SOLVED. Forensic crime thriller, incarcerated serial killer leading police to more bodies in the woods. [s]

[Crystal]

Bones

EDIT: Solved, Thank you so much Jamie!

I read this at least 10-15 years ago, so around 2005-2010, if not earlier.

It had a female protagonist, a forensic anthropologist. If not by Patricia Cornwall or Kathy Reichs, it was certainly very similar.

An already incarcerated serial killer offers to lead authorities to the burial place of victims they hadn't found (possibly in return for getting off death row). A team of them end up hiking into the woods.

Someone like the killer's lawyer is with them, has no hiking experience and is getting horrible blisters. I remember them specifically talking about using moleskin in the boots for that. I think the killer ends up annoyed he's slowing them down and does something like break his foot.

There's a cadaver dog with them. When they find the spot, the protagonist can tell because of the disturbed soil and the way in which the plants have regrown.

SPOILER AHEAD

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The whole plot was a ploy. One of the graves is rigged with explosives, and the explosion allows the killer to get free. Then it's a game of hide and seek trying to retake/survive the killer.

[Jamie]

Sounds like Bones by Jan Burke.

From the Publisher's Weekly reivew: "... journalist Irene Kelly is part of the investigative team on the hunt for serial killer Nicholas Parrish's many victims. Their graves are in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, and Parrish, having entered a plea bargain, is there too, leading the team to the women's corpses in exchange for a life sentence instead of the death penalty. But Parrish has planned a surprise or two. When a grave explodes, most of the team are killed, Irene flees, and the killer escapes. Back home, Irene continues to work at the behest of Gillian Sayre, the daughter of one victim...."

[Crystal]

This was absolutely it. Thank you so much!!