I’m a fan of Kathy Reichs and her character Tempe Brennan. Tempe is a forensic anthropologist and is based in two countries: Quebec, Canada and the US. This novel takes Tempe briefly to Quebec and a case that takes her to the Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean. I really enjoyed the new location for the mystery. And this story only has a mention of her boyfriend, which I appreciated. Tempe can stand alone, without his help. There are new characters and a few murders to figure out. Reichs’ description of the Caribbean location made me want to book a trip there. This is definitely a must read.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs from Scribner via NetGalley.

The Bone Hacker is the 22nd book in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. This is a fairly stand alone book if you haven't read the previous ones. I would say that it felt like a departure from the rest of the series which tend to be set in similar places with more familiar characters. If you haven't read any others in the series, this one isn't going to give you an idea of the rest.

This time we are off to the Caribbean! I didn't expect that at all. With Tempe out of her element, you really can't be sure who to trust. Having assisted law enforcement in the islands before, the inclusion of the challenges they face in regards to resources is very real. They are too small to have all the experts and equipment available to them all the time. They often rely on services from larger countries, but this can mean delays in getting answers. As a side note, as much as I love a beach, I'll admit I missed having Birdie along for the ride.

Yay! Tempe is back! And better than ever!🤩

I always enjoy this series, especially when Tempe (a forensic anthropologist) is based in Canada. For the first portion of the book she’s firmly planted on Canadian soil with her love interest, Andrew Ryan. But after an invitation to assist in a case down in Turks and Caicos…well how can she say no!?😎🏝️

It doesn't take long before Tempe is clearly in over her head as the body-count and danger rapidly rise!

For someone who works in a morgue dealing with bones all day Tempe is the most delightful character! Quick as a whip with her clever comebacks, she had me chuckling throughout!

Probably my favorite in this long standing series! The characters as well as the storyline were superbly developed!

Can this be read as a stand-alone? Absolutely! Kathy Reichs gives you enough of Tempe’s fun character that I think you could jump in right here! Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner.

Reading the latest Temperance Brennan novel is sort of like catching up with an old friend - which, in many respects, she is; I've lost count of how many I've read over the years, but it's close to all 21 of the others (and that doesn't count watching all the "Bones" TV shows). This one, I admit, didn't grab me as much - mostly, I think, because Tempe's main squeeze, former cop Andrew Ryan, doesn't appear as often as I'd have liked.

While doing her forensic anthropologist thing on some infant bones, Tempe gets called to the islands of Turks and Caicos to bring some illumination to a dead man believed to have been struck by lightning while standing on a bridge. Tempe is eager to get back home to Ryan and her cat, but other victims keep turning up under strange circumstances - like on a high-tech boat that inexplicably lost its way - that require her particular expertise so she grudgingly hangs around.

Clues turn up, including a potential weapon that may be connected to a local Jewish community, but when disaster strikes a couple of folks with ties to law enforcement, the investigations take on a whole new dimension. All in all, it's an intriguing, though complex, plot that kept me entertained throughout. Once again, I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to learn what my old friend's been up to by way of a pre-release copy.

anthropologist, crime-thriller, dismemberment, due-diligence, ex-cop, family, family-dynamics, forensic-consultant, forensics, friendship, law-enforcement, mutilation, read, relationships, serial-murder, snark-fest, suspense, verbal-humor*****

Yowza!
Brennan has her locals (including her personal partner), added consultants, the Caribs, and even the freaking FBI to contend with on this one. The first mutilated body leads to several more, and those have their left hand removed. And then it REALLY gets complicated. Another riveting read that is all too possible.
I requested and received an EARC from Scribner via NetGalley. Thank you!

Interesting and different from some of the others in the series. Tempe is involved with uncovering a serial killer this time. Good ancillary characters.

