This is a change of pace for the author. It can be read as a stand alone book, although it uses characters from previous novels. The crimes take place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and there is a lot of NASCAR (and NASCAR history) sprinkled through the novel, so it does double duty for NASCAR fans and mystery fans. You will enjoy it more if you forget about the author's previous novels and pretend that it was written by Jane Doe, i.e., read and review it as a stand alone novel (which is how novels should be reviewed in any case).A body is found, encased in a barrel of asphalt, in a landfill next to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. That sets off a chain of events as an investigation tries to identify the victim, and several possibilities are considered. The investigation reopens a can of worms about a past disappearance, about the past investigation, and about people's motives. FBI special agents are involved, along with the local police. The characters range from NASCAR crews, to forensic investigators, to skinheads. There is also Temperance Brennan's cat, or one should say a cat willing to share her house (cat's can be finicky about who they agree to live with).You will learn a lot about NASCAR, a bit about natural poisons, and read through the whodunit trying to guess the killer. It is a well researched and well written departure from the author's previous novels.