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206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
Temperance Brennan, Book 12

Pages: 308
First Published: Aug. 25, 2009
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Cold.

Reason for Reading: I read every new Kathy Reichs book.
Comments: Tempe wakes up to realize that she is tied up and trapped within a small brick structure within complete darkness. Chapters alternate between her present situation and some relative distant past and a case she’s been working where the skeletal remains of an elderly woman are recovered and linked to 2 other violent deaths of elderly women and 1 current missing persons case that fits the same descriptors. Tempe is also experiencing difficulties at work in the Quebec office with a new staff member added to the crew and each other person in a gloomy mood; then she receives a nasty note and confirms someone has tried to discredit her recently. Tempe works this second personal case to get the guy who’s after her reputation behind the scenes while working on the ‘grannies’ case.

This was a great entry in the series. I spent my holiday Monday basically doing nothing but reading the book and read it in a day. (Well I read a bit the night before in bed, too) A very exciting, compelling read. The elderly woman case was a good one and different but I did find that the book lacked Reichs’ usual flare for the gruesome details. I absolutely loved the switching back to a trapped Tempe, her memory is all hazy and she can’t remember the immediate past, so the reader also has no idea how she ended up this way. These bits where she mentally tries to survive and talk herself into physically surviving and trying to escape were really my favourite parts of the book.

While the mystery centres around the main case of the elderly women there are also a few side stories and mysteries going on as well. And while the main case proves to be a solid mystery, one of the other mysteries that ran the whole book was rather transparent and very easy to figure out from the beginning. I was quite surprised with that. Reichs usually holds up very solid mysteries. I wish she had advanced Brennan’s personal life a little further in this book but instead she kept the Tempe/Ryan relationship pretty much business only and briefly let us see into where her thoughts were with anything further, we are fully aware of where Ryan stands on the issue. The book does end on a note that lets the reader know which direction the relationship will certainly go in the next book, though.

On a final note, fans will devour this one and not be disappointed. It’s a solid, all-nighter read and will keep us waiting for the next book.