I've seen Bones many times but had never actually read anything by Kathy Reichs. I loved this book and the thing that surprised me the most was that the author was so funny! I burst out laughing when she described a character as wearing lipstick the color of a baboon's butt. It was like that all the way through. I also enjoyed all the nerdy science stuff and the way Temperance's mind operated when she was in crisis. In this book, Temperance goes to Washington DC for a fire in Foggy Bottom. There are two mysteries in the burnt-out building, and Temperance doesn't stop until she unravels both. I will be reading more of Kathy Reich's books!

Fire and Bones is the 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. For readers who found book 22 disappointing, Fire and Bones is a big improvement. In this most recent novel, Tempe is asked to travel to Washington DC to help with the forensic autopsies of 4 arson fire victims. Fire and Bones opens with one of the victims awakening to a fire just outside her room. There are a lot of new characters, but Reichs does a good job of keeping them straight. Most of these characters have dimension and are interesting, with well defined backgrounds to relate. The mystery is nicely layered. Fire and Bones is interesting and fun. The ending, even with an Epilogue, is abrupt. It felt like I should turn the page and look for more, which is what I did.

Thank you to the author, publisher Scribner, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. The comments above are my own.

Kathy Reichs has again crafted an intriguing mystery. Brennan get called by her daughter to do a favor for a woman who "saved her life" in Afghanistan . The woman is a reporter working on a story about how forensic archeologist Identify burn victims in a building fire. Brennan reluctantly agrees to do the interview in D.C. She postpones a much needed retreat with Ryan ( her boyfriend) and heads to D.C. only to be contacted by the Head Medical Examiner about a building fire with four fatalities. The building has a colorful past and a warren of underground tunnels with another corpse in a burlap bag untouched by the fire. There are twists and turns and definitely danger.
This is very similar to her usual style of book, but I had a feeling I had read something so similar to this story by a different author maybe. That said , it was still an enjoyable read and a welcomed addition to the series.

In this 23rd entry in the series, Temperance Brennan turns away from a much needed vacation to go to Washington D.C. to aid in the investigation of five deaths, four of which occurred in fires. Soon, Temperance ties the past to the present finding that an investigative reporter engaged to a real estate developer, may have unearthed old stories of the property that tie to the fires and murders. The narration of the story by Temperance adds to the reader's ties to the character and story. Of course, Temperance's strong personality shines through as she faces police investigators, bad guys, and her love interest. Thanks to Net Galley for the arc.

Loved the new installment of Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist assisting in Washington DC pathologist in multiple fire victims one dating back to near prohibition times!

Love her quick wit, and her ability to partner with detectives and fire marshals to get to the identification of the victims, and often solving the crime.

Buy it! Check it out at your library! Read it, her character just gets better with each adventure!


Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced copy of:

Fire and Bones
by Kathy Reichs

Pub Date Aug 06 2024
Scribner
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

Fire and Bones is the 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. Tempe is closing up a case and getting ready for a long weekend with her Boyfriend when she gets a call from the ME in Washington DC. There has been a fire at an old home in Foggy Bottom with multiple victims and the ME could use Tempe's help and expertise. Due to it being Memorial Day weekend and much activity going on in the nation's capital, the ME is unable to find accomodations for Tempe. Luckily Katy, Tempe's daughter, has a reporter friend (Ivy) who lives around the DC area and offered to allow Tempe to stay with her. Tempe and Ivy work together sharing what information they can to try and determine who started the fire, as well as a couple of others, and what the motive is behind them.

I found this novel to be enjoyable and fast paced. I loved the author's writing along with the twist and turns. It captured my attention and I didn't really want to put it down. Kathy Reichs has been doing this for awhile now, and her books are still a great ride that one doesn't want to leave. I hope she continues this series for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #FireandBones

Kathy Reichs always delivers!

This case centers on an arson investigation in Washington DC. Tempe Brennan has teamed up with an investigative reporter to dig into the crime family that owned the burned buildings. Is there a connection? Was one of the victims the target? And what about the lady whose corpse is found in a basket in the hidden subbasement?

Always highly recommended. #FireandBones #NetGalley #Salt MarshAuthors

This is book 23 for Kathy Reichs and Brennan. It is, as usual, an interesting and engaging crime that needs solved and I loved both the Foggy Bottom gang and our new journalist friend. My dislike was that for the second book in a row that I have read of hers, Ryan and Brennan are having issues, Ryan was completely missing for most of this book, and the ending was very abrupt and left giant holes open.

Brennan's about to embark on a romantic, much needed getaway to Savannah with Ryan when her daughter calls asking for a favor. Her reporter friend in DC is covering a fire with multiple casualties in a historic neighborhood and wants an interview. The interview results in her being asked to consult by the ME and she very begrudgingly cancels her travel plans to head to DC. The mystery deepens as more fires and bodies pile up across Foggy Bottom. Paired with a dreary cop, a jerk arson investigator and an ME who might not be sharing all the details, Brennan is determined to get to the bottom of it before she heads back to her home in Charlotte. An improvement over the last installation in the Brennen series and the new setting in DC paired with the history is a welcome change of pace. One of the storylines ends in a "we'll probably never know" situation, which I understand probably happens more often than not in real life, but it's fiction so a juicier resolution would have been appreciated.

No time is ever wasted when reading a book by Kathy Reichs but it seems to me that her books are getting shorter and shorter. Although I appreciate books that pull me along mercilessly, this one could use a bit more fleshing out.

