investigation takes her back to her old beat in a rough Atlanta neighborhood. Her work on the case is interrupted when all officers are put on special duty to maintain the peace during a time of civil unrest. Twelve black female students were shot during a peaceful rally, white supremacists are stirring up trouble, and the public is rioting because of the seeming lack of progress in finding the shooters.

The two parallel story lines are neatly integrated. This is the second book about Detective Alt; there is already a third for those who like good police mysteries.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Racial tension is high in Atlanta after shots are fired into a group of Spellman College students calling for police reform. Meanwhile, a young girl's body is found under some bushes, estimated to have been there for a couple of months. Detective Sarah Alt (Salt) is assigned to the case, but is soon pulled into other duties because of the Spellman shootings. Salt cannot let go of the girl's murder and continues to investigate.
Salt's relationships with the residents of the Homes, the tough neighborhood she used to patrol, is one of the strengths of the story. Many of the characters from Out of the Blues, the first of the series, return.
These are great police procedurals, written by a former Atlanta cop.
And the ending of this one surprised me!

[Joanna Hazelden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gritty police procedural that gives you a taste of the Atlanta landscape. A white police detective, still new, goes back to her old beat to solve the murder of a young black girl she once arrested. This was a second book in the series, but there was enough information to follow the backstory. The writer's real life experience as a cop shows in the through knowledge of multiple cases going on at once-she's also assisting in a driveby that injured Spellman college students and a mass grave found at a construction site. While this is real it does dilute the attention of the narrative. The plot is a straight forward, although depressing, view of how poverty and violence can follow generations, but the ending is solid and upbeat.

[Scilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of Spellman students are shot during a protest. Salt manages to follow the truck with the shooter, but when they stop and shoot at her, they get away. Salt begins an investigation on a newly found decomposed body. She soon realizes it is a young woman who she knew. Things are pretty hectic in Atlanta as there are riots going on because of the Spellman girls, while Salt and Wills become engaged, and Salt is trying to find the friends of the dead young woman. Meanwhile, Salt is being evaluated for ability to continue duty, and then possible stealing during a riot. Fortunately, she has a great group of backers in the police and in the neighborhoods where she used to police.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series: strong characters, solid procedurals, interesting racial tension and friendships, wonderful evocation of Atlanta and environs. The details of law enforcement prepping for and experiencing riot control —emotional, physical, and procedural —give depth to the plot and characters. And one of the bonuses of Boyce’s style is her ability to capture in writing the sounds and feeling of jazz. The end, with its double-whammy for Sarah on the personal level seems like too much too soon. Do we really need to take these leaps all at once?

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Homicide Detective Sarah Alt (Salt) is put on the case of the death of a young girl. When the dead girl is identified (Mary), Salt had worked with Mary and her family through her legal problems. While working on this case another young girl is discovered murdered. As an aside, a mass grave is discovered of slaves. There is some discussion of racism, but it seems a bit forced. The plot line is stretched a little thin and Salt's not that interesting personal life takes up too much of this mystery.

[Laura Steinert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first book well enough to try this one. I did try, honestly, but it could not hold my attention. Too many things are happening even without having to read about her dreams and memories flashbacks. Too many characters that pop up for a paragraph only to disappear for four or five chapters, then feature on a single page. If you don't know by the end of the second chapter who is involved with the murders, it is only because you have never read a detective story or mystery before.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read the first book but I didn't have any issues picking this one up and rolling right along. Sarah Alt is a great character and I think she really makes this book as great as it is. The murder mystery and the politics of being a police officer are all intriguing and are just an extension of Alt in a way. What I mean is that it all works well together but the fact that Sarah Alt is a great character is what really ties the book together.

[Hpnyknits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opted for the paper book, since didn't like first book's narrator.
While I enjoyed this one with the social background, the richness of Atlanta's history and the reality of the racial tension- I could not help but noticing the somewhat "formula". And naturally sets it up for continuing the series.
According to the book jacket- many aspects of the main character are autobiographical.