Fire and Bones is the twenty-third book in the Temperence Brennan series by American forensic anthropologist and author, Kathy Reichs. The audio version is narrated by Linda Emond. Tempe Brennan is supposed to be on a short vacation with Andrew Ryan, but instead, she’s at the scene of house fire: an old place being illegally used as an Airbnb in Foggy Bottom, Washington DC.

At least four residents have perished in the fire, but as Tempe and the DC Fire and EMS Captain check the building, another level becomes apparent, and a body in a burlap bag, a young woman who didn’t die in the fire, but longer ago. The Fire & EMS officer at the scene is convinced the fire was deliberately lit, and wonders if any of the four fire victims (a gay couple, a Canadian teen on the run from an abusive husband, and a son of the Syrian ambassador) may have been a target.

When Tempe makes the decision to stick around to help with the autopsies, Ryan makes his displeasure very plain and they both take rather immature attitudes. Meanwhile, with accommodation at a premium due to concurrent events, Tempe, very wary at first, is staying with a friend of Katy’s, a TV journalist from a well-known philanthropist family trying to make a name for herself.

Ivy Doyle has charisma and confidential informants and a knack for research, and is just as interested as Tempe in the sub-cellar body. Together they research the building’s ownership and history and come up with possible connections to the notorious Foggy Bottom Gang, Prohibition era bootleggers and racketeers. But how is that relevant to these deaths? When Tempe checks out shots of the scene of a second fire in the same area, she unconsciously notes a potential connection even before Ivy checks her sources…

This instalment has lots of facts about fire victims as well as what remains after a coyote has fed on a body. Tempe’s extended DC stay features lots of gourmet meals in a luxury home, and babysitting a chinchilla. The dialogue is entertaining, as always, Tempe faces the barrel of a gun more than once, and Reichs gives her a few interesting dreams to add colour. Reichs manages to include a plug for her TV series, and the cover designer clearly hasn’t read the book. Gripping crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia

Fire and Bones is the 23rd book in the Temperance Brennan series and this story is just as intriguing and mysterious as the previous books in her series. Tempe narrates the story with her usual intelligent wit and humour as she dedicates herself to finding answers for the victims she examines. This story wasn’t heavy with forensic details like the other stories and there was a lack of Ryan in the story but it was still an enjoyable read.