Evil Bones

Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan encounters pure evil when someone begins freakishly decorating and tacking up small dead animals in Charlotte, North Carolina. After the most recent display includes a dog, Temperance correctly anticipates that the culprit will start using human victims. Putting herself in danger, she works with detective “Skinny” Slidell to stop this horrifying criminal before there are more casualties.

This is the 24th installment in Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series. While I’ve read most, if not all, of them, I believe this book could stand alone as Reichs does provide background information on recurring characters.

Reading another “Bones” novel is like visiting with an old friend. A highly show more intelligent one who is prone to placing herself in perilous situations.

Be forewarned that there are grisly, sometimes graphically descriptive and disturbing passages in this narrative, as well as animal cruelty.

I enjoy Reichs’ writing. It is intelligent, and she has a knack for using words effectively. Tempe’s witty observations infuse the story with a dark sense of humor. I always gain new insights from the “Bones” novels, whether it’s in the realm of forensic pathology or related to the plot. Reichs is a master at building suspense at the end of each chapter with tantalizing teasers that compel the reader to eagerly turn the page.

This is a fast-paced, engrossing read. While it does conclude abruptly, all the necessary explanations are provided in the final chapter.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @ScribnerBooks for the DRC. show less

This 24th installment in the Dr. Temperance Brennan series finds the forensic anthropologist in Charlotte, North Caroline where she works for the MCME due to her expertise in the human skeleton. She’s asked to consult when a grim series of animal mutilations is discovered. Alongside her old ally, semi-retired homicide detective Skinny Slidell, Tempe quickly finds that the perpetrator is escalating and possibly signaling a dangerous rehearsal for a human victim.

While there is some forensic detail, most of the story is focused on the discovery of the corpses that are missing a part, the letters PE etched onto the bodies, and with Tempe and Skinny talking to people who might be suspects. In addition, Reichs injects a dose of show more psychological discourse on the nature of evil and those who perpetrate it. Although there are lots of possible bad actors, the case seems to ricochet from one discovery of death and murder to another. The core mystery is meant to be about finding out who is killing these animals and humans and dressing up their bodies in a macabre collection of feathers and paint, but it digresses often to unrelated things such as Tempe’s boyfriend and the antics of a teenaged great niece staying with her daughter, Katy.

The killer is bad and with no shortage of possible suspects — bam, out of nowhere, a crazy twist that is not normally found in the template for this kind of thriller. The payoff is undermined by a deeply unsatisfying resolution and ending. Yes, a nonsensical and ambiguous final chapter. Although I’ve read all the books in this series from the beginning, this one just didn’t meet my expectations. Hopefully the next book will be more like all the previous stories.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Linda Emond, did a great job of voicing all the characters giving them unique accents and vocal identity. She does great with shifts in register and emotion using excellent pacing and tonal nuance. Her performance definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the book. show less

Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs is a highly recommended thriller and the 24th book in the series featuring Charlotte, North Carolina, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Be forewarned, this time it's animals being killed before the perpetrator turns to humans. You can read this as a stand alone as connections between characters are explained.

It is known the small creatures, rat, rabbits, squirrels, etc. have been found killed and put on display in a horrendous manner. Tempe is called when a bizarre display is found that could be human. It turns out to be a dog, someone's pet, but clearly the person doing this is escalating the violence and there is real concern that a human will be next. Tempe is paired with semi-retired, grouchy show more and all around unlikable homicide detective Erskine “Skinny” Slidell. As predicted the next target is human.

This is an interesting case and the pace moves quickly, upping the tension and suspense just as rapidly, because the novel is short and to the point without a lot of intricate complications. Included in the headaches beyond the murder and animal cruelty is the mercurial and temperamental behavior of Tempe's great-niece Ruthie, along with other family problems.

For most readers, Tempe is a well-known and developed character. Her dialogue can be both witty and insightful. As expected, Tempe's is always in danger and readers will be expecting this, which make her various cases entertaining, however, it also seems that she is also entirely too careless and unaware sometimes.

Evil Bones is a great choice for those already following the Temperance Brennan series. Thanks to Scribner for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/10/evil-bones.html show less

Number 24 in the Temperence Brennan series, and unfortunately I think my last. This book was such a hodgepodge of different story lines that it appeared that Kathy Reichs dropped some of the threads and forgot to pick them up again. There were a lot of unanswered questions at the end, and even the explanation of the crimes appeared to be an afterthought. The book starts with a series of animal killings and the ritualistic display of the remains. The killer gravitates to grave robbing and finally murder? We’re not even sure about whether the person committed murder or not because no alternative explanation was given. We didn’t even get to be there when they interviewed the suspect. The book skipped to a week after the murder and that show more is where we got the not very convincing explanation given by Tempe to her partner Ryan. A very unsatisfying crime novel that left me wondering what crimes had actually been committed. This has been a great series up to now, but this one does not measure up. show less

Someone is hanging dead animals up on trees and keeping body parts as souvenirs. Forensic scientist, Temperance Brennan, is called to investigate. However, the serial killer is upping his stakes and Brennan needs to solve the case before it gets out of hand.

This was a fun, quick read, enjoyable read. However, Brennan's uncertainty, almost dense mind, about certain occurrences, especially relating to her daughter and her niece, made me think she's not as on the ball as she once was. If you're a fan, you'll like this book.

This long running series, featuring Forensic Anthopologist Temperance Brennan, may be mildly entertaining but is not among my favorites. I enjoy a bit of snark but this was too much. It was slow moving and not all that interesting. Too much of everything and not enough that moved the story forward. It was all lateral and I was never sure or invested in any of the family drama. The crimes, subsequent investigations, back and forth, and yet again back and forth so more, pretty much a bore. I wasn’t reaching to finish because I was interested but because I wanted it finished.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a copy.

Lost a star because of the ending and some 2 characters that are devolving into caricatures.