Bones of the Lost

A Temperance Brennan Novel

Kathy Reichs

 

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 antiquitiesand 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. “A genius at building suspense” (Daily News, New York), Kathy Reichs is at her brilliant best in this thrilling novel. (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

　

Tempe has a lot going on in this story. She is determined to identify a young girl found dead of what appears to be a hit and run. In the middle of this investigation, she gets asked to go to Afghanistan to oversee the exhumation of two Afghani’s who were killed by an American soldier. She is to use her expertise to determine if the locals were shot in self defense or if the soldier shot them in the back as they were running away. It was a this point in the story I was thinking - how is this going to all tie together? But in the traditional style of Ms. Reich’s writing, all the pieces come together in a very intriguing way.

　

It has been awhile since I’ve read a Temperance Brennan story and I sure do miss them! Tempe is smart, sometimes sarcastic, hard-working and dedicated to her job. I enjoy getting to see how her mind works as she interacts with her co-workers and significant others. The ending was perfect! Just enough suspense regarding Tempe’s personal life to lead us to the next book. I, for one, am looking forward to see what is in store for her.

Thanks to Scribner, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Publish date: August 27, 2013.