Kathy Reichs never disappoints. Perfect summer read if you love novels of suspense. This one will keep you guessing!

This was my first Temperance Brennan book and I must say well done to the author Kathy Reichs. One of the things I really liked was that I was able to jump in to the series (book 21!) and have enough background on Temperance Brennan and company to feel that I knew what was happening and who the characters were. It seems that some authors in series go into way too much detail about previous events. Good for readers jumping in in the middle, bad for the ones who are subject to this repetition.

I thought this was a good, engaging book for those who love medical examiner POV thrillers. Dr. Brennan is a smart, driven forensic anthropologist who receives a macabre "surprise" on her doorstep one night. Her pursuit of the who/what/where/why of the eyeball left at her home unravels some very sinister copy-cat crimes that seemed to be aimed at her personally. Even her beloved daughter, just discharged from duty and suffering PTSD is ensnared in the plans of a psycho serial killer.

Thanks to NetGally and Scribner for sending me an ACR of this book to enjoy and review.

Kathy Reichs is back with Cold, Cold Bones. Temperance Brennan always has a creepy mystery to solve and, in this novel, it is no different. The first sentence hooked me; you really can't go wrong with a Bones novel. This one is a tale of revenge and Tempe herself might just be the next victim.

Cold, Cold Bones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery Suspense
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 7/5/22
Author: Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 4.13

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: When mother and daughter meet at Tempe’s place one night, they find a box on the back porch. Inside: a very fresh human eyeball. GPS coordinates etched into the eyeball lead to a Benedictine monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits. Soon after, Tempe examines a mummified corpse in a state park, and her anxiety deepens. There seems to be no pattern to the subsequent killings uncovered. Helping Tempe search for answers is detective Erskine “Skinny” Slidell, retired but still volunteering with the CMPD cold case unit—and still displaying his gallows humor. Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s Montreal-based beau, now working as a private detective. Could this elaborately staged skein of mayhem be the prelude to a twist that is even more shocking?

My Thoughts: This book is part of the Temperance Brennan series as the 21st book, but can be read as a standalone as I had no issues only reading this book and none prior from the series. The book starts with an eyeball being left on the porch, then it is a bit of a slow burn until the bodies start dropping, and then it begins to heat up. The characters are continued to be developed well with depth, creativity, and are intriguing. The author’s writing is complex, twisty, suspenseful, and relatable. The Who is discovered more quickly that Temp does, however, the why is not until the end, which made for a great plot for me.

A police detective murder mystery that kept me turning the pages. A thought provoking look into mother / daughter relationships and veterans’ struggle with PTSD and reintroduction to civilian life.

I have read other books by Kathy Reichs and in this series, which I have enjoyed in the past. However, I could not get invested in Cold, Cold Bones. There was too much information at the beginning of the book about the city and the neighborhood. This feels like unnecessary filler and pulls me away from the story and wanting to read more. It feels laborious to read.

I was never able to get involved in the mystery, and I had to force myself to finish reading the book. I usually like this series and Kathy Reichs as a writer, but this book was just not for me.

#ColdColdBones #NetGalley

I enjoyed this newest entry in Kathy Reichs' mystery series!! Being a long time reader of the Temperance Brennan series, I thought that this one excelled once again. Reichs focuses this one in Temperance's hometown of Charlotte, NC with all the characters we have come to love over the years making an appearance. I thought the mystery was not as intriguing as those in the past, but a lot of the interpersonal drama made up for it. I definitely recommend this for Reichs loyal followers, but might not be the best one to start with if you're new to the series. My favorite ones take place in Canada so I hope Temperance makes a journey up north to Montreal soon!

This installment finds Temperance in the midst of helping her daughter Katy move into her new house after leaving Army life. Relaxing after a day of moving stuff the two find an eyeball delivered in a box to Tempe’s back porch. Later, examining the eye give Tempe information that leads to the discovery of a head in an abandoned privy, a head missing one eyeball and stabbed in the other with a knife – just like a past case of Brennan’s, then a body recovery seems eerily similar to another prior case, and then another and another until Tempe and Slidell become convinced that someone is meticulously copying Tempe’s previous cases; Someone who is going out of their way to get Tempe’s attention and let her know they’re coming for her soon…

A little slow start even with the delivery eyeball turning up very early but I found the pace started to pick up as each new body discovery or murder is linked to Brennan and you start looking for clues as to whose twisted mind would be behind this complex set-up. I was suspicious of one character about halfway through and despite all the red herrings, there was one little moment that convinced me that they were the instigator which made the ending fairly predictable. However, it is still an enjoyable read and highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner Publishing for an ARC of Cold, Cold Bones in exchange for an honest review.

Kathy Reichs' Cold Cold Bones is a nail biting suspense filled thrill ride from beginning to end.
I have been a fan of this series since it's inception and Cold Cold Bones now ranks among my favorites.

From the first chapter Reichs builds the tension and never let's go. Her ability to
compound the suspense between the horrors of the killings and Brennan's missing daughter is formidable.
And the strength of character displayed
by our herione is commendable.

Reichs' knows what her readers want, well developed characters that evolve over time and serpentine plots that put you on the edge of your seat.

To Temperance Brennan North Carolina seems as cold as Montreal. She’s helping her daughter Katy move into a home near Charlotte when they discover a strange package containing an eyeball. It becomes clear that someone is recreating Temperance’s past cases, but then Katy goes missing.

I admit I haven’t read all the series, so it was hard to connect with the past crimes. Overall a good mystery that kept me guessing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy of this book.

