Member Reviews

Reichs does it again , another enjoyable twisty, red herring filled , forensic thriller that I couldn`t put down. This story takes place in another US state , outside of the main areas of either North Carolina, USA or Quebec , Canada which gave some variety but I did miss some of the banter between regular characters and colleagues. This book could easily be read as a stand-alone story as long as you have some understanding of the characters either from previous books ( I have jumped around in the series ) or from the TV series BONES.

In this story Brennan was planning to go on vacation with her partner Ryan when she is called away to help on a case where I fire has burned four people alive and she will be identifying the victims in the process of gathering the bodies from the debris of the fire -- a 5th body is discovered in the lower level of the building which may be a cold case murder.

I always enjoy Brennan as a character always coming across as professional yet, sarcastically funny, as well as a nice level of prickly from time to time. I personally felt he story, forensics and police procedural in this book were balanced well and stayed on point. The writing is intelligent , yet humorous keeping me engaged until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner publishing for this ARC. This is my honest review.

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I am a Kathy Reichs fan but this book was hard to finish. The story line seemed disjointed and too predictable. All in all Temperance Brennan solved the case!

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As a long time fan of the Temperance Brennan books, I was very excited to get this ARC.

This book has Tempe doing an interview with a reporter friend of her daughter Katy, as a favor. Because of that, Tempe heads to DC to consult on a case of 4 victims who died in a fire. Or is it 5 victims?

In traveling to DC, Tempe has to cancel a vacation with Ryan, and that plays off really weird.

There are multiple suspects, and the one who you should least think is a part of it, set off my radar pretty quick in this book.

In the end the case is solved. The secondary case gets solved and Tempe & Ryan make up.

It’s a pretty short book, and I think series fans will like it.

I can’t say much else, as I do not do spoilers, but I will say, there IS a chinchilla in this story.

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I received a copy of this book in advance for my honest review.
I enjoyed this entry in the long running Tempe Brennan forensic anthropologist series. As usual the writing is clear and well thought through. The story line has twists and turns that felt a little obvious but only if you’re familiar with Ms. Reich’s writing patterns. I feel that there was little too much blatant foreshadowing in the book. One too many “I would regret that” type lines. It became something that somewhat took me out of the flow because I kept noticing it. Not a big deal and I would happily read another in the series.

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In this 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series, Brennan travels to Washington, D.C. to help with identifying victims of a house fire. When a second suspicious fire burns down another home, Brennan digs in and tries to figure out who's responsible. Meanwhile, Brennan's partner Ryan is miffed that she gave up their planned vacation in order to work in D.C.

Washington, D.C. makes a nice change of setting for this series, and the plot moves along at a fairly good clip. Oddly, I was more enthused about the secondary storyline than I was the first, and the motive for the crimes still isn't sitting well with me. I did appreciate that this one had Brennan in a more hands-on position than the most recent title in the series, and I found the descriptions of her work with the victims of the fire to be interesting and enlightening. Recommended for Brennan fans and general mystery readers.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Kathy Reichs has always been a favorite author of mine. I'm not sure how she continues to make these characters feel fresh and new in each book but also like they are people you have known forever. Loved this book!

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Just when Temperance Brennan and her Canadian beau, Ryan are about to finally spend some quality time together, Tempe gets pulled into a case which quickly expands into several cases. The victims found in the burned out illegal airbnb, were easily identified, but what of the other body decades old which was found in a subbasement stuffed into an old burlap potato sack? The locals don't seem to have the manpower to care about identifying this victim who most likely died close to 80 years ago. Tempe can't let go of the need to give a name to this poor woman and so stays on to investigate getting herself and the local detective into a very dangerous situation.

Another interesting and quick read in the Temperance Brennan series. Readers will try to figure out who is behind the burning buildings and the innocent victims by piecing together some of the disparate clues scattered throughout Tempe's invesitigation.

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This long running series continues to be one of my favorite reads. Fire and Bones is the 23rd installment of the Temperance Brennan series and this story doesn’t take place in North Carolina or Montreal, it takes place in Washington DC after a friend of Temperance’s daughter Katy calls and asks for help. Ivy Doyle is an ambitious journalist and friend of Katy from her time overseas so naturally that peaked Temperance’s interest in addition to the bodies trapped in a burned down building in a historic neighborhood.

Since this story didn’t take place in one of its usual locales, we didn’t have the normal side characters playing a major role although they were mentioned from time to time. Ryan had a very minor role in this storyline and I’m hoping the next installment will have a bigger role for him and maybe have them teaming up together again like the old days.

Thank you @scribnerbooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

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“Fire and Bones” by Kathy Reichs is the 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series and yet again a very engaging read. In this story Tempe finds herself in Washington DC to investigate a fire with 5 victims, 4 who burned alive and one totally unknown body found in the sub basement of the torched building. This book can absolutely be read as a stand alone and a fun addition of a new character, a young female journalist who is a friend of Tempe’s daughter made this book feel fresh. This is a quick and easy read!

