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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Another example of what Kathy Reichs does best -- a mystery wrapped in forensic anthropology, narrated in annoyingly incomplete sentences, but nonetheless thoroughly engrossing. This was set against a NASCAR backdrop, which is really not my thing, and I didn't find the Big Reveal quite satisfying, but at the same time I could hardly put it down.
It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a Temperance Brennan book, mostly because I was getting a wee bit tired of her bouncing between Ryan and Charlie (too soap opera for me). When I opened this one, she’s not with either man and her ex-Pete is remarrying and has the audacity to ask her to make nice with his dimwit fiancee, Summer, who’s turned into bridezilla. Tempe is in North Carolina this time and a body has found inside an oil barrel encased in asphalt. It has ties to the nearby Nascar track and a mechanic, Gamble there wants to know if it’s his sister who disappeared with her boyfriend who was connected with a right wing racist militia.
Turns out it was a man in the barrel but she teams up with Detective Slidell to see if there is a connection. It leads back to the track to the head of security, Galimore, who was the detective on the case back then only to end up in jail for taking bribes. Slidell naturally hates him. Then the FBI shows up, steals the body and begins to stonewall but not before they learn the man in the barrel died of ricin poisoning. On top of this, a man responsible for looking into that sort of thing has also disappeared.
Naturally Tempe turns to Galimore to learn more about what happened to the promising young student and her scumbag boyfriend like Gamble wanted. Here’s where things get a bit mushy. It’s like Reichs wanted to go one way with this then thought better of it. Slidell promises to cut Tempe off if she talks to Galimore but he doesn’t. Reichs sets Galimore as sex on a stick and it looks like Tempe was about to jump him (and I would have lost a lot of respect for her and the author, not because of the sex but for enforcing the idea women can’t control themselves around hot men even though we know it’ll cost us professional respect). Luckily that got lost in the shuffle and the mystery becomes the focus again.
It wraps up nicely with some fun twists. I do enjoy this series. I just wish it would avoid the soap opera stuff a little more.
Turns out it was a man in the barrel but she teams up with Detective Slidell to see if there is a connection. It leads back to the track to the head of security, Galimore, who was the detective on the case back then only to end up in jail for taking bribes. Slidell naturally hates him. Then the FBI shows up, steals the body and begins to stonewall but not before they learn the man in the barrel died of ricin poisoning. On top of this, a man responsible for looking into that sort of thing has also disappeared.
Naturally Tempe turns to Galimore to learn more about what happened to the promising young student and her scumbag boyfriend like Gamble wanted. Here’s where things get a bit mushy. It’s like Reichs wanted to go one way with this then thought better of it. Slidell promises to cut Tempe off if she talks to Galimore but he doesn’t. Reichs sets Galimore as sex on a stick and it looks like Tempe was about to jump him (and I would have lost a lot of respect for her and the author, not because of the sex but for enforcing the idea women can’t control themselves around hot men even though we know it’ll cost us professional respect). Luckily that got lost in the shuffle and the mystery becomes the focus again.
It wraps up nicely with some fun twists. I do enjoy this series. I just wish it would avoid the soap opera stuff a little more.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This was a solid book for this series, better than some but not as good as others. This one centers around NASCAR. We have a couple that have been missing for close to 20 years; are they dead? in witness protection? did they run away? For the majority of the book runaway or witness protection are looking like strong candidates. But, while two FBI agents are here "helping" they aren't actually sharing or helping much. We have a former cop who did time for taking a bribe, but by the end of the book Skinny is thinking that maybe the money really was planted and he was the fall guy. The couple has been dead this whole time; we find their bones. Turns out the guys dad killed them because he 1) didn't like that his son and the girlfriend were leaving the hate group and 2) didn't like the idea of the girlfriend driving NASCAR. He also killed her brother because he was asking too many questions and got too close to the truth. No Ryan in this one. Tempe ended up in trouble. Again. But, not because she trusted the wrong person, but because the bad guy was a bad guy. An interesting premise and case.
Read it in a day. The mystery was entertaining as always. I enjoy Temperance Brennan novels! I do think the endings are getting a bit repetitive, but still a fun read!
Not that it was bad or anything, it's more of the same. Series get like that after awhile.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My first Temperance Brennan book. I enjoyed it.
Have read all of Reich's books, unfortunately she is falling into a formula pattern that only changes with the setting and the crime. You know just before the end Temperance is going to get into a situation where she is almost killed but rescued at the last minute by a male figure. Still a good read, just hope Reichs can get more creative on the next one
I don't know if I could come up with a subject I am less interested in (at least throughout the entire Temperance Brennan series) than women in NASCAR. The history of women in the pseudo-sport part was okay, but I really couldn't care less about NASCAR in general. Of course, had I read the blurb about the book I would have saved myself from slogging through this book. My stubbornness reared up and I just *had* to finish. The baddie was painfully obvious, there was too much talk about Tempe's almost-ex-husband's future nuptials. I found myself begging for more Birdie to find something remotely interesting to read. This book is definitely going to the bottom of the series, something I didn't think could happen after finishing "Cross Bones" aka, Kathy Reichs version of "the da Vinci Code".