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Summary: Got to Love Tempe
Review: I discovered Kathy Reichs quite by accident on day. A happy accident! Her writing style is straight forward, matter of fact, which is refreshing. The dry wit she interweaves into her characters is priceless.I waited with baited breath for 'Bare Bones' to hit the shelves. I was not disappointed. I would not recommend 'Bare Bones' for a first time Kathy Reichs reader. I feel this latest installment in the series is written for the reader who is familiar with the repeating characters. Which is understandable. Outside of a final chapter that felt rushed and read a bit like a Greenpeace poster, the book was outstanding. I hope we hear more about Tempe's adventures for years to come!
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Summary: The Plot Was A Little Far-Fetched
Review: Tempe Brennan, forensic anthropologist, is planning a much-needed vacation to the beach with her love interest, Andrew Ryan...the handsome Canadian detective who has figured in the last two novels by Reichs. As Ryan arrives in Charlotte to whisk Tempe away, body parts start turning up requiring Tempe's attention. I guess that viewed from a distance, the various parts of the plot and all the coincidences make sense, but at first glance it all seems pretty far-fetched. There are numerous characters that require the reader's close attention just to keep track of them. However, I did enjoy this story. I especially liked the antics of Boyd, the chow who has a newly discovered talent. Apparently he very good at sniffing out cadavers. I liked Reichs Fatal Voyage very much and although this outing wasn't quite as good, it still made for an enjoyable read.
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Summary: Easy read, great continuation of Tempe
Review: I thought this was one of the best from Reichs. The novel was easy to read, the subplots actually connected together rather than remaining insignificant, and the moment we've all been waiting for finally came (Tempe and Ryan).
I can't wait for the next in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: A great read, however not as good as the first four books
Review: In the sixth book of this series Dr. Temperance ("Tempe") Brennan actually is supposed to go on a beach vacation with Andrew Ryan, her police colleague from Quebec/Canada and the center of her indecent thoughts as of not so lately. The beach vacation has to be held off yet again, because besides examining the charred remains of the charred grandchild of a former janitor of UNC, unidentified body parts keep turning up. Tempe - or rather the dog Boyd- unearthes some at a BBQ. Plus a plane crashes near Charlotte and Tempe seems to be the only one who has the required skills to examine and identify the remains.... bear bones and a handless corpse. Tempe's daughter Katy (the master eyeball-roller and a stunner) has a drop-dead gorgeous new boyfriend who gives Tempe an uneasy feeling.... Ryan has to spend his time in Charlotte w/o beach vacationing but nevertheless exploring Tempe's "habitat". Due to the hospitalization of his niece he has to go back to Quebec however and leave Tempe alone amidst the gore and threats to her live and bothered by Detective Skinny Slidell. The reader experiences a family tragedy, poaching of exotic animals or parts of animals, drug-smuggling, the advancing romance with sleuth Andrew Ryan and also the "hooch" Boyd who adds some fun to the book with his funny dog behavior. You will learn about bear gall bladders, endangered species, the Klinefeldter Syndrom amongst other things. Fortunately the acronyms Mrs. Reichs uses are mostly explained -unlike in previous books. Compared to "Grave Secrets" this book is a giant step back or forward (depends on how you see it) on the road to the intensely thrilling first four books in this series. However, there are far too many characters in this book for my taste. They make it hard to keep real track of the plot, because you never know which of the characters she throws in w/o really introducing them is going to be of importance for the development of the story. At the moment I am not really sure whether Patricia Cornwell Daniels or Kathy Reichs is the "Alpha-female"-mystery/thriller writer. If Mrs. Reichs presents her next novel and if that is going to be as boring as "Grave Secrets" I would opt for Patricia Cornwell Daniels. If Mrs. Reichs' next novel is going to be yet a tad better than this one (and maybe has fewer characters to keep track of), I'll opt for Kathy Reichs. Keep going Mrs. Reichs!!!
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Summary: SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET
Review: One of the most fascinating things about Temperance Brennan and her escapades is her on-going relationship with Andrew Ryan. There is an obvious connection, but Temp has spent most of her time avoiding a committed relationship with the tough Canadian cop. Now that she's finally admitting her feelings, she has planned a week away with her hunky gumshoe, and all hell breaks loose. There is so much going on in this book that sometimes you feel a little overwhelmed with all the characters, and who did what to who and why. Hang in there and be patient---sift through all the extemporaneous sidebars and enjoy the mystery and the romance. It's a good entry in this solid series.
RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult
Review: This novel was difficult to understand. It lacked smooth flowing ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Bare Bones Had My Head Spinning
Review: I have read the entire Kathy Reichs series of books and have enjoyed them all. Bare Bones is the best by far! The constant introduction of new characters and new elements to Tempe's investigation kept me guessing as to whom the murderer might be and why. Each aspect of Tempe's forensic investigation is interesting and informational - so much so that I can envision being present while the analyses are being done. Anyone who has never read this genre of books, should start with the first of the series and move on down. They will never go back.
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Summary: Reichs is back in form!
Review: After her somewhat lackluster Grave Secrets, Reichs returns to her early form and gives her readers a fast paced intriguing mystery to chew on. This installment of Tempe Brennan's advertures also turns up the heat between her and the perpetually flirtatious hottie, Detecitve Andrew Ryan. That's just one of the satisfying plot lines. Instead of stringing that plotline out beyond it's welcome, Reichs begins it's development and evoloution. Tempe Brennan's daughter Katie and dog Boyd also play interesting roles in the story. This book is recommended for any reader who was fascinated by Reichs thorough attention to forensic detail and colorful descriptions of the interplay between the major characters.
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Summary: Average entry in 6-book forensic anthropologist series
Review: We've read this entire series and have generally been pleased with the story lines; the reasonably charismatic leading lady, Tempe Brennan; the dual setting of Charlotte and Montreal; and the technicalities of the work being performed to identify victims from bones and chasing clues sometimes all the way to the perpetrators. Much of the books sounds almost autobiographical, as both the technical work and the geographic settings mirror the real life profession of author Dr. Kathy Reichs. We felt her just prior novel, "Grave Secrets", suffered from too much detective work and chasing of criminals, for which Tempe has no particular training nor skills, just a penchant for action. In that book, her specialty skills took second place by far. However, in this latest novel, if anything we have a flood of victims so dominating Tempe's time she barely has a few hours for Canadian love interest Andrew Ryan, a real detective who is visiting Tempe in Charlotte for their first really serious affair. Some scenes with Ryan and daughter Katy added some human interest to an otherwise somewhat gory story. In fact, there wind up being so many dead bodies, including several skeletons of black bears (hence the pun book title), one almost needs a scorecard to keep all the characters and happenings straight. There was a very interesting description of how certain animal organs are being illegally harvested for sale to (mostly) Oriental customers whom attribute curative powers to, in this case, bear gall bladders of all things. Meanwhile dope smuggling, rare bird smuggling, and (by the way) a human murder or two, keep the plot jumping with developments. There are in fact so many sub-plots that miraculously intertwine before it's all over that the book suffers in our mind from being "over-worked". Reichs has enjoyed success with fresh forensic territory and great timing with the high level of current interest in "CSI" and similar TV shows. A tendency to overwhelm us with detailed analysis in the early books has given way to complicated plot development, no doubt under the guidance of the editors and publishers to "dumb" things down and appeal to a broader audience. Reichs has built a nice fan club to date, but the spotty reception given her last two outings may indicate trouble is brewing. We'd suggest that if you're new to this author, start with one of her first couple of books and let these later ones go for a while. Meanwhile, we hope Reichs can set a firmer direction with her next Tempe Brennan adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Suspenseful Mystery
Review: In her sixth Temperance Brennan novel, art once again imitates life as Kathy Reichs writes about forensic anthropologist Brennan, who, like Reichs, is employed in North Carolina and Quebec. When Tempe goes to a picnic near Charlotte, North Carolina with her college-aged daughter Katy, Boyd, Tempe's estranged husband's dog, digs up skeletal remains. With the discovery of human bones amidst bear remains, Tempe's anticipated vacation with Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, comes to a sudden halt. With the beach trip on the back burner, Ryan joins Tempe, as she investigates the burned remains of the baby belonging to a drug dealer's girlfriend, a fiery plane crash, and more bear and human remains in a latrine pit near Boyd's initial skeletal discovery. While the various investigative sites seem unrelated, Tempe's intuition tells her that they are all somehow connected, as she comes across a complex weave of drug trafficking and illegal exporting of animal parts. Ms. Reichs' technical knowledge of forensic anthropology adds fascinating information to this novel chock full of murder, mystery, and a dash of romance. With so many twist and turns and death threats against Tempe, this novel is a sure winner with fans who want a no-holds barred suspenseful mystery. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition
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