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Temperance Brennan #10
Bones to Ashes
In Kathy Reichs's tenth bestselling novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada might be connected to the disappearance of Tempe's childhood friend.
For Tempe Brennan, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another case. Evangeline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. Named for the character in the Longfellow poem, Evangeline was the most exotic person in Tempe's eight-year-old world. When Evangeline disappeared, Tempe was warned not to search for her, that the girl was "dangerous."
Thirty years later, flooded with memories, Tempe cannot help wondering if this skeleton could be the friend she had lost so many years ago. And what is the meaning of the strange skeletal lesions found on the bones of the young girl?
Meanwhile, Tempe's beau, Ryan, investigates a series of cold cases. Two girls dead. Three missing. Could the New Brunswick skeleton be part of the pattern? As Tempe draws on the latest advances in forensic anthropology to penetrate the past, Ryan hunts down a serial predator.
For Tempe Brennan, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another case. Evangeline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. Named for the character in the Longfellow poem, Evangeline was the most exotic person in Tempe's eight-year-old world. When Evangeline disappeared, Tempe was warned not to search for her, that the girl was "dangerous."
Thirty years later, flooded with memories, Tempe cannot help wondering if this skeleton could be the friend she had lost so many years ago. And what is the meaning of the strange skeletal lesions found on the bones of the young girl?
Meanwhile, Tempe's beau, Ryan, investigates a series of cold cases. Two girls dead. Three missing. Could the New Brunswick skeleton be part of the pattern? As Tempe draws on the latest advances in forensic anthropology to penetrate the past, Ryan hunts down a serial predator.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
774 people are currently reading
14883 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Reichs
152 books17.4k followersKathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal and is a frequent expert witness in criminal trials.
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (1998): Deja Dead
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (1998): Deja Dead
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,458 reviews
May 12, 2023
Once again I pick up a random book from a crime fiction series, this time it's Temperance Brennan (Bones TV show) book 10! A thriller from a forensic point of view. The main character, Temperance is not that engaging or believable; although a 'strong female lead', she seems to ride slip shod over everyone and drive almost everything she does from her own point of view or passion, with little regard for the safety of the people around her. 5 out of 12, Two Stars.
Reading my 2008 Two Star review now in 2023, makes me want to return to this series :D I suppose I want to know if I was reading and reviewing this solely from my male lens, or if it really was s I saw it?
2008 read
Reading my 2008 Two Star review now in 2023, makes me want to return to this series :D I suppose I want to know if I was reading and reviewing this solely from my male lens, or if it really was s I saw it?
2008 read
November 16, 2007
I don't know why I read these books. I mean, I love the forensics, but, like Patricia Cornwell, Reichs has created a character who is just dumb dumb dumb and, in my opinion, extremely unlikable. She's tough - okay, whatever. To illustrate that she's tough must she be pigheaded, irrational, totally ruled by her passions, putting EVERYONE's life in danger because OMG what she wants is WAY more important than anything else? Ego, much?
Why anyone takes her anywhere is beyond me. Ryan - the COP - tells her to stay in the car. Does she? NO! She knows it's wrong but dammit she has to know what's going on so she runs into a shootout, unarmed, because she's a freaking idiot. No matter that in addition to risking her own life, she's now put the other cops at risk because they now have to protect her ass as well as their own.
I didn't just spoil the book btw. This happens in every single Brennan book EVER. I don't understand why anyone wants to work with this person. She's completely unprofessional and oversteps her role right and left. Ugh ugh ugh.
They do SO much better a job with her character on the show. She's actually learned over the course of the seasons not to automatically run in, to stay behind Booth. She oversteps a little but nothing like these books. Brennan on the show has actually become very likable in my opinion. Brennan in the books - STFU.
