Mortal Remains (UK version) [Hardcover]

Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance (Tempe) Brennan is called to the scene of a drowning in Hemmingford, Quebec. The victim appears to have died committing an autoerotic act that went wrong. Fingerprint analysis identifies the body as John Lowery. The only problem is that John Lowery was declared dead in 1968 following a helicopter crash in Vietnam. So how can this body be Lowery and how did an American soldier end up in Canada forty years after he died? Looking for answers Tempe returns to North Carolina to exhume Lowery's grave. She accompanies the exhumed remains to Hawaii for reanalysis at the headquarters of JPAC, the US Military programme which works to recover and identify Americans who have died in past conflicts. Tempe's daughter, Katy, has just lost a close friend to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and Tempe brings her to Hawaii in an attempt to help her recover. When Tempe's colleague and ex-lover Detective Andrew Ryan and his daughter fly out to join them, the quiet retreat becomes tense as sparks fly between the girls. To add to the chaos in Tempe's life a third body is found at JPAC with Lowery's dog tags tangled in the remains. Tempe will need to use all of her skills to tease the truth from the bones. And when Tempe is called in by Honolulu's Medical Examiner (ME) to help identify the remains of a young man who seems to have been the victim of a shark attack she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous situation.

I have read all of Kathy Reichs' Tempe Brennan books and I've always enjoyed her blend of storytelling with forensic science. One thing I definitely noticed in this book is that Reich's writing style has become far more relaxed over the years. The story flows at a good pace and the writing is accessible and entertaining. Reichs has settled into her role as an author.

Tempe Brennan, Andrew Ryan and Katy are recurring characters, so I've come to be quite fond of them. But you don't need to have read Reichs' previous books to enjoy this one. The characterisation is well done and a new reader will be able to pick up the history that these characters share. New characters such as Danny Tandler at JPAC and the flamboyant ME, Perry Hadley, are well fleshed out and are not overshadowed by Reichs' main players. They are part of the story as opposed to being props whose sole function is to move the plot along. And that is something I really enjoyed in this book.

The story as a whole is well plotted and kept me turning the pages for answers. My main criticism is the inclusion of the shark victim subplot. It didn't add to the main plot and was in many ways an unwelcome distraction. I would have preferred to stay with the main story the whole way through. It felt like the subplot was only really included to put Tempe in danger and it only loosely tied in with the main plot. I think this could have been achieved in a more effective way through the main story.

I always find the forensic detail in Reichs' books fascinating. She doesn't dumb anything down and I appreciate that. Her descriptions and explanations are concise and form part of the narrative, as opposed to making you feel that the story has been put on hold for a mini-lecture. The only thing I found confusing in Mortal Remains was all of the military acronyms which became overwhelming at times and I found myself having to page back for clarifications. I know it comes with the territory when dealing with the military, but I would have appreciated a glossary somewhere in the book that I could easily consult.

Reichs' research for this book was, as always, very well done. Her descriptions of Hawaii were very evocative. Having read this book I have great respect for JPAC and the work they do. Acronyms aside, Reichs does a great job of taking us behind the scenes of the organisation.

This was an engaging book to read and I look forward to reading more from Kathy Reichs.

I have no idea why this book was titled "Spider Bones" in the USA yet "Mortal Remains" - such a bland title - outside the USA. I very much enjoyed this book, as I am an avid Kathy Reichs fan and have read all her books. However, the Ryan thing is getting pretty tired. Is he or isn't he? I used to be a Ryan-Temperance-shipper, but after he dumped her for his ex, for the bizarre and most unrealistic reason that he wanted to help out their grown up child, I'd like to see Temperance run for the hills at the sight of him, as any sane woman would. I am finding it more difficult to enjoy the later books because of the plot-hole Ryan aspect. Does Dr Reichs feel that Temperance needs to avoid a stable relationship with a man for the sake of the plot? It sure seems that way.
Ryan apart, this book is yet another absolutely fantastic Kathy Reichs novel.

I was fascinated by the long and detailed descriptions -- voluminous, page after page on occasion -- of descriptions of what happens, bureaucratically speaking, to the remains of unidentified fallen US soldiers. Assuming Reich's descriptions are accurate, it turns out the efforts of the armed services never cease, in their efforts to identify them, but keep on and on, hoping for some resolution. It's a whole area of endeavor I never knew went on within the armed services. The descriptions of the "arrivals" -- when remains are flown to Hawaii for storage and identification -- was especially touching. Good to know the remains are treated with that kind of caring and respect.

That said, the story itself wasn't up to Reich's usual standard. In the beginning, Tempe comes off like an aging cougar -- Tempe, who admits to "several decades" of marriage, then a cooling off period, followed by yet other long-standing relationships -- who is, after all, the mother of a 24 year old daughter -- spends much of the first part of the book salivating over anything male that comes within her ken. I thought it was a little silly -- and demeaning. Obviously older women can have and enjoy relationships, but the way Tempe was repeatedly drooling over anything in pants came off as juvenile, hardly worthy of someone of her stature and position. Methinks she doth protest too much.

Then too, I never find plots involving gang or organized crime killings very interesting -- I expect them to kill each other, and quite frequently end up thinking its a blessing for the rest of the civilized world when they do. So this book, which ultimately revolves around gang warfare, held little interest as fiction. But again, it was worth it for the insight into the processes by which the remains of unidentified soldiers are stored, cataloged and -- hopefully -- identified.