Spider Bones

John Lowery was declared dead in 1968—the victim of a Huey crash in Vietnam, his body buried long ago in North Carolina. Four decades later, Temperance Brennan is called to the scene of a drowning in Hemmingford, Quebec. The victim appears to have died while in the midst of a bizarre sexual practice. The corpse is later identified as John Lowery. But how could Lowery have died twice, and how did an American soldier end up in Canada?
The impossible has happened. Three different bodies have been identified as John Lowery, who died in 1968. As I said.... that is absolutely impossible. So, because it's impossible it's become a job for Dr. Temperance Brennan. The first body is found in Montreal, the second one in North Carolina, and as a show more result of those two bodies Temperance flies to Hawaii...and then a third body comes around and guess who?? yelp...John Lowery. The questions now arise: are ANY of these bodies actually John Lowery? If one of them is Lowery... then who are the other two bodies? If not, then who are all three bodies? While in Hawaii trying to answer these questions, our Brennan's reputation proceeds her, and the Honolulu M.E. asks for her assistance on body parts that have been found on a local beach. Was it simply a shark attack or was it murder? How many bones can Brennan juggle?

I've read a lot of this series, and I believe this is the best one I have had from it...perhaps one of the best books I have ever read...and I have read hundred's probably even thousands of books in my reading lifetime. Something I don't usually care for in a book but found pretty entertaining in this one was all the cliches and cheesy lines that Kathy Reichs wrote for her characters. I can't believe that anyone actually talks like that on a consistent basis, but it gave a totally grim subject a bit of a reprieve.

I guess by now that you have figured out that I really, really liked the storyline. It gave a taste of reality to this "bigger than life" character that this author has created for us. If you are a mystery & suspense fan and haven't yet read any of the Temperance Brennan series, you might want to give it a try, The books are better if read in order, but they can easily be read in any order. show less

Four stars because I really thought this was one of the strongest books Reichs has written, plot-wise. The mystery is very elaborate, causing a reader to wonder at several points if there could possibly be a reasonable explanation that resolves all the seemingly incompatible pieces. It's fairly ingenious and very complex, so I can see where some readers failed to pay enough attention (as evidenced by reviews where readers didn't "get" the resolution or got lost along the way). Almost, but not quite, an Agatha-Christie-worthy storyline.

By the way, when you read the first chapter, if you find it off-putting, rest assured that the rest of the book is NOT heading where you think it's going to!

All that said, maybe because I haven't read show more Reichs in awhile, I found her writing style more irritating than I'd remember. Tempe (far from being the brainiac with a penchant for overly formal language that Bones is in the TV version) thinks in a conversational style of incomplete sentences and sometimes disjointed, choppy phrases. Maybe to some this is charming or even realistic, but I found it very grating in certain spots.

Example from early in the book: "Back in the city, traffic moved like mud through a straw. The Jeep lurched and jerked as Ryan shifted between gas and brake. Kind, yes. Witty, affirmative. Generous, absolutely. Patient, no way. Travel with Ryan was often a trial. I checked my watch. Five ten. Normally Ryan would have queried my dining plans by now. Suggested a restaurant. Tonight he didn't."

See what I mean? show less

Whelp, this took me long enough to get through - but a lack of quality is not what caused the delay! This is my first Reichs novel (yep, just diving right into the middle) and I quite enjoyed it! I saw some reviewers were put off by the alphabet soup of acronyms, but ... it's a very military focussed story. What do you expect?

I picked up the novel because I've been a fan of the TV Series, Bones, and wanted to get to know the source material. I was warned the writing was much drier than that of the TV show, but I found no issues with it. I think the best way to pick these up is to understand the main character has the same profession and name, but after that, they're both very much their own leading ladies.

Also, with all the bodies show more going around in this one, I do NOT recommend leaving it as long as I did between reading sessions. Seriously took awhile to remember who was who and who died when and where when I came back to it. show less

I'm a little bit ambivalent about Reichs: on the one hand, her fast-paced stories and intricate look into the world of forensic anthropology make her books a great read, on the other her curt and sometimes gruesome style are, to my taste, a little off-putting. Add to this an overly complex story of mixed-up bodies and drug dealers, and I had a bit of a hard time getting to care about the story. Had she stuck to the Vietnam war, I would have been perfectly happy, but adding layer after layer just made the cast of characters too large; for me, it ended up in a list of names I read with mere casual interest.
This said, Temperance is a super character and I did like the theme of the book. Reichs introduced me to a whole section of the show more military I knew nothing about. At the very least, an entertaining and fast-paced read. show less

I always feel...less than intelligent...by the time I reach the end of Reichs' books, invariably pausing several times to ask my wife to recap for me. Perhaps this is because I almost always listen to her books as audiobooks. They make terrific audiobooks, by the way, but the reason I always feel stupified is because of the complexity of Reichs' plots and number of characters that she introduces and keeps track of throughout the story. Sometimes I guess "whodunit," sometimes I don't...assuming I can keep my facts straight. In any case, however, the accounts of the forensic science is incredible, as always, combined with great settings and just enough action to balance the cerebral deduction. Reichs spins a great mystery for those of who show more like the genre, and her newest book is no exception. show less

I found this book difficult to follow at times. It got better towards the end, but Kathy Reichs seems to have taken a different turn with her adventures and unfortunately its not for the better. I remember how hooked I was on the first few Brennan Books, I just don't get that page turning feeling anymore.

The living characters I had no trouble keeping track of, but when it came to the dead ones I was a bit confused. The twists and turns seemed a little more predictable in this book, but I still love the lady.