Again, I love the forensics but I'm not sure it's worth it to me to read her books anymore. Plus - okay, I get it. Not everyone speaks French. But do you need to translate EVERYTHING? Some of the phrases are true cognates (if that's the correct wording) - IOW, English is totally derived from these words so we can all figure out unless you're an idiot and can't she write for the other 95% of readers who have a brain? I'm guessing the books are written for the English speaking world which, at least in North America has a working knowledge of French or Spanish and thus, it's workable. Very annoying. And for those of us with some/all French, I don't want to read the same thing twice. Especially when it's obvious enough from the context what's going on. Do you think she's been hanging out with Dan Brown maybe? That would explain it.
Why anyone takes her anywhere is beyond me. Ryan - the COP - tells her to stay in the car. Does she? NO! She knows it's wrong but dammit she has to know what's going on so she runs into a shootout, unarmed, because she's a freaking idiot. No matter that in addition to risking her own life, she's now put the other cops at risk because they now have to protect her ass as well as their own.
I didn't just spoil the book btw. This happens in every single Brennan book EVER. I don't understand why anyone wants to work with this person. She's completely unprofessional and oversteps her role right and left. Ugh ugh ugh.
They do SO much better a job with her character on the show. She's actually learned over the course of the seasons not to automatically run in, to stay behind Booth. She oversteps a little but nothing like these books. Brennan on the show has actually become very likable in my opinion. Brennan in the books - STFU.
Again, I love the forensics but I'm not sure it's worth it to me to read her books anymore. Plus - okay, I get it. Not everyone speaks French. But do you need to translate EVERYTHING? Some of the phrases are true cognates (if that's the correct wording) - IOW, English is totally derived from these words so we can all figure out unless you're an idiot and can't she write for the other 95% of readers who have a brain? I'm guessing the books are written for the English speaking world which, at least in North America has a working knowledge of French or Spanish and thus, it's workable. Very annoying. And for those of us with some/all French, I don't want to read the same thing twice. Especially when it's obvious enough from the context what's going on. Do you think she's been hanging out with Dan Brown maybe? That would explain it.
October 29, 2022
The 10th book in the series and it was pretty average. I did enjoy the flash back into Tempe’s past and the things that were unearthed. I thought the main kind of mystery/plot line was ok and but nothing amazing.
The descriptions as always were really well done and you call tell Kathy Reiches does the most in depth research it’s quite breathtaking. The only issue is in parts there was a lot of information dumping and it makes it he book feel slow!
I did read this in two days because it was pretty easy - but if you just wanted a fast-paced thriller will twists and turns I think this would be a disappointment.
I don’t know if you need to read these in order but it does help a little with the characters relationships.
The descriptions as always were really well done and you call tell Kathy Reiches does the most in depth research it’s quite breathtaking. The only issue is in parts there was a lot of information dumping and it makes it he book feel slow!
I did read this in two days because it was pretty easy - but if you just wanted a fast-paced thriller will twists and turns I think this would be a disappointment.
I don’t know if you need to read these in order but it does help a little with the characters relationships.
July 17, 2024
Re-read 2024
Add to Tempe's impulsiveness is her sister, Harry's. I liked the sisters working together to find out what happened to childhood friends. My re-read bumped this book up from a 3 to a 4 star because it is just so darn enjoyable.
Original Review
Although I have to admit that this wasn't the strongest book in the series, it was nice to read a book that focuses on forgotten history from my Canadian home province-New Brunswick. Specifically, how people who contracted leprosy were dealt with in the 19th and early 20th century. The disappearance of young women, coupled with the finding of a female skeleton, and the added attraction of learning something from Brennan's past was a huge draw for me. Once again, the story begins in Montreal and the story just spirals from there. I would agree with other reviewers that Tempe's impulsiveness does grate on a reader's nerves from time to time, but it certainly makes the storyline all that more entertaining.
Original review 08/10/16
Re-read and Edit 17/07/24
Add to Tempe's impulsiveness is her sister, Harry's. I liked the sisters working together to find out what happened to childhood friends. My re-read bumped this book up from a 3 to a 4 star because it is just so darn enjoyable.
