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paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Dr. Temperance Brennan is brought into an investigation in which the deaths of several pre-teen and teen girls have been linked to Anique Pomerlau, a killer that Tempe encountered ten years previously (in Monday Mourning), but who got away. After another girl is killed, Tempe tracks down Andrew Ryan, who was on the original case, and they try to track Anique, who might be hunting Tempe.
It's funny that Tempe refers to Anique as "the one who got away". I may have only sporadically read these books over the intervening years, but I'm fairly certain this character has never been mentioned in any of the books since Monday Mourning. I'm also fairly certain Tempe's mother has barely been mentioned in any of the books, but she pops up here, and it turns out she's some sort of computer and internet guru!
I have a four star rating for Monday Mourning on Goodreads because I have a very vague memory of quite enjoying it....fifteen years ago. Considering that I can barely remember books I read last month, it's a bit of a big call for me to remember Tempe's "nemesis" from back in 2005! And even if I had read this book when it first came out, that's still 10 years after said "nemesis" was first introduced! The supposed dramatic impact of a past killer returning to stalk the protagonist doesn't work when this past killer has barely been a blip on the radar in several subsequent books!
Mostly, this was boring. Nothing seemed to happen for the longest time. Bones Never Lie lacks the complex plots of Reichs' other works, and for the most part, involves little more than Tempe and others skipping from place to place, interviewing people connected to each of the girls that have died or gone missing. As usual, there are long, detailed descriptions of routes taken to get places, or of other things that have zero bearing on the plot.
None of the plot twists are particularly surprising, other than a late in the game revelation of. The forensic detail that can often make this series so interesting and exciting is almost completely absent, and Tempe at times often just seems to be a sideline player, waiting for phone calls from those doing the actual investigating. After several chapters of Tempe tracking Andrew Ryan down, he then disappears for the second half of the book.
This feels like a real slapdash effort of an author perhaps tiring of their creation (after the next book, Speaking In Bones, Reichs wrote a standalone novel.) This series has always varied in quality, and it's certainly not as bad as Cross Bones, but it's a very uncharacteristically humdrum affair with a simple, slow-moving, predictable plot.
It's funny that Tempe refers to Anique as "the one who got away". I may have only sporadically read these books over the intervening years, but I'm fairly certain this character has never been mentioned in any of the books since Monday Mourning. I'm also fairly certain Tempe's mother has barely been mentioned in any of the books, but she pops up here, and it turns out she's some sort of computer and internet guru!
I have a four star rating for Monday Mourning on Goodreads because I have a very vague memory of quite enjoying it....fifteen years ago. Considering that I can barely remember books I read last month, it's a bit of a big call for me to remember Tempe's "nemesis" from back in 2005! And even if I had read this book when it first came out, that's still 10 years after said "nemesis" was first introduced! The supposed dramatic impact of a past killer returning to stalk the protagonist doesn't work when this past killer has barely been a blip on the radar in several subsequent books!
Mostly, this was boring. Nothing seemed to happen for the longest time. Bones Never Lie lacks the complex plots of Reichs' other works, and for the most part, involves little more than Tempe and others skipping from place to place, interviewing people connected to each of the girls that have died or gone missing. As usual, there are long, detailed descriptions of routes taken to get places, or of other things that have zero bearing on the plot.
None of the plot twists are particularly surprising, other than a late in the game revelation of
Spoiler
the killer having a female body but male cellsThis feels like a real slapdash effort of an author perhaps tiring of their creation (after the next book, Speaking In Bones, Reichs wrote a standalone novel.) This series has always varied in quality, and it's certainly not as bad as Cross Bones, but it's a very uncharacteristically humdrum affair with a simple, slow-moving, predictable plot.
ellejaoy's review against another edition
4.0
I hate most of the characters in this book. Brennan is so annoying it’s no wonder people are so pissed with her all the time but the stories are non-straining entertainment and the twists are fun to guess.
calliejaneg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
shannonw19's review against another edition
4.0
I won and advanced reader's copy of this book through Goodreads. I have read the previous 16 titles in this series and was excited to get an advance read of the latest book in the series.
The book opens with Tempe Brennan in North Carolina working with Skinny Slidell on the disappearance of a young woman. That disappearance is linked to a serial killer who nearly killed Tempe in Canada. Because of this, they ask her to track down Ryan, who has dropped of the face of the Earth after the death of his daughter. Thanks to help from her mother, Tempe finds Ryan and coaxes him back into the world with the case. As they track a serial killer, they realize the killer has come to Tempe.
This book was a quick read. It was well-paced and I liked the plot. We get to know Tempe's mother and find out some more things about her personal life. I love to see good character development and Kathy Reichs has done that.
I always enjoy Tempe and though some of the books in the series are not as good as others, this one is the best one in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The book opens with Tempe Brennan in North Carolina working with Skinny Slidell on the disappearance of a young woman. That disappearance is linked to a serial killer who nearly killed Tempe in Canada. Because of this, they ask her to track down Ryan, who has dropped of the face of the Earth after the death of his daughter. Thanks to help from her mother, Tempe finds Ryan and coaxes him back into the world with the case. As they track a serial killer, they realize the killer has come to Tempe.
This book was a quick read. It was well-paced and I liked the plot. We get to know Tempe's mother and find out some more things about her personal life. I love to see good character development and Kathy Reichs has done that.
I always enjoy Tempe and though some of the books in the series are not as good as others, this one is the best one in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
guacamolly_peters's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
azaria74's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gailm's review against another edition
5.0
Good twists and turns in this book, bringing past killers back into the story.
ameserole's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I'm close to being done with this series.. right?
Bones Never Lie is another book that will tell you what Brennan does for a living. If it's a shock to you now.. then you've missed about 16 books. If it isn't, then you are probably bored like me. Or ya know, fake shocked.
I feel like a lot has happened and I might of, sort of, blacked out when it did. Ryan's daughter is dead and gone which lead to Ryan going down a deep dark hole. I mean, it's cool and all. I just shipped Ryan and Tempe for like ever.. but now I just think she should be a nun and own 500 cats.
Honestly, I was so bored with this book. It took me a while to finally get into it and when I did.. thank you wine, I wanted to finish it. I was hoping for something dramatic to happen. Or maybe to be wowed. Yet, all I got was disappointment. This series has definitely gone downhill and now I'm super worried about how this is all going to end.
Overall, I don't think there is enough wine in the world to help me with this series. Please help.
Bones Never Lie is another book that will tell you what Brennan does for a living. If it's a shock to you now.. then you've missed about 16 books. If it isn't, then you are probably bored like me. Or ya know, fake shocked.
I feel like a lot has happened and I might of, sort of, blacked out when it did. Ryan's daughter is dead and gone which lead to Ryan going down a deep dark hole. I mean, it's cool and all. I just shipped Ryan and Tempe for like ever.. but now I just think she should be a nun and own 500 cats.
Honestly, I was so bored with this book. It took me a while to finally get into it and when I did.. thank you wine, I wanted to finish it. I was hoping for something dramatic to happen. Or maybe to be wowed. Yet, all I got was disappointment. This series has definitely gone downhill and now I'm super worried about how this is all going to end.
Overall, I don't think there is enough wine in the world to help me with this series. Please help.