A review by mattm
Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

4.0

Not a terribly deep book by general literature standards, and certainly intended to ride the Da Vinci Code hype (at one point in the story the main character even reads what can only be The Da Vinci Code on a flight), but I enjoyed it more than the other Bones series book I read, and also felt like I gained a lot of insight into daily life in modern Israel / Palestine and learned some things I wouldn't have known otherwise. And even though this wasn't your typical police / forensic procedural novel (as other commenters have said -- very mild spoiler alert -- there are a lot of loose ends when it's over), I liked some of the questions it raised: What is the value of unique archaeological artifacts, especially when weighed against current human life? When certain claims of faith are verifiable by scientific means, is it reasonable for religions to destroy evidence so that the "truth" doesn't have to be altered? How do even well-meaning religious practices cause problems when it comes to truly "doing the right thing"?