Original Review
Although I have to admit that this wasn't the strongest book in the series, it was nice to read a book that focuses on forgotten history from my Canadian home province-New Brunswick. Specifically, how people who contracted leprosy were dealt with in the 19th and early 20th century. The disappearance of young women, coupled with the finding of a female skeleton, and the added attraction of learning something from Brennan's past was a huge draw for me. Once again, the story begins in Montreal and the story just spirals from there. I would agree with other reviewers that Tempe's impulsiveness does grate on a reader's nerves from time to time, but it certainly makes the storyline all that more entertaining.
Original review 08/10/16
Re-read and Edit 17/07/24
March 5, 2025
“The basilar suture is unfused. There are no wisdom teeth, and the second molars show minimal wear.”
Fans of Kathy Reichs and the medical thriller genre would probably agree that Temperance Brennan is a real woman, a well-developed character with strengths, flaws and an interesting personality. But in BONES TO ASHES, Reichs filled in a very interesting piece of Brennan back story detailing a significant piece of her childhood in South Carolina and her heart-warming friendship with an Acadian girl, Évangéline Landry, who vanished in her early teens and mysteriously dropped out of Brennan’s life. Years later (in a coincidence that will stretch any reader’s credibility taut, if not to the breaking point), Brennan has cause to study fragments of a human skeleton that she comes to believe could be the remains of her long lost and lamented friend. On top of that, her erstwhile lover, detective Andrew Ryan, asks for her help in a cold case involving a number of missing and dead girls that he believes are the victims of a possible serial killer working around water. As the details of these two sub-plots unfold, readers will have that coincidence credibility meter pushed well into the red zone as the two stories begin to interweave to become a single investigation of murder, human trafficking and child pornography.
Ongoing readers of the Temperance Brennan series will also enjoy watching her personal relationships with one-time lover Detective Ryan, her ex-husband Pete who is now engaged to be married, and her sister Harry become ever more tortuously knotted.
Frankly, the “thriller” part of BONES TO ASHES, while not quite mundane or pedestrian, was, at best, workmanlike and only passably interesting. For my tastes, it was also needlessly byzantine and complex. On the other hand, BONES TO ASHES was still quite compellingly readable for reasons that had nothing to do with its thriller content. I found the non-fictional side-bar descriptions of the history of leprosy, the history of the Acadian language, people and culture in Canada and, in particular, the very detailed history of leprosy and its treatment in Acadia to be interesting and informative little known Canadiana. As a Canadian who takes pride in being fluent in both of our official languages, I thoroughly enoyed Reichs’ amusing examples of Québecois Joual and Acadian Chiac, local vernacular French dialects that have diverged markedly from their Parisian French origins over the years in Canada. And, as always, Reichs treatment of forensic anthropology, which is never, never dumbed down in any way, is endlessly instructive and fascinating.
Two stars for the story. Four stars for the character background and the side-bar history essays. Round out the overall rating at three stars plus a definite recommendation to Reichs’ fan base.
Paul Weiss
Fans of Kathy Reichs and the medical thriller genre would probably agree that Temperance Brennan is a real woman, a well-developed character with strengths, flaws and an interesting personality. But in BONES TO ASHES, Reichs filled in a very interesting piece of Brennan back story detailing a significant piece of her childhood in South Carolina and her heart-warming friendship with an Acadian girl, Évangéline Landry, who vanished in her early teens and mysteriously dropped out of Brennan’s life. Years later (in a coincidence that will stretch any reader’s credibility taut, if not to the breaking point), Brennan has cause to study fragments of a human skeleton that she comes to believe could be the remains of her long lost and lamented friend. On top of that, her erstwhile lover, detective Andrew Ryan, asks for her help in a cold case involving a number of missing and dead girls that he believes are the victims of a possible serial killer working around water. As the details of these two sub-plots unfold, readers will have that coincidence credibility meter pushed well into the red zone as the two stories begin to interweave to become a single investigation of murder, human trafficking and child pornography.
Ongoing readers of the Temperance Brennan series will also enjoy watching her personal relationships with one-time lover Detective Ryan, her ex-husband Pete who is now engaged to be married, and her sister Harry become ever more tortuously knotted.
