Bones To Ashes

Author: Kathy Reichs

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Synopsis:

The skeleton is that of a young girl, no more than fourteen years old – and forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan is struggling to keep her emotions in check.

A nagging in her subconscious won’t let up. A memory triggered, deep in her hindbrain – the disappearance of a childhood friend; no warning. no explanation.

Detective Andrew Ryan is working a series of parallel cases: three missing persons, three unidentified bodies – all female, all early-to-mid teens …. Could Tempe’s skeleton be yet another in this tragic line of young victims? Or is she over-reacting, making connections where none exist?

Working on instinct, Tempe takes matters into her own hands. But even she couldn’t have predicted the horrors this investigation would eventually uncover …. Can Tempe maintain a professional distance as the past catches up with her in this, her most deeply personal case yet?

About The Author:

Dr. Kathy Reichs, is a native of Chicago USA, but now divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, USA and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

She earned her PhD, whilst living in Chicago and is a certified forensic anthropologist.

Among her many and varied professional duties she; teaches FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains, works as a consultant to several Medical Examiner’s Offices and Police Departments, Tutors as Professor in the Anthropology Department of the University of North Carolina, and produces the hit TV series ‘Bones’ which is based on her work and novels.

My Review Of: ‘Bones To Ashes’

As this was the first Temperance Brennan mystery I had read, it was good to find that they don’t obviously appear to  need to be read in any chronological order, as this I found that this book stood alone as a great ‘one off’ story.

The plot, although sometimes disturbing, was racy and fast moving, with plenty of new twists and turns being thrown into the equation periodically, whilst still not losing sight of the core storyline.

The tie-in between the present day investigation and Tempe’s childhood mystery, doesn’t just appear at the start and end of the book, leaving the reader wondering where it had disappeared to for the rest of the time; but is ever present, bubbling away under the surface and is a central part of the narrative.

The only thing that did irritate me slightly, was the introduction of Tempe’s sister into the story. Whilst I assume she was there to strengthen the ties to Evangeline’s part in the mystery, I did feel that she was rather too simpering and a little surplus to requirements, the plot would have moved along just fine without her.

Everything about the story is explained clearly and in great detail. You almost feel as if you are leaning over Tempe’s shoulder, when she is in her lab, where she is describing various stages of a corpses decomposition, putrefaction, autopsy and bone cleansing techniques….

Kathy Reich also gives a concise, brief insight into the the life and culture of the Acadian community in Canada. It was just enough to whet my appetite, so that I went off and did quite a bit of extra research into the subject, which was fascinating reading.

Temperance herself, is quite a complex character, keeping her emotions well in check for most of the time, until, just occasionally, the chinks in her armour show for a brief, few moments. The memories of losing both a parent and sibling at a young age and the void that it created in her life. The inability of her mother to communicate with her, leaving her confused, secluded and alone. Finding a friend,of her own age, with whom she can be herself, no questions asked, no judgements made. Then that friend disappears from her life, with no explanation, leaving her bereft for a second time…This all impacts on her adult life, which is still in turmoil, but with a chance to have closure on a long ago mystery, she sees the opportunity to turn things around.

The character of Temperance Brennan, is given great strength, yet with enough softness showing through, in the difficult and demanding task of having to carry out forensic examinations on children, then to help track the perverted individuals, who caused their suffering, knowing that to get too personally involved could colour her judgement and jeopardise the whole case.

An easy five out of five for me…..

Keep a look out for the latest novel by Kathy Reichs, ‘Spider Bones’, due for release August 2010