Bones to Ashes - Kathy Reichs

In what is the tenth novel to feature Forensic Anthropologist, Temperance Brennan, we finally get to see a little of what makes our heroine tick. Asked by a colleague to examine some bones that have been kept for years, almost as a mascot, by a Detective with a morbid curiosity, Tempe finds herself flashing back to her childhood and a friend who disappeared one summer never to be heard from again. The bones in question belong to a female no older than 14 years old and seem to be marked with scars reminiscent of some kind of infection. Amidst a busy case-load, Tempe is told to work on the bones in her own free time and this leads her into an investigation that ultimately ...  Read the complete review

The back cover claims that this novel is primarily about a skeleton: 'that of a young girl, no more than fourteen years old'. In fact, the novel as a whole seems to be an opportunity for Reichs to display her extensive knowledge of forensic anthropology as it is full of skeletons, a couple of which are completely irrelevant to the main plot. These skeletons are discussed in a manner that is usually accessible, but sometimes the discussion (of diatoms, for example) just became too long-winded, scientific and dull to keep my interest. The science behind death and bodies can be fascinating - I love watching CSI, for example - but Reichs seems to forget that the details are ...  Read the complete review