Customer Reviews

Devil Bones: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I find that the Kathy Reichs series BONES is a fabulous series I do a lot of Northern driving and it keeps me entertained in the many miles that i travel without radio signal

If you are a long-time fan of this series, I've written this review for you. You can skip this book if you want to. In terms of series continuity, I'm sure Dr. Reichs will be able to put in two sentences near the start of the next book to handle what happens in this one.

If you haven't read any books in the series, don't start with this one. Start with Deja Dead, a much better book.

If you like mysteries that are hard to solve as a reader, you will like Devil Bones much better than most readers. That's also true if you are fascinated by pagan religions and cannot get enough information about dead bodies.

On the other hand, if you want an entertaining story that's an easy read, you will probably think this is a two-star book. The book also features an easy-to-hate politician who makes the story less appealing. If you like to see Dr. Tempe Brennan's love life get somewhere, this book is pretty close to a zero.

Let's face it. We all have bad days. Tempe seems to be having one throughout this book. That also makes the book more of a downer than it had to be.

Tempe is called out when an apparent root cellar turns out to contain a human skull, associated with what looks like some sort of pagan religious rite. Tracking down the rest of that body becomes the focus of much of the story in Devil Bones. Soon thereafter, a body is dumped that displays satanic signs. Are the two events connected? How?

The investigation has many unexpected twists and turns, most of which wouldn't have happened if Tempe had been a little sharper in assessing one of the clues. If you are quicker than Tempe, you'll unravel the mystery faster than she did. But you'll probably miss the real criminal until all is revealed unless you have ESP.

I learned way too much about pagan religions and medical details from this book, but I liked the mystery being difficult to solve. So I rounded up from two stars to three.

Tempe has quite the case on her hands this time. A human skull has been found in an underground room in a basement and the room also contains a beheaded chicken, a goat skull and all sorts of strange paraphernalia. Tempe comes head to head with religions such as santaria, voodoo and devil worship. But nothing is as it seems. A headless body is found by the lake, a suspect is run over by a subway train and a fellow colleague is murdered. Plus, along the way a cold case is solved.

Reichs' last two books were pretty good but I feel that with Devil Bones she is back on track with the brilliance of her earlier books which made me such a fan in the first place. Absolutely riveting! I read the first 3/4 of the book in one sitting staying up to the wee hours of the morning and had to force myself to wait another day to finish it off. Great pacing, twists and turns that keep the plot rolling just as we think we've got it all figured out.

My only complaint would be that the whole background story of Tempe's personal and professional life (from the past 10 books) is reiterated bit by bit during the first several chapters. As one who has read all her books, I found it irritating but a new reader to the series would be filled in quickly and be able to jump in and read this first. But seriously folks, read these books in order! There is a whole personal story line that follows through the books that would take half the fun of this series away if you just read the books in any old order. Start with Deja Dead and you'll be hooked!

This was a great suspense book to read. I really enjoyed getting to know the main character in the book Temperance "Tempe" Brennan. She is a forensic anthropologist and knows death inside out.
I have never read Kathy Riechs before and now I want to go back and start at the beginning with Tempe. I was very interested to know that Kathy Riechs is the producer of the television show Bones.
So for all you forensic junkies this is a great book to devour.

Better than Patricia Cornwell, but that ain't sayin' much. I'm not a big fan of the mystery genre except perhaps for Iain Rankin and PD James, and more recently the excellent Steig Larsson. She does the technical side very well, but the prose is a bit purple for my taste. Okay light summer read.

This is the first Kathy Reichs' I've read. It's not exactly literature, but it's an enjoyable-enough summer read. I think the show ("Bones") is more fun.

Kathy Reichs never disappoints me. I believe I have read most of her books. I like how she brought in different beliefs that are not well understood into this story. In this story there was so much going on. it was very captivating. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

I have been a fan of this series from the beginning and unlike many series I still find myself eating this up like popcorn! I must admit I am a CSI fan and the whole forensic anthropology science I find fascinating. I also identify with Dr. Brennan, I am not a doctor nor an investigator but some of the domestic issues have hit home with me.

This time out Temperance is trying two ID a couple of bodies at the animus the animus of the local populace which already has tried there suspect in the court of pubic opinion. I don't want to give to much away but the story mixes in voodoo magic, a fundamentalist preacher who is after devil worshipers, dirty politics, and even male prostitution! But central to the story is a great thriller that kept me turning the pages. Good Characters, great plot wrapped around a fascinating crime scene mystery. Not great literature but good entertainment for a weekend at the beach.

Temperance Brennan, book 11

The story starts when Brennan is called to an abandoned home where a worker discovers a gruesome display of remains in cauldrons amongst religious artifacts and skulls. Tempe discovers that some of the remains are human and digs deep to unearth the truth.

The main stream reader will be disappointed with the ho hum start and a story highly focused on the major cults and fringe religions. The over abundance of forensics details and history of Charlotte has crossed the line, it is more educational than entertaining, not what one would expect in a mystery novel.

The plot picks up marginally towards the end but there are so many predictable elements and lack of suspense that I can't say I enjoyed this latest installment.