Book Review: Bones Never Lie

From Goodreads: The gripping new Temperance Brennan novel from the world-class forensic anthropologist and Number 1 bestselling author Kathy Reichs. Tempe is faced with the horrifying possibility that the killer who got away in Monday Mourning is back...
For a decade, Temperance Brennan has been haunted by the one who got away.
The killer of young women. The monster.
And the one who has now come back.
Feeding on fear, grief and rage.
Killing again. Killing girls.
Getting closer.
Coming for Tempe.

Thoughts: Bones Never Lies is the 17th book in the Tempe Brennan series. They're a good read. Don't go into them expecting something brilliant and new, but you can expect a good story line, a strong female character and lots of action. This is a series I will continue to read until I start to find the characters annoying and repetitive. (I found this happened with Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series)

Bones Never Lie gets 3 stars

*        Did not like it
**       It was OK
***      Liked it
****    Really liked it
*****   It was amazing

Did you know Little Black Marks is on Facebook? I'd love for you to join us! Click on the link and like my page. Thanks.

 

Book Review: Bones of the Lost

From Goodreads: When Charlotte police discover the body of a teenage girl along a desolate stretch of two-lane highway, Temperance Brennan fears the worst. The girl’s body shows signs of foul play. Inside her purse police find the ID card of a prominent local businessman, John-Henry Story, who died in a horrific flea market fire months earlier. Was the girl an illegal immigrant turning tricks? Was she murdered?
The medical examiner has also asked Tempe to examine a bundle of Peruvian dog mummies confiscated by U.S. Customs. A Desert Storm veteran named Dominick Rockett stands accused of smuggling the objects into the country. Could there be some connection between the trafficking of antiquities and the trafficking of humans?
As the case deepens, Tempe must also grapple with personal turmoil. Her daughter Katy, grieving the death of her boyfriend in Afghanistan, impulsively enlists in the Army. Meanwhile, Katy’s father Pete is frustrated by Tempe’s reluctance to finalize their divorce. As pressure mounts from all corners, Tempe soon finds herself at the center of a conspiracy that extends all the way from South America, to Afghanistan, and right to the center of Charlotte. 

Thoughts: I so wanted to love this, I really did. What is it with crime writers who feel the need to continue beyond the natural life of a character? The story was good, the science held together for me, but how many times can one character face the bad guys and get away with it - especially when they are not actually a law enforcement agent! If Reichs could simply let go of the Tempe Brennan character I would find this so much better. I must admit I am also over the tortured love story. Is there a single reoccuring crime novel character in a normal, happy, satisfying relationship - or no relationship at all and still happy? On top of that, the male cop in this, Slidell is a pure caricature. All the failings of this for me are character based. The stories are good, engaging, but the characters are starting to feel old and stale. Chances are I will read the next one, but I won't be pinning any great hopes on it.

Book Review - Flash and Bones

From Goodreads:Kathy Reichs...returns with a riveting new novel set in Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring America’s favorite forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Just as 200,000 fans are pouring into town for Race Week, a body is found in a barrel of asphalt next to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The next day, a NASCAR crew member comes to Temperance Brennan’s office at the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner to share a devastating story. Twelve years earlier, Wayne Gamble’s sister, Cindi, then a high school senior and aspiring racer, disappeared along with her boyfriend, Cale Lovette. Lovette kept company with a group of right-wing extremists known as the Patriot Posse. Could the body be Cindi’s? Or Cale’s?

At the time of their disappearance, the FBI joined the investigation, only to terminate it weeks later. Was there a cover-up? As Tempe juggles multiple theories, the discovery of a strange, deadly substance in the barrel alongside the body throws everything into question. Then an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes missing during Race Week. Tempe can’t overlook the coincidence. Was this man using his lab chemicals for murder? Or is the explanation even more sinister? What other secrets lurk behind the festive veneer of Race Week?

Thoughts: I've always quite liked Kathy Reichs Dr Temperance Brennan books. Good fast reads that keep you interested. This most recent one is no different. Body found in strange circumstances, people trying to hide what is going on, Brennan unwilling to back away, few dramatic scenes, pieces come together nicely and once again case closed can be stamped on the cover. And I have no problem with this given it's exactly what I was looking for.
If I do have one problem with the formula for these books is how often Brennan finds herself in the clutches of the killer....again and manages to escape or be rescued...again. Surely there are only so many times you can do that and get away with it...really.

Challenges:  Ebook Challenge, 13 in '13 

 

206 Bones

206 Bones - Kathy Reichs

A few years ago my husband bought me a Kathy Reichs book for my birthday. Being the anal person I am, I had to go back and read all of the ones before I could read the one he bought. Having done that, I forgot about it for awhile, until I was reshelving at work and thought "hmmm, haven't read that one!"

For me there is not a lot to say. I like Kathy Reichs. I like her characters and her plots. They aren't challenging reads. You know in the end they will get the bad guy by some amazing forensic and police work. Hopefully no one major will die and there will be another one along soon. Next in the series is Spider Bones which I have just downloaded to my Kindle and am looking forward to reading soon!