DEVIL BONES

by Kathy Reichs



I love the Temperance Brennan novels. It is one of my favorite forensic science series. She is one of the few series characters in this genre about which I care personally. Usually I'm ignoring their private lives, which can get ridiculously dramatic, and I focus on the case he or she is working on. In the case of Temperance Brennan, aside from the fact that her cases are always engaging, I care what happens to her outside of her job. I care about her relationship with Andrew Ryan. I care about her family and her friends. I care about her professional life and her former alcoholism. And each one of these things takes a hit in Devil Bones. Even after 11 books, Tempe's life is anything but boring, and it comes off more realistic than most. I could do without her getting captured by the murderer every other book, but that's about the only complaint I can come up with. As it stands, I plan to read every novel about this woman that Kathy Reichs cares to write.

**Potential spoilers ahead, but no specifics revealed:

Tempe and Ryan's relationship isn't smoothed over by the end of Devil Bones, and we do get to meet what could be some competition for the commitment-challenged Ryan in the form of a former NBA player turned public defender. I like him. It will be nice to see Ryan sweat a bit over this in future books. Also, we lose one recurring character to the murderer. It's a sad moment in the book, but it opens the door to a new character that I hope we get to see more of. The brief introduction left me smiling.

Readers who have not had a chance to meet Tempe yet will want to start with Deja Dead. You could read them out of order, but half the fun is in watching her and Ryan and the rest of the cast of characters grow. Happy reading!