The middle third of the book is about the discovery of the bones and people like Chatters and Benton County Coroner Floyd Johnson and their initial conflict with federal authorities.

The last third is about the lawsuit. With deft portraits of lawyers, Benedict makes it read like a legal thriller. The Connecticut author is a king in court.

In a sense, Benedict is a literary forensics expert, looking at the aging evidence to make an issue vividly come to life.

Some topics in this essay:
Floyd Johnson, Protection Act, Columbia Park, Columbia River, Kertis Jr, Reservation Corps, Meier Corps, Native American, Indiana Jones-style, Walla District, ancient skeletons, walla district, walla walla, native american, human remains, walla walla district, third book, age remains,