Frankly, the “thriller” part of BONES TO ASHES, while not quite mundane or pedestrian, was, at best, workmanlike and only passably interesting. For my tastes, it was also needlessly byzantine and complex. On the other hand, BONES TO ASHES was still quite compellingly readable for reasons that had nothing to do with its thriller content. I found the non-fictional side-bar descriptions of the history of leprosy, the history of the Acadian language, people and culture in Canada and, in particular, the very detailed history of leprosy and its treatment in Acadia to be interesting and informative little known Canadiana. As a Canadian who takes pride in being fluent in both of our official languages, I thoroughly enoyed Reichs’ amusing examples of Québecois Joual and Acadian Chiac, local vernacular French dialects that have diverged markedly from their Parisian French origins over the years in Canada. And, as always, Reichs treatment of forensic anthropology, which is never, never dumbed down in any way, is endlessly instructive and fascinating.
Two stars for the story. Four stars for the character background and the side-bar history essays. Round out the overall rating at three stars plus a definite recommendation to Reichs’ fan base.
Paul Weiss
June 18, 2008
A new mystery excellently solved!
Oh, do I ever adore Reichs’s novels. Her novels show proof that there are no limits to one’s imagination - especially when the author knows what she/he is talking about.
Reichs sucks you in with the first sentence and doesn’t let go until the very last word. The mystery and forensic descriptions keep you just as glued to the pages as the characters do. Again, Tempe lands herself in trouble when she does something someone asked her not to do. But she can’t let go of the possibility that the remains could be those of a friend that disappeared.
Twists and turns and a surprising ending make the entire book worth every single one of its 406 pages. A new twist with her ex-husband Pete could have come at a better time, and a twist with Ryan has you feeling heartbroken for Tempe - I cried right along with her, felt her heartache deeply. But her sister comes to somewhat of a rescue, even if she, yet again, manages to freak Tempe out with yet another disappearing act. Absolutely perfect - except for something unresolved between her and Ryan. I refuse to get into more detail than that - I don’t like writing reviews with spoilers. Suffice it to say that her MMP of her next novel, Devil Bones, can’t come fast enough!
If you’re a forensics/csi nut as much as I am, then this series is an absolute must read! I can’t get enough! LOL, but thanks to Reichs, I can fill in the time watching Bones!
Oh, do I ever adore Reichs’s novels. Her novels show proof that there are no limits to one’s imagination - especially when the author knows what she/he is talking about.
Reichs sucks you in with the first sentence and doesn’t let go until the very last word. The mystery and forensic descriptions keep you just as glued to the pages as the characters do. Again, Tempe lands herself in trouble when she does something someone asked her not to do. But she can’t let go of the possibility that the remains could be those of a friend that disappeared.
Twists and turns and a surprising ending make the entire book worth every single one of its 406 pages. A new twist with her ex-husband Pete could have come at a better time, and a twist with Ryan has you feeling heartbroken for Tempe - I cried right along with her, felt her heartache deeply. But her sister comes to somewhat of a rescue, even if she, yet again, manages to freak Tempe out with yet another disappearing act. Absolutely perfect - except for something unresolved between her and Ryan. I refuse to get into more detail than that - I don’t like writing reviews with spoilers. Suffice it to say that her MMP of her next novel, Devil Bones, can’t come fast enough!
If you’re a forensics/csi nut as much as I am, then this series is an absolute must read! I can’t get enough! LOL, but thanks to Reichs, I can fill in the time watching Bones!
September 4, 2007
I picked this up because I am a fan of both the tv show Bones, which is inspired by this series; and of the early Kay Scarpetta novels, which these often get favorably compared to. First, the show is much funnier and more tightly written, and the tv Temperence Bones is much more interesting then the character by the same name in the books, who is flat. Second, the early Kay S., a strong mix of both a classic crime novel and forensic anthropology,are of absolutely no comparison to this book - which was more detailed forensic anthropology then any casual reader would ever care to know.
