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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have enjoyed this series but for some reason this one just didn't excite me as much, not sure why.
Tempe is having problems with her new boss and is basically shut out of a case she feels she should be working on and also questions her boss's results. She then decides to figure it out on her own. She gets her cop buddy 'Skinny' to help her out. He keeps telling her not to do certain things that he will take care of it but she does anyway and gets in over her head. She has an aneurism and everyone keeps checking on her and it is really frustrating for her. She wonders whether some of the things she is going thru is because of her condition or something else.
The mystery involves a sleazy shock jock, a faceless man, underground bunkers, and missing children. She thinks finding the identity of the man who was killed is linked to a cold case of a child who is missing. Along the way she gets beat up and her home is set on fire.
It was a bit convoluted and not quite the usual more science based story.
Tempe is having problems with her new boss and is basically shut out of a case she feels she should be working on and also questions her boss's results. She then decides to figure it out on her own. She gets her cop buddy 'Skinny' to help her out. He keeps telling her not to do certain things that he will take care of it but she does anyway and gets in over her head. She has an aneurism and everyone keeps checking on her and it is really frustrating for her. She wonders whether some of the things she is going thru is because of her condition or something else.
The mystery involves a sleazy shock jock, a faceless man, underground bunkers, and missing children. She thinks finding the identity of the man who was killed is linked to a cold case of a child who is missing. Along the way she gets beat up and her home is set on fire.
It was a bit convoluted and not quite the usual more science based story.
This is the 19th book in the series, it can be read as a standalone as I have not read some of the preceding books as I was to upset by the T.V series (Bones) ending! But the Temperance Brennan hole in my life was just too great and so I decided to dive back in.
Overall, the plot was absorbing and exciting. I thought it was well written and love the characters direct nature which means interactions with others are amusing and also helped the plot to move quicker.
This novel felt a lot more like a private detective working the case alongside the police that the way the books used to read but I don’t feel that this takes away anything it just maybe felt a little slower paced in the first few chapters.
It was also fascinating to read the authors note at the end where we find out that the author has gone through similar experiences recently, a fact that really shines through in the detail writing.
Overall, the plot was absorbing and exciting. I thought it was well written and love the characters direct nature which means interactions with others are amusing and also helped the plot to move quicker.
This novel felt a lot more like a private detective working the case alongside the police that the way the books used to read but I don’t feel that this takes away anything it just maybe felt a little slower paced in the first few chapters.
It was also fascinating to read the authors note at the end where we find out that the author has gone through similar experiences recently, a fact that really shines through in the detail writing.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was my first Reich's book so I was not sure if I could read this stand alone and still understanding what was going on. It was perfect because I definitely did not feel like I was missing out on anything since I had not read any other of the "Temperance" books. I loved the show "Bones" so I knew I had to finally had to read one of her books.
A Conspiracy of Bones is the nineteenth instalment in the forensic anthropologist Doctor Temperance Brennan series, set in Charlotte, North Carolina, yet despite so many books, it doesn't show any signs of losing steam or petering out as of now. It also isn't necessary to have read any of the previous instalments in order to enjoy this one as plenty of background is provided. When Tempe is sent a number of anonymous text messages with photographs of a badly mutilated corpse attached to them she becomes hellbent on discovering the identity of both the victim and the killer and save what remains of her work life in the process. What piqued her interest the most was that all the usual identifying features have been removed to hamper identification; the face and hands are gone. Of course, the new boss wouldn't be on board with her investigating this as she has been sidelined so she must work off the books in secret. Luckily, she can rely on her supportive colleagues to help her out.
This is a captivating read that has you hooked from the very beginning and keeps you flipping the pages furiously. There are many interesting reveals throughout, plenty of exciting action and developments, and as someone who often subscribes to conspiracy theories, I found this aspect of the story fascinating. Tempe is a great character and protagonist and I really feel for her as she is struggling with both her health and work life. Kathy Reichs is actually a forensic anthropologist herself and uses her extensive knowledge to inform the plot and make it as authentic and true to life as possible; it sets this series apart from the rest of the genre and makes for riveting reading. The cast of characters is so beautifully developed and you really care about them but especially the intriguing Tempe and the mounting friction between her and new boss Margo ’Dr Morgue’ Heavner which adds an extra level of tension to the narrative. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for an ARC.
This is a captivating read that has you hooked from the very beginning and keeps you flipping the pages furiously. There are many interesting reveals throughout, plenty of exciting action and developments, and as someone who often subscribes to conspiracy theories, I found this aspect of the story fascinating. Tempe is a great character and protagonist and I really feel for her as she is struggling with both her health and work life. Kathy Reichs is actually a forensic anthropologist herself and uses her extensive knowledge to inform the plot and make it as authentic and true to life as possible; it sets this series apart from the rest of the genre and makes for riveting reading. The cast of characters is so beautifully developed and you really care about them but especially the intriguing Tempe and the mounting friction between her and new boss Margo ’Dr Morgue’ Heavner which adds an extra level of tension to the narrative. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for an ARC.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
2.5* rounded up.
I have read many of these over the years, and in lots of ways this was very familiar: Tempe acts with utter disregard for her personal safety; chapters end with dramatic hooks (e.g. "Life was about to go from bad to pure hell."); there are several sections where a character recites what is obviously the fruits of the author's research to another in a big info dump.
This one was a little different though: Tempe does no work in Quebec, and, having been frozen out by her boss in Charlotte, does no work at all there either for the whole of the period of the book, despite fretting about money, so we never get to see her excel at her job. Instead she is entirely free to go around putting her life in danger as previously discussed, investigating a case that she thinks her boss should have asked her to consult on.
After a slightly mystifying opening chapter, which didn't really grab me and make me want to keep reading, things picked up and the plot did carry me along until the final third, where Tempe has some sort of out of body experience, which is never fully explained. After that the bad guys are identified, but then the book drags on for a few chapters, in what is probably a very realistic depiction of what police work is like, but which destroyed all the momentum of the story and made me impatient for it to end.
Not enough Montreal and not enough Ryan. Disappointing.
2.5* rounded up.
I have read many of these over the years, and in lots of ways this was very familiar: Tempe acts with utter disregard for her personal safety; chapters end with dramatic hooks (e.g. "Life was about to go from bad to pure hell."); there are several sections where a character recites what is obviously the fruits of the author's research to another in a big info dump.
This one was a little different though: Tempe does no work in Quebec, and, having been frozen out by her boss in Charlotte, does no work at all there either for the whole of the period of the book, despite fretting about money, so we never get to see her excel at her job. Instead she is entirely free to go around putting her life in danger as previously discussed, investigating a case that she thinks her boss should have asked her to consult on.
After a slightly mystifying opening chapter, which didn't really grab me and make me want to keep reading, things picked up and the plot did carry me along until the final third, where Tempe has some sort of out of body experience, which is never fully explained. After that the bad guys are identified, but then the book drags on for a few chapters, in what is probably a very realistic depiction of what police work is like, but which destroyed all the momentum of the story and made me impatient for it to end.
Not enough Montreal and not enough Ryan. Disappointing.