This 22nd installment of the Temperance (Tempe) Brennan series sees Tempe travel to Turks and Caicos, to investigate … more deaths than one would think happen in a small island archipelago. Caribbean vibes, forensics, a missing FBI agent — and an island filled with suspects. It all adds up to a complex mystery with a satisfying resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

First of I love this cover!! It makes me think of a recent vacation in Bahamas so it was perfect inspiration to kick back with a cocktail and the latest Temperance Brennan novel.

This installment has her heading of to the Turks & Caicos (T&C) after inquiries on a recent victim finds he was a T&C citizen and the appearance of Inspector Musgrove who is insistent on enlisting Tempe’s help in one of her cases involving 3 murdered tourists. Well on arrival Tempe gets to check out a boat that had been found drifting with all its occupants dead – in Tempe professional eye by dehydration, which raises quite a few questions especially when no medical issues with the occupants or mechanical issue with the boat or its equipment can be found which is similar to an earlier case where a plane crash for unknown reasons; more twists as other cases crop up during Tempe’s visit, including a missing FBI Agent (vacation or working?); Is there some way all these cases linked with each other or just red herrings in that their only link is that the incident/s happened in T&C?

It’s a small island and Tempe finds herself on her own, possibly in a killer’s sights with no choice but to trust her gut and suspect everyone she encounters.

I have totally enjoyed all the installments in the Temperance Brennan series. I feel #22 is one of the best in the series, although I think mainly it is because of totally different scenery to the usual settings. As always the author describes the characters and scenery in such a style that it feels like you are there, breathing in that tangy salty air whilst having heart palpitations as Tempe gets closer to the murderer. Definitely A recommendation from me!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and to the publisher, Scribner, for an ARC of The Bone Hacker in exchange for my honest review.

I became a fan of this series initially because of “Bones” but when the show ended I started reading the novels that the show is based on. This is the 22nd novel in Temperance Brennan series and takes place in Turks and Caicos. The tropical setting with the mystery of a serial killer at large made for a page turner. Every book in this series by Kathy Reichs provides a fantastic mystery and investigation led by the best and our favorite anthropologist. Another 5 star read!

The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Scribner
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: August 1, 2023

The Bone Hacker is the 22nd book in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. This can be read as a standalone mystery or as part of the series.

Most of this book is set in the Turks and Caicos, which added to the intrigue of the book. There were so many layers to this mystery and I found it fascinating. I thought this book moved a little slower than some of the previous books, but I still enjoyed it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The book is always better than the adaptation! Book #22 does not disappoint - ROAD TRIP!!
Temperance Brennan (Tempe) who already bounces between Virginia & Montreal working 2 full-time jobs, hits the road to Turks & Caicos (T&C) in the next installment of this series.
A corpse in Montreal leads back to T&C when the victim is discovered to be a citizen there. Inquiries lead to a surprise appearance by Inspector Musgrove who has ritual killings of 3 tourists and needs help.
Tempe heads down to the island, where literally a boat load of people are found perished with no apparent cause of death other than dehydration. Forensics and mechanical investigation of the boat also turn up no cause.
Roads lead to a Jewish colony with kosher butcher practices including ritual cutting instruments. Oh, and there's a good looking missing/rogue FBI agent somewhere on the island as well. Dead or alive? vacation or work related?
bodies and more questions begin piling up - with an island full of suspects.
This was one of the more intense novels in the series. I loved how the author put both the protagonist and the reader out of their comfort zone with the new location.
Did not see the ending coming, which is very unusual for me.
Thank you to Scribner and net galley for an advance reading copy of this novel. It will be released on August 1, 2023.

The Bone Hacker is the 22nd book in the Temperance Brennan series. This most recent novel was better written and far more complex than the previous novel. Kathy Reichs has a lot of experience writing about Tempe, her forensic anthropologist, but like all writers, sometimes a mystery is too easily solved. That is not the case with The Bone Hacker. In this 22nd novel, the plotting weaves and deepens and sometimes wanders afield, but by the end Reich manages to tie everything together, although not without getting too technical for many readers. Like far too many other readers, cyber crimes are a hole from which we cannot emerge.