The interplay among the characters in this book was almost an afterthought - I think if the author could have written the book with just Tempe Bones and Tempe Bones only - she would have been very happy doing so. Each chapter also ended with a badly written cliffhanger - "And for third time, I couldn't believe what I saw!" or "I held my breath with anticipation." Ok, those are not exact quotes, but you get the idea. In a tv show, it would have been were the screen blacked out or went to commercial break, but in a book it just doesn't work because all you do is flip the fucking page. I felt like I was suppose to reading the book outloud to someone and the end of the chapter was where I knew to insert a dramatic...............pause. It was a shame the writing was bad, because the plot was decent.
The interplay among the characters in this book was almost an afterthought - I think if the author could have written the book with just Tempe Bones and Tempe Bones only - she would have been very happy doing so. Each chapter also ended with a badly written cliffhanger - "And for third time, I couldn't believe what I saw!" or "I held my breath with anticipation." Ok, those are not exact quotes, but you get the idea. In a tv show, it would have been were the screen blacked out or went to commercial break, but in a book it just doesn't work because all you do is flip the fucking page. I felt like I was suppose to reading the book outloud to someone and the end of the chapter was where I knew to insert a dramatic...............pause. It was a shame the writing was bad, because the plot was decent.
July 14, 2024
A 3.5. I enjoy this series with the forensic science although it does get a bit repetitive. Reichs also likes to summarise a bit too much. The story was good but the coincidence factor of investigating what happened to her childhood friend Evangeline was astronomical.
I was fascinated by the Arcadia cultural aspect and remember visiting that area on my travels in Canada. Ryan again appears and is investigating the mysterious deaths of several young girls. The ending was a bit flat and Harry, Tempe’s sister added a bit of humour and tension.
Still enjoying the stories and will keep reading them.
I was fascinated by the Arcadia cultural aspect and remember visiting that area on my travels in Canada. Ryan again appears and is investigating the mysterious deaths of several young girls. The ending was a bit flat and Harry, Tempe’s sister added a bit of humour and tension.
Still enjoying the stories and will keep reading them.
September 8, 2007
Devoured this in a day; since this novel and Margaret Maron's Hard Row are two of the books I've most looked forward to this year, it's unsurprising. And I honestly think that this could have been Reichs' best Bones novel -- aside from my growing irritation at her reluctance to finish Tempe's relationship with Andrew Ryan one way or the other once and for all, this book has a first rate, complex mystery, an ongoing appearance by Tempe's sister Harry (who I adore), and LEPROSY. Leprosy, people! Leprosy is a plot point! It's kind of amazing, for reals.
But.
The problem was.
The whole book is full of.
Sentence fragments masquerading.
As full paragraphs.
And it just about drove me.
Completely 'round the bend.
Maybe this is always a problem of Reichs' writing and I've just never noticed it before, but it marred an otherwise excellent page-turner of a mystery; frankly, by the time I got halfway through, I wanted to beat someone to death with those sentence fragments and be done with it. Still gets four stars because the mystery was so first-rate, but Jesus, Kathy Reichs's editor, DO SOMETHING about the sentence fragments before the next book or I'm going to have to choke a bitch.
But.
The problem was.
The whole book is full of.
Sentence fragments masquerading.
As full paragraphs.
And it just about drove me.
Completely 'round the bend.
Maybe this is always a problem of Reichs' writing and I've just never noticed it before, but it marred an otherwise excellent page-turner of a mystery; frankly, by the time I got halfway through, I wanted to beat someone to death with those sentence fragments and be done with it. Still gets four stars because the mystery was so first-rate, but Jesus, Kathy Reichs's editor, DO SOMETHING about the sentence fragments before the next book or I'm going to have to choke a bitch.
November 16, 2007
This is the 10th book in the Tempe Brennan series.
How to explain my rating? I love this series. I do. I'm always eager to get my hands on the next one, and I always plow through them quickly. But Kathy Reichs has a big, big flaw that has persisted throughout the series: she gets an idea in her head and is determined to write about it, even if it means tying together cases that shouldn't be related and creating completely unplausible coincidences that make me want to stab myself in the eye.