With the addition of Tempe’s circle assisting her this is an interesting novel all starting with an eyeball
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Kathy Reichs is brilliant once again with her latest Temperance Brennan novel. In Cold Cold Bones, Tempe discovers in horror that someone is reenacting previous cases of hers. Until she can piece together the puzzle of who is the copycat, many lives are at risk, including Tempe's and her daughter, Katy. I wholeheartedly recommend Cold Cold Bones, both to fans of Reich's previous books as well as new readers of her work.
I received an ARC of Cold Cold Bones from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

#kathyreichs
#netgalley
#simonandschuster
#scribner
#temperancebrennan
#coldcoldbones
#forensics

The next in the Temperance Brennan series. Brennan is helping her daughter move back to Charlotte when she finds an eyeball on her back porch. This leads her on a weird path of murders that are all copycats of previous crimes she has worked on. Things get even more dire when her daughter goes missing. Brennan must find out who this copycat is to save her daughters life.

Another solid entry in the series. There is not a lot of Ryan in this one so if you love their romance/banter, don’t get your hopes up. However, still a good book if you like this series.

For the first time I was a little disappointed in this series. Maybe it’s time to retire Temperance Brennan, or maybe the character needs an overhaul of some sort. There were times when reading this that I felt I could replace Temperance with Kay Scarpetta and Skinny Slidell with Pete Marino. Their back and forth sarcasm was at times a little too much.

However the plot centers around cold cases of Tempe’s and a twisted killer out for revenge. Plus she is dealing with the return from active duty of her daughter, Katy, and the possibility of PTSD.

Still, if you love this series it’s a good read but I’m wondering if it’s time for a change?

I really, really enjoyed this book. It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me hooked the entire time!

Tempe Brennan is back, helping her daughter settle into North Carolina after the end of her Army stint while Tempe’s “beau” Ryan is across the border doing his PI thing. So, after a hard day of unpacking, Tempe and Katy should be having a glass of wine, but, no, there’s a box on the porch with a seemingly fresh eyeball that has GPS coordinates scratched into it.

Self described control freak, Dr. Brennan cannot rest until she’s cracked a case. But more than the eyeball turns up: next there’s a severed head in an abandoned outhouse at the GPS coordinates that, not so coincidentally, is missing an eyeball. And a kudzu covered corpse of a possible suicide, but the guy had a limp and how could he have tied the rope to a branch twenty feet in the air? For some nagging thought, Dr. Brennan thanks these are connected with another cold case.

There’s a good reason this series has lasted to the 21st installment: the main character is sensible, intelligent, and mostly good-natured (she admits to sometimes exploding like Kilauea). She’s the best at her job and you know that with a lot of twists and turns, the mysteries will be solved satisfactorily. It’s why readers love reliable episodes with characters they trust — Kathy Reichs has created such a personality with Temperance Brennan. I’ve missed quite a few novels in the series, but this one reminded me why it’s so easy to get re-involved in the adventures of my favorite forensic anthropologist. 4 stars!

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Tempe’s daughter Katy has green eyes, as does an old high school acquaintance, Charlie Hunt (his are “emerald”). The eyeball in the box is blue.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): Ms. Reich has had a lot practice discerning what grows in Canada and what grows in North Carolina, and in this novel what grows in NC is also covered in snow.

This story is like the TV Bones series. At first I thought it was going to be a cozy mystery. But upon reading it, I discovered a great mystery, filled with situations and a challenging story to follow.. Copycat murders focuses on Tempe’s past murder cases and seems to be filling her. Her daughter Katy is missing, to add to the drama.

Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist, which is really an interesting job although one which requires a strong stomach. Temperance runs into many unusual situations concerning dead people or parts of people. It is up to her to help determine how and maybe even why, someone has died. I find it interesting to try to figure out what is happening and trying to put together puzzle pieces.

Cold, Cold Bones has Temperance running ragged, with cases of murder while worrying at the same time about her daughter who has just returned from duty in the armed service. She shows signs of PTSD and Temperance is at a loss for how to deal with the situation.

Temperance has cases and dead bodies that make her sixth sense ring bells and give her nightmares or at least bad dreams. She cannot figure out why. She has had enough tough cases that she should be able to sleep at night.

This is another suspenseful story told in a way that makes it hard to put down, this is not the first of Kathy Reichs' books that I have read. It is worth the time invested and it won't take long because you will want to keep reading!

This is a intriguing thriller. Temperance Brennan finds a box on her doorstep that contains a seemingly fresh human eyeball. Thus begins a series of bizarre cases that mimic previous cases in her career. She has no clues or any idea who might be behind these copycat murders, but begins to work out a pattern as the cases become more personal. Tempe and "Skinny" Slidell, a retired cop who still volunteers with the Cold Case Division and does PI work with her boyfriend Ryan, search for answers and track down leads but come up empty-handed on solutions. She witnesses a hit and run accident at night that there is no evidence could have happened, an ex-boyfriend commits apparent suicide in his home that is found to be murder and her daughter is missing.
There are times it is a bit repetitive as she goes through each case as another one occurs trying to find the thread that binds them together, but it is the thought process she goes through.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is the second Kathy Reichs book that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised. As a big fan of the TV show, I was a bit caught off guard when I read "The Bone Code", quickly realizing that the TV Show and the book were NOTHING alike. While I liked the book, I have to say it wasnt my favorite and didnt really meet my expectations. So when I began reading "Cold, Cold Bones", I went in with moderate expectations and when I finished... Wow! I was not expecting how much I was going to like it.

Filled with many twists and turns, the book was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. The book kept me engaged and wanting more. Sometimes it was hard to put down. Beginning with the eyeball delivery, the unexpected murder of her exboyfriend, to the final scene with Katie and Tempe in the basement, I loved all of it. The ending was a bit predictable and some of the crimes were over the top, but otherwise I highly recommend this book!!

Thank you Netgalley and Scribner publishing for an ARC in exchange for my review!