A fun (and very fast) read full of long time feuds, chinchillas, recent and long undiscovered bodies and plenty of (gruesome but readable) details about forensic anthropology. Takes place in DC in the Foggy Bottom area -- a place I've heard of but knew little about. Read in a single sitting -- just what I needed.

I absolutely love this book. All the books in this series is great. Tempe is Intelligent and I love how her brain works. This series always keeps me guessing and on my toes. LOVE every second reading this book and the others.

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs is a welcome addition in the Tempe Brennan series. Called to Foggy Bottom, an area of Washington D.C., to help identify arson victims, Tempe finds an extra body. As usual there is lots of forensic knowledge and a good mystery to solve. There is always room for one more Kathy Reichs book to be read.

Tempe finds herself stuck in D. C. Working on an arson case involving multiple victims. Plenty of suspense with multiple mysteries that will keep you turning the pages. Another good addition to the series. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Kathy Reichs has done it again! Edge of your seat suspense, a fine mix of forensic science and who done it, even a Bones joke thrown in! Brennan finds herself stuck in Washington DC by no choice of her own. After a mysterious fire and the discovery of a well preserved body, Brennan is swept into a Hatfield and McCoy type feud. Brennan goes above and beyond to have justice served. With no help from local law enforcement, Brennan uses her wits to "follow the clues". A roller coaster thrill ride to the end with twist you will not see coming.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review this book.

I will share on all my social medias the week of street date.

Scott Lovelace
33 Lovelace Ln
Humboldt TN 38343

Tempe Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who is called upon to investigate remains that are either very old, or damaged to the point that an identification is difficult. She is an expert in her field and is often taken away from her Montreal and Charlotte offices. This book takes her to Washington DC to examine the remains of 4 fire victims, in hopes of identifying them and helping determine more about where or why the first was started. Of course there is another body that is found during the investigation, as well, but who is it?

As I said in my review of her last book, I miss the characters that have become part of her investigations and personal life in her other books. I understand that to some, a new setting brings new life to the series. Unfortunately, I didn't find this to be the case with this installment. Tempe becomes embroiled in the danger surrounding the investigation of this arson, and some subsequent crimes committed by the same people. There is also a copycat crime that brings in someone totally unrelated to the main storyline. I was not at all sure why this one was included. Part of what draws me to these types of books is an exposure to some interesting scientific and forensic techniques that are described in detail. There wasn't as much here as in many of Reichs' books. While this was not the best of her books, in my opinion, I will continue to read Kathy Reichs books.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest reveiw.

Tempe Brennan books are always a fun ride for me, and I enjoyed the twists and turns in this installment. The mysteries are a good blend of everyday human nature coupled with interesting science. One of the things I've come to appreciate is the staccato, first-person POV writing style, which helps to establish the main character's personality and manner of thinking and drives the plot forward.

There were also a couple of Bones easter eggs in this novel - the first one being a nod to the setting of the series and the second being a more obvious reference. I noticed one in another recent novel, and they always get a smile or chuckle from me when I read them.

Before I begin, I want to thank NetGalley for my advance copy of Fire and Bones. I enjoyed it very much! This book is number 23 in the Temperance Brennan series and I have read them all!
As the book opens, Temperance is preparing for a getaway with her long time companion only to be thwarted by a phone call requesting her services. She reluctantly agrees and is then involved in an increasingly complicated case in Washington DC. I feel that the major characters were well written and the crimes were not too far fetched. snit between Temperance and her boyfriend was, for me, unnecessary. One issue, without any spoilers, is her extremely detailed description of the injuries to the victims. Maybe a bit too graphic for some.
Finally, I commend the author for not putting Temperance into harms’ way as she so often does. I have commented before that, for an intelligent woman, Temperance, in earlier books, often seemed to throw caution to the winds and thus put herself in grave danger. Not the case in this book!
If you are a long time fan or just discovering this series of books, you will enjoy a good read with this one!

Fire and Bones is another compelling, fast-moving mystery in the series by Kathy Reichs. The setting this time is Washington DC, and Temperance Brennan, a master pathologist, becomes involved in trying to identify several recent arson attacks in Foggy Bottom. This includes identifying a small woman apparently wrapped decades earlier in a burlap bag at a sub-level who is eventually identified but appears to have no living family members. Her place in the book is a bit puzzling, but it also shows Brennan's expertise and brilliance at identifying someone not connected to three recent and multiple arson deaths.

Due to a lack of any place to stay in overcrowded DC, Brennan ends up staying with a journalist friend, Ivy, who has a large and fancy house complete with a housekeeper cum cook who looks after Tempe and Ivy. Ivy's boyfriend, Ben Zanetti, who originally presents as charming, is anything but. His role in the murders becomes more clear as the plot moves along, and Temperance must be clever enough to escape Zanetti's sanguinary role in the deliberate arsons and subsequent deaths.

Reich's books always provide plenty for readers to learn from. The medical examinations that are the basis for Brennan's identifications of murder victims are sharp and clear. Brennan is a brilliant pathologist, and Reich's plots and characters meld together to provide a tantalizing book.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

YES! Finally a great book about Temperance and forensic anthropology. Kathy Reichs is back in form and it was a delightful read.
I was consumed with this read from the very first chapter, when Bones was shifting through wolf poop.

The author knows how to spin a tale and keep the reader engaged. Plus, I really enjoyed the parts of personal life with the tension over Ryan and Bones.

The entire book was a joy to read from beginning to end!