Bottom line: I enjoyed reading it, but I can't believe she's still doing such amateurish stuff this late in the game.
How to explain my rating? I love this series. I do. I'm always eager to get my hands on the next one, and I always plow through them quickly. But Kathy Reichs has a big, big flaw that has persisted throughout the series: she gets an idea in her head and is determined to write about it, even if it means tying together cases that shouldn't be related and creating completely unplausible coincidences that make me want to stab myself in the eye.
Bottom line: I enjoyed reading it, but I can't believe she's still doing such amateurish stuff this late in the game.
February 2, 2009
I'm not sure if I've become more critical since the last Kathy Reichs book I read, or if this book is simply less stellar. I certainly enjoyed many parts of it, and overall it was an interesting forensic investigation, but it has a few significant weaknesses.
My main complaint is that Reichs is inconsistent with her target audience. There's enough science in the book to suggest the reader is intelligent and interested in the scientific details and explanations -- a fair assumption, given the genre and 'gimmick' of the main character. I can appreciate the explanations, even if it seems hokey that every time Brennan talks to another expert for test results, they give her a crash course on their specialty. (In real life, do they do that? Does the anthropologist really care?) Okay, so the reader has a few brains. Then why the heck does Reichs summarize the case so often? Once or twice in the first quarter of the book makes sense, but it seemed to happen more often here. My annoyance came particularly from Brennan's relentless rhetorical questions every time she had a moment to herself: "What happened to those girls? Who was the female skeleton? Where was Harry?" on and on. The supposed smart reader already knows that these are questions and is asking them on their own; there's no need for Brennan to reiterate them. The reader knows they'll be answered by the end of the book. Stop filling pages with them! These questions suggest the reader is not intelligent -- well, which type of reader is the publisher expecting?!
The expected intelligence of the reader is inconsistent, but so in Dr. Brennan's intelligence. She's supposed to be this amazing bone specialist and is often quite brilliant at her job. Often she makes excellent connections between clues, of the type you expect the heroine in a murder-mystery to make. Yet other times she is really dense and silly. It takes way too long to notice Basterage's slip-up, for example. It's hard to like a character that maddens you sometimes.
Ryan is a fairly flat character here -- yes, there is something going on under his surface, but it's never given much voice and he does not seem to have much more of a role in this book than 'cop'. Harry is more useful to Brennan's investigation than Ryan.
I read another review about this book on Goodreads, and that person (I forget who) said the tv version of Brennan -- Bones -- is a better character. I agree 100%. Ryan is better, too.
My main complaint is that Reichs is inconsistent with her target audience. There's enough science in the book to suggest the reader is intelligent and interested in the scientific details and explanations -- a fair assumption, given the genre and 'gimmick' of the main character. I can appreciate the explanations, even if it seems hokey that every time Brennan talks to another expert for test results, they give her a crash course on their specialty. (In real life, do they do that? Does the anthropologist really care?) Okay, so the reader has a few brains. Then why the heck does Reichs summarize the case so often? Once or twice in the first quarter of the book makes sense, but it seemed to happen more often here. My annoyance came particularly from Brennan's relentless rhetorical questions every time she had a moment to herself: "What happened to those girls? Who was the female skeleton? Where was Harry?" on and on. The supposed smart reader already knows that these are questions and is asking them on their own; there's no need for Brennan to reiterate them. The reader knows they'll be answered by the end of the book. Stop filling pages with them! These questions suggest the reader is not intelligent -- well, which type of reader is the publisher expecting?!
The expected intelligence of the reader is inconsistent, but so in Dr. Brennan's intelligence. She's supposed to be this amazing bone specialist and is often quite brilliant at her job. Often she makes excellent connections between clues, of the type you expect the heroine in a murder-mystery to make. Yet other times she is really dense and silly. It takes way too long to notice Basterage's slip-up, for example. It's hard to like a character that maddens you sometimes.
