Tag Archives: Kathy Reichs

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Cold, Cold Bones

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Cold, Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs

Cold, Cold Bones (Temperance Brennan, #21) by Kathy Reichs (Goodreads Author)

Amy Caudill‘s review

Reading a Kathy Reichs book  is for me like visiting an old friend.  I have read most if not all of her prior novels, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started this one that it proved to be a trip down memory lane.

Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist,  is back in North Carolina for this one (for readers new to the series, she divides her time professionally between working for a coroner’s office in North Carolina and one in Quebec, Canada,) and is welcoming her grown daughter, Katy, home after a stint in the Army, when an eyeball appears on her back porch. Yes, an eyeball.  This first discovery leads Tempe down a path with more twists and turns than a mountain road.  

Only gradually does Tempe become aware, along with readers, that this case has similarities to a previous case from years past, and then there is another discovery, and another, and soon a pattern emerges that the anthropologist and readers alike will recognize as highlights from Reich’s prior novels.  Getting the often cranky but earnest Detective Slidell on board is a help to Tempe, but the copycat appears to have an inside source, one which proves elusive to both parties.

Worse still, Tempe’s daughter has disappeared.  Is she off somewhere dealing with PTSD, or is her silence a sign that she has somehow been drawn into these horrible events?  A final confrontation between Tempe and the culprit which was foreshadowed but only revealed at the eleventh hour showcases both the depraved depths one can reach for revenge, and the heroic efforts of the other for the safety of a child.

Prior readers of the series will enjoy the trip revisiting past novels, like a clip episode of a favorite TV show: while there is plenty of action, suspense, and drama to keep neophytes entertained.  I give this story five stars, as I rarely have enjoyed one of author Kathy Reich’s novels more.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Speaking in Bones

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Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs

Speaking in Bones (Temperance Brennan, #18) by Kathy Reichs (Goodreads Author)
Amy Caudill‘s review

When Dr. Temperance Brennan is accosted in her office by a web sleuth who claims to have proof a missing teen was tortured and possibly murdered in a horrifying manner, the forensic anthropologist is drawn in to a case with more twists and turns than seems possible.

This 18th book in Kathy Reich’s series involves genetic defects, exorcism, the power of belief, religious fanaticism, and disturbing psychological disorders for a wild ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains and rural North Carolina.

The first lead, given and guarded stringently by the hostile amateur web sleuth Hazel Strike leads to dismembered body parts found at different times and different locations, all at overlooks to Brown Mountain, a site known in local lore as a place of mysterious happenings. 

Hazel apparently feels betrayed when Tempe brings in local law enforcement on the search, and takes off, taking her hoarded evidence with her.  The next time Tempe sees her is on a slab in the coroner’s office, leading Tempe to feel guilty over her missed calls and suspicious of Hazel’s rivals on various web sleuthing sites.

The plot grows ever thicker as Tempe, along with local cops and deputies from jurisdictions where Hazel’s body and the various dismembered pieces are found investigate the motives of various people in the missing teens’ lives, as now a possible boyfriend has joined the ranks of the lost.  How these two are connected, and exactly who the body parts belong to, make up a very exciting chase.

The only issue I had with this story is the local lore of Brown Mountain was brought up in such a way that it looked like the author was going to have it figure prominently in the story.  However, at the end, though that topic was addressed once more, it was as an aside, and didn’t play a significant part in the plot or even have any real meaning for the story.  While it is an interesting tidbit, it was one “red herring” that I was disappointed led to nothing.

Overall, this story was thrilling and contained even more convoluted turns than usual with a Kathy Reichs book.  I admit I did not expect the climax in the least, and was kept guessing up until the very last chapter.  I award this book 4.5 stars, and recommend it to fans of forensic thrillers, mysteries, and anyone who loved the television show based on Reich’s work, Bones.