How ‘The Fugitive’ Director and an Investigative Journalist Collaborated on 2024’s Timeliest Thriller

By the Book is a feature series where journalists discuss their works of fiction and non-fiction.

The traditional end-of-year news cycle recently received a shock when residents of New York and New Jersey reported mysterious drone sightings in the skies above the two states. While state and federal government officials said there is no cause for concern, the scenario struck a chord with the filmmaker Andrew Davis and investigative journalist Jeff Biggers. The duo recently penned the timely political thriller Disturbing the Boneswhich features a drone strike on the streets of Chicago among its many pulse-pounding action sequences.

It’s not the only part of Disturbing the Bones that rhymes with recent realities. The book also features a nuclear incident in Siberia, a global disarmament summit in the Windy City, and a presidential race featuring a conservative candidate who clearly hates the press. Donald Trump against a progressive black woman.

“So much of this book is jumping out of the headlines,” notes Biggers, 61, who has written nine nonfiction books and written for outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic and NPR. Continental history jumps into motion with the discovery of a skeleton in rural Illinois that may belong to a long-missing journalist. That reporter’s son, now grown, quits his job as a Chicago detective to piece together his mother’s disappearance. In the process, he learns of a conspiracy involving a general rouge of the United States that reaches the highest halls of power in the White House and the Pentagon.

“We’re clearly focused on entertainment and keeping you on the edge of your seat, but we also put a lot of research into this novel,” says Biggers. “This comes from my background in journalism, and then I’m going to throw it to Andy to assemble this amazing thriller.”

As the director of such action favorites as The Fugitive and Under Siege, Davis knows how to keep the thrills coming. But he’s also a J-school grad himself, and he makes a point of rooting his elevated Hollywood yarns in real-world issues. And, like many of us, he has his own concerns about the current state of the real world.

“It’s a scary time,” admits the 78-year-old filmmaker. “We don’t know what will happen next.” That’s why he took comfort in being able to control the narrative that unfolds on the page. “It’s been a good back and forth,” says Davis of her collaboration with Biggers, who is making her fiction debut but has previously written for the theater.