As Reich has in previous Temperance Brennan novels, there is a a lot of detail that sometimes bogs down the story. Reich works hard to make her books authentic, while carefully recording every left or right turn, place to eat, or view from the road, etc. I suppose that readers who visit the Turks and Caicos Islands will be entertained by this attention to minutiae, but for many readers, these details can be a distraction from the story.

As is true in other Reich novels, the characters do come to life. In these characterizations, the details do matter. Reich's descriptions help readers to visualize the people, and through them, the narration. There was much to like in The Bone Hacker. I do recommend this m=novel for Reich fans, of which there are many. Thank you to the author and to the publisher, Scribner, for providing me with this ARC to read and review. The comments above are my honest thoughts. And thank you also to NetGalley for listing so many terrific books and writers.

As a faithful reader of this series by Kathy Reichs, the latest book about Temperance Brennan kept me reading late into the night. Through a series of brutal murders and investigations, Tempe finds herself in Turks and Caicos where one thing leads to another and the investigations get personal. Reichs, a forensic anthropologist and academic, is graphic in her writing, but I find that intriguing and realistic. This book will take you on a journey from Montreal to the Caribbean and a wild ride to the conclusion of this book using the latest technology that could be in our future.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for review.

The Bone Hacker is the 22nd book in the Temperance Brennan series. Temperance (Tempe) is a forensic anthropologist now living in Montreal, Canada with her boyfriend Andrew Ryan, a retired homicide detective who is now a PI. Pierre LaManche is Tempe's boss and director of the Medico-legal section of LSJML (like our CSI). Four babies were found in a farmhouse basement in boxes. LaManche told Tempe that a man was struck by lightening during the storm who went over the bridge and a body had been found. He wanted Tempe to go and check out the body. She went to the scene and confirmed the body is human the coroner was notified. the body had been mangled by a boat's motor. While still there 3 more human bodies were found.

Ryan tells Tempe that he is coming out of retirement. He is going back to work for a division called crimes against persons, assaults and murder. He will be working with two others.

Tempe found out she was assigned to work with Detective Luc Claudel. She had worked with him before but did not like him. When going over the body they found a tatoo of a octopus/spider circling the number 5. The tatoo indicated the Turks and Calicos Islands. She was told to contact the police she speaks to a Detective Musgrove the detective tells her that she is coming to Canada.

LaManche calls Tempe and tells her that another body is found by the ferry not far from where the other body was found. This body was the remaining parts of the first body. He had been shot in the chest. Claudel calls her and tells her that the body is Deniz Been, 19 years old who is from Turks and Calicos Islands.

Musgrove was waiting for Tempe when she comes to work the next day. She tells Tempe that she recognized who the body was from the picture sent. She admitted that Deniz was not the reason she came to see Tempe. She told her that she had been working on the death of an American Robert Galloway from 7 years ago who disappeared. His body had been found miles from where he was staying and his left hand had been chopped off and has never been found. Ryder Palke disappeared 4 years also with his left hand missing. Quentin Bonner was also found close to Palke with his left hand missing. They were shot in the chest. Musgrove wants Tempe to come to the islands to help her solve the problem. She accepts and goes to the island with her.

Upon arriving Musgrove is met by two policeman who tell her that a boat with 5 bodies was found floating in the water. Musgrove tells Tempe that she has to go and see the bodies. This is where the story takes off and the reader is taken on an adventure that has too much happening that it is impossible to put all down on paper. I will let the reader enjoy following the trail to find out everything. The story climaxes into a surprising ending.

The story kept me in suspense to the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

Temperance Brennan is sent to the Turks and Caicos Islands to do forensic autopsies on two skeletons that were unearthed . The policewoman in charge believes it is the work of a serial killer because she has two missing persons who seem to match the bodies and both bodies are missing their left hand. Once Brennan arrives they remove the bodies and she has them transported to the island morgue. Then the bodies and the mysteries begin to pile up,
Kathy Reichs has once again produced a delightful trail of mysteries and puzzles for Brennan to solve. This was an enjoyable read.

