Devil Bones

By Kathy Reichs

A Temperance Brennan novel

Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is called upon to investigate human remains that may be tied into devil worship or some pagan cult. In the process she reconnects with an old high school boyfriend and her boyfriend from Canada makes an appearance after having been out of her life for months and her ex-husband is getting married.
During the course of the investigation, one of the police officers is gunned down and her grief and guilt and frustration add up to a night of binge drinking for Temperance so serious that she experiences a black out and can't remember what she did during the binge.
After mouthing off to the media one too many times, Tempe finds herself without a job. Things can't get much worse but they do when the killer gets the jump on Tempe and on Slidell, a police investigator. Things just go downhill from there.

This was a pretty good story although I was kinda surprised that these crack investigators didn't tumble to the fact that the body found on the beach had been frozen before being dumped. I figured that out right away and I'm not known for my brains. Also I was disappointed when the killer turned out to be a very minor character. I don't like it when the solution to a mystery turns out to be some person who is only briefly mentioned. That just doesn't seem kosher. Still, the most interesting part of the story is Tempe herself and her own problems. Her character is what continues to draw readers to the stories, her character is what drives it and her dilemmas are the most fascinating part of the story.

New Words

Bimodal: Having two modes or forms. "A bimodal assortment of homes lined both sides of the street."