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Saturday, February 25, 2023

Cold Cold Bones – Book Review

A Temperance Brennan Novel by Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs' books in her series about Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist in Charlotte, North Carolina and Quebec Canada, have fascinated me for years. Reichs has written 21 books in the series (The Bone Code #20 was reviewed here on ReviewThisReviews). Cold Cold Bones is her latest (#21) in the series.

Cold Cold Bones Synopsis

Cold Cold Bones is a novel by Kathy Reichs

As the story begins, it is wintertime in North Carolina. Tempe (Temperance Brennan) is enjoying a light work schedule at the Charlotte, NC Medical Examiner's office due to a drop in crime. This gives her time to dote on her daughter, Katy, who has just returned to civilian life from a stint in the army. Meeting up at Tempe's place for dinner together, Tempe and Katy discover a box on the back porch containing a very fresh human eyeball.

Enlisting the help of detective Erskins “Skinny” Slidell, retired but still volunteering with the Charlotte Police Department's cold case unit, they follow a lead left with the eyeball to a Benedictine monastery where they then discover the head the eyeball came from. Shortly afterwards, a mummified corpse is discovered in a nearby state park.

Eventually joined by Tempe's Montreal-based boyfriend, Andrew Ryan, who is now working as a private detective, the 3 discover a series of gruesome killings which strangely appear to reenact several of Tempe's prior cases.

As elaborately staged deaths continue, each mimicking one of her earlier cases, Tempe is at a loss to find a motive for them... and then her daughter disappears!

Summary

Tempe Brennan appears to be targeted, but she cannot figure out who, or why. It seems as though revisiting the past may be the only way to unravel the present.

Cold Cold Bones is a suspenseful whodunit novel of revenge which will keep you guessing until the last pages.