Ryan is a fairly flat character here -- yes, there is something going on under his surface, but it's never given much voice and he does not seem to have much more of a role in this book than 'cop'. Harry is more useful to Brennan's investigation than Ryan.
I read another review about this book on Goodreads, and that person (I forget who) said the tv version of Brennan -- Bones -- is a better character. I agree 100%. Ryan is better, too.
November 18, 2018
Bones to Ashes was a lot better than the previous book of this series. HOWEVER, I still don't understand why Pete, her ex-husband, is still in the picture? I get that they aren't together and everything.. but him being around is ruining things for her and Ryan. It's also frustrating to read.
Okay, so this book is the tenth installment of the series. Again, I liked this one because we got to see more of Temperance's sister Harry. Not quite sure how to spell her name.. so go with it. We also get to know more about her niece in this book because she's in trouble. Seems like a change of pace because usually it's temperance in trouble. Lots of trouble.
Don't worry, this girl still finds herself in some sticky situations. Luckily, she has detective Ryan to help her out this time around. AGAIN, I'm so happy that they sort of reconnected in this book. That make out sesh was good but I'm hoping to get more from them. I just want to be happy and I want them to be happy.
As for the murders, or I guess the villain of this book, it was okay. Not really something worthy to mention in my eyes.. but in the end, I still enjoyed this audio. I'm hoping the next book, and the ones way after that, will keep me interested.
PS. I'm already on the last episode of season 1 of bones and I'm ecstatic to be back in that world. #teambooth
Okay, so this book is the tenth installment of the series. Again, I liked this one because we got to see more of Temperance's sister Harry. Not quite sure how to spell her name.. so go with it. We also get to know more about her niece in this book because she's in trouble. Seems like a change of pace because usually it's temperance in trouble. Lots of trouble.
Don't worry, this girl still finds herself in some sticky situations. Luckily, she has detective Ryan to help her out this time around. AGAIN, I'm so happy that they sort of reconnected in this book. That make out sesh was good but I'm hoping to get more from them. I just want to be happy and I want them to be happy.
As for the murders, or I guess the villain of this book, it was okay. Not really something worthy to mention in my eyes.. but in the end, I still enjoyed this audio. I'm hoping the next book, and the ones way after that, will keep me interested.
PS. I'm already on the last episode of season 1 of bones and I'm ecstatic to be back in that world. #teambooth
May 27, 2020
I love these books. Sometimes I think I love them more than the show, (which I adored). The books take remarkably different paths from the show which makes it more of a stand alone.
Our heroine is still single, or at least without the detective. He is trying to get his life together with all the changes that have come about. Some more disturbing than others. Meanwhile our heroine is reliving some of her troubled childhood with the latest case to come across her table.
This is an amazing mystery with tons of twists and turns. I loved it and can't wait to see where this brilliant author will go next.
Our heroine is still single, or at least without the detective. He is trying to get his life together with all the changes that have come about. Some more disturbing than others. Meanwhile our heroine is reliving some of her troubled childhood with the latest case to come across her table.
This is an amazing mystery with tons of twists and turns. I loved it and can't wait to see where this brilliant author will go next.
April 13, 2020
Iako sam inače veliki ljubitelj Kathy Reichs tj. Temeprance Brennan, ova mi je knjiga poprilično slabija u odnnosu na ostale. Prvenstveno, mislim da je (puno) previše opisivala forenzičke detalje, a time, po meni, i usporavala radnju i, na neki način, pokvarila priču koja je bila jako dobro osmišljena. Dakle, da je sve skupa bilo ispričano s više dinamike, a manje forenzike, mislim da bi bila puno, puno bolja.
February 1, 2008
I don't know why I keep picking up Kathy Reichs' books - I'm am always disappointed with them. While the mystery in this one was fairly engaging (forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan believes that an anonymous skeleton of a young girl belongs to a missing childhood friend), it's almost too convoluted, with its twists and turns neatly confined by chapter, and almost every chapter ending in a, "He turned towards me with a look of horror," moment. I really hate that little writing habit of Reichs' - it's so TV, just like a mini-cliffhanger before we go to an ad break.