This was a different book. Tempe started out in Montreal and soon moved on to Turks and Caicos. Being in the islands definitely was interesting. Once there, Tempe is pulled into the island’s mysteries while working on her own mystery. However, there were a myriad of plots and characters throughout that added confusion. It might have been easier to follow with one murder. Soon there is the murder of an acquaintance, followed by a mysterious boat connected to strange deaths, and even gang involvement. Meanwhile her original reason for going to Turks and Caicos seeking answers about a death by lightening in Montreal gets pushed aside with all that is happening. The story is okay. It reads well. However, I kind of got lost in the many different events and characters. Ryan is in the book but only superficially. I am beginning to wonder where her romance with him is going, as it seems to have become a minor part of the series. At least, they are still together in a relationship. I have read all the books in this series and enjoyed everyone. This one, as I said, was different. It will never be one of my favorites, but I did enjoy it. I do think this is one for her die-hard fans, not just someone who wants to get into another series. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

What an enjoyable mystery! I had never read a book in this series, but I will read many more! I avoided reading them because I loved the TV series "Bones" and had such a clear picture of Temperance Brennen. At least in this latest installment, she is a very different character and I'm ok with that. The plot is wide ranging and the disparate stories are resolved a little too easily, but with great panache.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

I admit, I have been a faithful fan of Kathy Reich’s books and her character Tempe Brennan for a very long time.

This book did not disappoint. The case started in Montreal but it soon led to the bones of murdered male tourists, each missing a hand, in Turks and Caicos, where she went to consult. Tempe was also asked to check out a fully functioning cabin cruiser that was floating adrift with dead men on it.

The murders end up being tied together by the development of a computer program capable of major destruction.

It takes a while to follow the clues that lead to the suspect and his reasoning for developing the weapon. It is an enjoyable mystery and it isn’t easy to figure out ahead of time who and what is the source of the trouble.

You will like this book if you like: novels written by scientists, detailed descriptions of locale, intricate details about scientific concepts, an ocean view with a murder twist.

I’ve been reading Reichs for years and while this isn’t my favorite, it holds up. A bit formulaic if you’ve read enough Temperance Brennan books, but worth picking up to remind you what you appreciate about the series.

I have been reading the Temperance (Tempe) Brennan series since the start, and this is book number twenty two. Kathy Reichs consistently turns out good books, and each one has been different. Who knew there were so many occasions when a forensic anthropologist would come in handy?

Tempe examines bodies that are beyond a coroner’s expertise. She is called in to work on all sorts of bodies, including those that have been submerged, burned, mummified, or mutilated. Sometimes some of the bones are missing, sometimes the bones of more than one person have been mixed. Sometimes the bones are those of an infant or small child. 

Tempe helps to identify the unknown dead. Male or female? Height?Approximate age? Cause of death? The bones tell her stories.

Tempe divides her time between her home in Charlotte, North Carolina and her other home in Montreal, Quebec. Her significant other is Lieutenant-détective Andrew Ryan, a former Sûreté du Québec homicide cop.

In this book, Tempe is based in Montreal, but an investigation soon takes her to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Not surprisingly, the Islands have a few mysteries of their own that draw her in. She agrees to assist the local police department, and we’re off. 

The island mysteries include a string of missing tourists, a drifting boat with only dead bodies aboard, and the murder of someone Tempe knows.

I confess that, for me, it’s now more about the recurring characters than the bones. I enjoy the updates on everyone’s life, including Tempe’s adult daughter, Katy, and Charlotte homicide detective Skinny Slidell (what a great character!). And, of course, the status of Tempe’s romance with Ryan. 

I liked this book and do recommend it,  although it’s not one of the best in a great series. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the previous books first. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️, and, as always, I can’t wait to read the next Tempe book. Available August 1, 2023.

My thanks to the author, Kathy Reichs, to the publisher, Scribner, and to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.