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A review by paulabrandon
Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs
3.0
The last quarter, in which everything came together quite nicely, helped nudge this Temperance Brennan entry to a 3 star rating, although 2.5 is probably more deserving. The plot begins with the discovery of three dead babies, and eventually leads Tempe, her on-and-off detective lover Andrew Ryan, and another detective, Oliver Hasty (who she apparently had a brief fling with in the past), to Yellowknife, where they are suddenly knee-deep in a convoluted mystery involving gang warfare and diamond mines.
This took a loooooooong time to get into, despite the initial grim subject matter. For the longest time, it didn't feel like much more than Tempe, Andrew and Ollie going from place to place, hotel to hotel, all while sniping at each other. Constantly. Like, it is never-ending! None of these characters liked being in each other's company, and after a few pages, I didn't like being in company with any of them! I have never sat through so much petty snarking in my entire life. It really, really dragged the book down.
Kathy Reichs books can usually be read in one sitting, because they contain a complex mystery and interesting forensic detail. However, it was too easy to put this book down. Even the forensic details felt a bit dry. And, oh, the description and unnecessary historical details! Want a detailed 5 page explanation of diamond mining in Canada? You'll get it here! Even though the plot does involve diamond mines, that level of history was not necessary. It just grinds proceedings to a halt.
Other elements annoyed: gratuitous dream sequences and the fact that Then there's the drug warfare stuff. Yawn! Not interested in gang turf warfare plots. Never have been. Never will be. It was an unnecessary distraction from the main plot. It also annoyed me that Tempe puts herself into all sorts of dangers that even the dimmest of horror movie heroines would normally not do. Not a good look.
But once the plot elements all come together, it races towards a fairly exciting finish (as is usually the case in a Reichs book), and I was impressed by how all the strands fitted together. But due to the sluggish pace and (uncharacteristically) horrible characters, getting there was sometimes a real tough slog.
This took a loooooooong time to get into, despite the initial grim subject matter. For the longest time, it didn't feel like much more than Tempe, Andrew and Ollie going from place to place, hotel to hotel, all while sniping at each other. Constantly. Like, it is never-ending! None of these characters liked being in each other's company, and after a few pages, I didn't like being in company with any of them! I have never sat through so much petty snarking in my entire life. It really, really dragged the book down.
Kathy Reichs books can usually be read in one sitting, because they contain a complex mystery and interesting forensic detail. However, it was too easy to put this book down. Even the forensic details felt a bit dry. And, oh, the description and unnecessary historical details! Want a detailed 5 page explanation of diamond mining in Canada? You'll get it here! Even though the plot does involve diamond mines, that level of history was not necessary. It just grinds proceedings to a halt.
Other elements annoyed: gratuitous dream sequences and the fact that
Spoiler
one of the killers was a character who was only mentioned - on page 20!!! - and had never actually been a presence in any way through any of the book.But once the plot elements all come together, it races towards a fairly exciting finish (as is usually the case in a Reichs book), and I was impressed by how all the strands fitted together. But due to the sluggish pace and (uncharacteristically) horrible characters, getting there was sometimes a real tough slog.