Kathy Reichs

I truly enjoy this series featuring the iconic Tempe Brennan and what’s really amazing is that this #23 is every bit as good, maybe even better, as the previous installments.

First of all, I really love anything medical and Tempe, as a forensic anthropologist, always gets deep in with the bones and bodies. The details are what I can’t get enough of and because the author is herself an expert, she writes what she knows so well. Every description is so vivid that I can almost feel like I show more am right there and everything is explained so you don’t have to know anything about the subject to get the clear picture and gist of the situations.

In this case, Tempe is called to Washington, DC, to help identify the unknown victims of a fire. Those poor, unfortunate souls were staying in the dilapidated building illegally and died inside. In addition, another body is discovered in the sub basement, this one predating the fire by decades.

In typical Tempe fashion, she becomes consumed by the case and the history of the Foggy Bottoms where the building was located. She ends up staying with a friend of her daughter’s while there and that relationship is beneficial to both with regard to the case.

I love the character of Tempe Brennan. She’s self-deprecating and funny and so very clever. She’s definitely matured and grown since the first novels and I love how she appreciates all aspects of life as she gets older. I have to laugh as she is one of the few woman in novels who actually always has a healthy appetite! As always, can’t wait for the next and will always recommend this series. Be sure to start at the beginning.

I was lucky and obtained a copy of the audiobook that I could listen to while following along with my e-book ARC obtained from the publisher. I loved the production and the narrator’s voice is perfect for Tempe and she does a great job with the other characters as well. show less

Read: March 2016

I read Speaking in Bones in just over a day and a half and I think it may be my favourite Tempe Brennan book since Cross Bones which was published way back in 2005. I felt like everything was right with it; from that brutal opening chapter to the web-sleuthing, Tempe’s feelings about Ryan, the creepy small town ultra-religious church goers, all the way to the end where Tempe once again manages to get caught up in the middle of the danger.

I didn’t even mind the several show more mentions to her TV show Bones nor the use of the word ‘squint’ which was used originally in the TV series rather than the books. show less

I was absolutely thrilled that I bought the first two books in this series together, because I NEEDED to continue this series. The first book, Virals, was an absolute hit for me and Seizure continued the insanity!

This time around Tory, Ben, Shelton, Hi and Cooper are off on another adventure.... except... get this... PIRATES. The loss of LIRI absolutely sucked because the loss of potential science plots devastated me. So I was reading it, hoping that somehow these authors had some cool show more science-y plot to follow and NOPE! But they got the next best thing - pirates and treasure!

LIRI is going to be shut down, so the Virals need to acquire some funds to try to help their parents keep their jobs. Otherwise, all of them will be moved around the continents and might never see each other again. This is a big problem since they are Virals with their crazy powers. In walks a famous myth about a female pirate and her treasure. And, of course, she buried it near the home of our lead characters! Our Virals decide to go on a treasure hunt, and get in LOTS of trouble along the way. And I mean A LOT.

I loved the sense of adventure in this book! I was hooked to every word and it was really difficult to put the book down. There's a good mix of 75% action and 25% goofy, high school drama. Tori takes on Madison in this book and the drama is hilarious. I've never considered these books to be "serious" or "realistic" books (come on... Tori's eyes turn yellow and she has magical powers), so I absolutely loved the angst that was added in this book. Also, cue in potential love triangle? Or square... Either way, I see one coming. It's a YA book, you KNOW the romance is gonna be thrown in there eventually.

So, what are my cons?
1. Kit seems mighty dumb in this book. Did he really not notice Tori sneaking away so much? I know he works a lot and is busy... but dude. Kit is related to Tempe and he's this dumb?

2. The bad guys were predictable and also dumb. I'm honestly not sure how Kathy could change this (I don't have any constructive criticism about this, to be honest) but I have to say it. It was one of my cons.

But along with the cons, I have some mighty pros:
1. This series isn't focused on romance like most YAs. There is a pinch (and I mean a PINCH, like a pinch of salt. Very little) but the story mostly focuses on friendship and adventure. That makes this book way more fun when you're not worried about who's gonna kiss who.

2. Riddles, myths and legends make everything more interesting. Some of the riddles are easy to solve, but some of them were a little more difficult.

3. This book has comedy in it! There's some seriously funny quotes lined in this book that made the action and adventure just feel more fun. I'm tired of mopey YA books, we need more positivity in this world!

4. This book is super knowledgeable. Various animals species, the Gaelic language and more science-y info is shared with the reader. Kathy Reich's books are always smart! It's just another reason to love this series.

Overall, this book was AWESOME! It was a fun read for me and I really want to continue this series. It's closer to PG-13 mainly because of the language (a couple swears) but the fun could easily be read by middle grade.

Five out of five stars!! show less

For every case Temperance Brennan has solved, there remain innumerable unidentified bodies in her lab. Information on some of these is available online, where amateur sleuths sometimes take a stab at solving cases.

One day, Tempe gets a call from Hazel “Lucky” Strike, a web sleuth who believes she’s successfully connected a body in Tempe’s lab to a missing persons report on an eighteen-year-old named Cora Teague. Since the bones in her lab do seem to match Cora’s medical records, show more Tempe looks into the case, returning to the spot where the bones were originally found. What seems at first to be an isolated tragedy takes on a more sinister cast as Tempe uncovers two more sets of bones nearby.

When she then learns that the area is known as a viewing point for a famous unexplained light phenomenon with significance for a local cult, Tempe’s suspicious turn to murder by ritual sacrifice—a theory thrown into question when Hazel herself turns up dead.

Still reeling from her mother’s diagnosis and the shock of Andrew Ryan’s potentially life-change proposal, Tempe races to solve the murders before the body count climbs further. show less