Bare Bones : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Another great Tempe Brennan mystery
Review: Tempe is back home in Charlotte. She is planning a much needed vacation with the man of her dreams. At the same time, her daughter Katy, is introducing her to her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, one thing leads to another, and Tempe finds herself thrown into a case involving bones, dead animals, birds, a missing family and a dead infant. As usual, Tempe cannot seperate work and her private life, and the case takes Tempe and the reader from one point to another. Sometimes there are too many characters and too many loose ends, and that is why this book does not get 5 stars. The book is well written and the plot is good, and it was a very fast read, that just kept going. Without knowing the other Tempe Brennan books, it may be a bit of a disappointing read, and it is definitely not Kathy Reich's best, but it is still worth reading and highly recommendable to anybody who like a good mystery!

Rating:
Summary: My first and last book I'll ever read by Kathy Reichs
Review: This is the kind of book you want to read ONLY if you are interested in forensic science in a college textbook sort of way. The characters were too numerous and boring. The only character I liked was Boyd/Hooch - the dog. The plots were also too numerous and boring. If you want to read about human bones, bear bones, bird bones, etc., this is the book for you. Me? I think I'll go start the 4th Harry Potter now.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: This is the sixth in the series, and Ms. Reich is slipping in the thrills department. The story takes place in North Carolina, while Tempe is supposed to be on vacation. This is a nice change. But it made for a tame read, compared to her others! But at least it wasn't bogged down by all the coincidences all her previous books presented. Maybe that was the problem, this time it was too "realistic". Ha! Overall, a mediocre read.


Rating:
Summary: When it Rains, it Pours
Review: Three seemingly unrelated crimes, coming one on top of the next, overwhelm forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temprence "Tempe" Brennen and all three are puzzlers. The story opens with Tempe examining the burnt skeleton of a newborn that was found in a woodstove. The child's mother has vanished. Then she's called out to the scene of a light plane crash. The plane crashed into a rock face and the pilot and passenger are as burnt as that baby, but they are covered with a strange black substance, and as if she didn't have enough on her plate now, her faithful pooch ferrets out a cache of what at first seems to be animal bones, but they're not.

Kathy Reichs twists and weaves these three mysteries throughout the story like the master she is. I was kept guessing and on the edge of my seat, gnashing my teeth as I tore through the pages of this tense thriller that blends excellent forensic science with even better characterization. Tempe Brennen is a heroine to die for and if you haven't read about any of her exploits yet, it's high time you got started.