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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What an amazing story! I loved it so much. I couldn’t put it down. This is a don’t miss book! Pick it up!

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This is my first time reading a Temperance Brennan book. It works fine as a standalone book. It was an enjoyable quick read. I thought it had a good mystery to solve. I liked meeting Tempe and some of the characters in this series for the first time and plan to read another in the series. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and to give my honest review.

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Fire and Bones is another fantastic "bones" novel by Kathy Reichs. Incorporating unsolved deaths of the long gone years with present day crimes and solving the causes and perpetrators is a specialty of Temperance Brennan the beloved character. Loved the mystery.

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Miraculously, after 23 books in the Temperance Brennan series, this book still feels fresh. At least part of that is because of the excellent decision to introduce a new character, D.C. journalist Ivy Doyle. Everything we love about the Temperance Brennan books is here, the fast pace, well developed characters, and the main character's humor and wit. I hope we see more of Ivy Doyle in future books. This can be enjoyed as a stand alone but I would suggest you start with the first book Deja Dead and read the entire series in order. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader copy.

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In this most recent series installment, Reichs has made sweeping changes to her usual MO: new locale and new cast of supporting characters.

Tempe receives a request for help from a former colleague in the DC Medical Examiners office. FIRE AND BONES is set in the Washington DC with a few forays into the surrounding states. (Always love a book where my old stomping grounds is featured.)

"Ancient" history -- the 1940s -- plays a role in this arson/killing spree. Ryan, Slidell and Katy (and Birdie) are very minor characters. Tempe has new folks to work with in this installment, which makes things a little fresher, makes it more of a stand-alone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion of what I have just read.

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I’ have read every book in the series and they get better each time. The plot is interesting and the characters believable. Another good boo

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Another great Temperance Brennan book by Reichs. This had the perfect blend of story, suspense and character development. Reichs has honed her writing over the years to provide readers with just enough forensic science that keeps me interested but doesn't bog me down with things I don't quite understand.

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Yes, I read the series. Yes, I like the books even better than the TV show--
Why? Because of the richness of the characters in the book and the wonderful way Reichs has developed them over the years. They age, they learn. The love interest is there but has some bumpy ties--as in this book, but the strength of the relationship and the maturity of the characters keeps it alive--and oh yes, the mystery. That's why I started to read the series and I must say, I am never disappointed. Reichs, in this installment, adds fire to the mix and the pace roars along like a wildfire, slowing just enough for us to keep up. Plot twists are never hard turns--they are logical always, but logically often obscured by other action leaving both us and for. Brennan in the dark for a short while.
Dialog--excellent--very believable
Plot--intricate and well presented
mystery--first rate
Love the way she uses intro and epilog in her books in general but it was particularly well done in this one leaving also a hint that another mystery might pick up threads of the one unsolved case left on the coroner's slab.
If there is anything negative about this entry in the series perhaps it would be.....nope, no negatives. That said, I have not always given such fulsome praise--there have been installments that I felt missed the high mark this author sets for herself--but this one is not one of those. This mystery is first rate and likely I will reread it! Look forward to the next one!

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This is a Mystery Thriller, and this is the 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series. I have read some other books from this series before picking up this book, but I do think you can read this book as a standalone without any problems. I have trouble connecting to the main character in this book which did take away from me totally enjoying this book. I loved the mystery parts of the book, and I enjoyed getting into the mystery of this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

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A fun addition to the Temperance Brennan series! This time, Reichs moved her main character to D.C., which worked for the story and gave some fresh air to a long-running series. A fun, quick read that brings in new aspects of the job. Not quite as good as the first novels in the series but a worthwhile read if you like to pick up Reich's newest each year.

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Wow, I cannot believe that Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs is the 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series. It hit all the marks and was quite a satisfying read.

In this book, Tempe finds herself at the center of a Washington, DC, arson investigation that spawns deepening levels of mystery and, ultimately, violence. The story reminds me of the Berkeley, CA fire that happened at an unauthorized artist’s warehouse, where a young couple was found with his arms around his girlfriend in an attempt to protect her. Quite sad, as are the victims in this fire.

I love Tempe’s daughter, Katy. She’s down-to-earth and funny. The fire investigator, Burgos, was a very unlikable character, and I wasn’t sure about Deery at first, but I came to really like his character. I really wanted Skylar to be okay in the prologue.

I wasn’t sure what to think of Ryan and when he told Tempe he thought they needed a break.

There was so much going on in this book with the fires, the dead bodies, the subcellar victim etc. But overall, Fire and Bones is a good addition to the Brennan series. The ending was satisfying.

Kathy Reichs is a master at blending a good storyline with suspense and forensic evidence. I would recommend this book and this series. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in Tempe's life.

#NetGalley @KathyReichs

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