I've been a fan of Kathy Reich's since she began writing the fascinating Temperance Brennan series with her debut Déja Dead. Her books are all based on her own life as one of only 50 certified forensic anthropologists, a highly specialized discipline which involves much more training, knowledge, and research than any garden variety coroner.

I assume that both Reichs (and the fictional Brennan) can "write her own ticket" (as well as books) in this career, because she divides her time and her duties between North Carolina and Montréal.

In Grave Secrets,Temperance's work takes her even farther afield than usual, this time to the Guatemalan countryside to investigate the killings of villagers there who were killed during that country's 1982-1996 civil war, which Reich describes as "one of the bloodiest conflicts in Latin American history."

While engaged in this "dig," Brennan gets called into lend her services to unearth the victims of a more recent killer in the big city, who may have killed as many as 4 missing young girls, one of whom is the daughter of a rich diplomat.

There's some romantic interest to be found, even though Tempe's work takes her into the depths of a septic tank to find one of the victim's bodies.

Riech has a nice narrative style and has the happy habit of giving enough detail about dead bodies to be interesting, but not so much that it's overly macabre or sickening (no small talent.)

As this genre of mystery goes, it's a nice read and preferable to Patricia Cornwell's (her Kay Scarpetta is in a similiar line of work) latter books.
Reich dedicated this book to the Guatemalans killed in the civil war and the victims of 9/11.

Of them all, she said, " I have touched their bones. I mourn for them." so one can only surmise that she may have helped in a professional capacity to deal with our national tragedy. If so, bless her!