I also got sick of Tempe's off & on relationship with cop Ryan - I'm not invested enough in the main character to give a damn about her relationships, really. I think I'll head to other authors and other series to get my mystery fix in future.
I also got sick of Tempe's off & on relationship with cop Ryan - I'm not invested enough in the main character to give a damn about her relationships, really. I think I'll head to other authors and other series to get my mystery fix in future.
July 12, 2009
This is the second book in this series that I've read. I'm reading them out of order. Just picking one off the shelf at the library.
The first book I read was set in South Carolina, this one is set in Canada. The back-story is set in the US, but the current mystery takes place totally in Canada. There is a mystery about the disappearance of Temperance's childhood friend, and that mystery gets tangled in a mystery about young teenaged girls who have been going missing, or turning up as bodies in local waterways for several decades.
I got to learn about Temperance's childhood and family in this book, and to meet a very interesting group of people that she works with in Canada, and to meet her Canadian love interest as well.
A very good read and I'll be picking up more of them over the next few months.
The first book I read was set in South Carolina, this one is set in Canada. The back-story is set in the US, but the current mystery takes place totally in Canada. There is a mystery about the disappearance of Temperance's childhood friend, and that mystery gets tangled in a mystery about young teenaged girls who have been going missing, or turning up as bodies in local waterways for several decades.
I got to learn about Temperance's childhood and family in this book, and to meet a very interesting group of people that she works with in Canada, and to meet her Canadian love interest as well.
A very good read and I'll be picking up more of them over the next few months.
February 11, 2025
5 stars:
What did you expect-? I love. Period.
What did you expect-? I love. Period.
January 28, 2018
The 10th book in the series - still going strong. I liked this one maybe a little more than others because it tells a lot about Tempe's past and how she grew up.
Looking forward to the next one!
Looking forward to the next one!
January 15, 2018
I thought this was one of the best books of this series. I loved learning about Tempe's childhood and seeing her interact with her sister, Harry, and thought it made me sad, I liked the new developments and problems in her relationship with Andrew Ryan. The mystery was also really interesting, especially when it intersected with Tempe's personal life. Reichs continues to make the scientific jargon of her profession easy for novices to follow, and I really enjoyed being inside Tempe's head for this story.
October 12, 2011
This book never pulled me into it. Couldn't seem to get to that point where I had a desire to know who did it. Sometimes I had to keep reminding myself what the actual crime was because it all got so lost in a bunch of writing that never really seems to work together for a story.
I didn't care for the main character, she would be mad that the guys jumped to conclusions on something then she zeroed in on Bastarache decided he was guilty and acted childish and pouty anytime she was told something that she didn't want to hear.
Toward the end of the book, she gets left with the suspects wife and she takes an in depth phone call at her table? Really? How is that something that would or should happen?
I didn't care for the main character, she would be mad that the guys jumped to conclusions on something then she zeroed in on Bastarache decided he was guilty and acted childish and pouty anytime she was told something that she didn't want to hear.
Toward the end of the book, she gets left with the suspects wife and she takes an in depth phone call at her table? Really? How is that something that would or should happen?
December 1, 2008
This is a BORING Canadian French novel. LOOOOOONG, BOOOORING, FRENCH book. About porn, love, disease, a coroner, and terrible writing. If you like foriegn books you MIGHT like this one. About a Canadian coroner that is caught up in looking for exploited children in the porn business. Terrible characters with no character. Did not like it at all.
August 11, 2023
I don’t know why I love these books so much but I DO. I think I find the cliches and dated references to “the Net” endearing and fun, and I always love a deep dive into forensics which we alwayssss get. The next 3 books in the series are on their way to my mailbox and I can’t wait to see what murder mystery is NEXT!
November 18, 2020
Wow! Although parts of this book are extremely difficult to read, it really is a good book that came all together in the end. So much detail in one book. Reichs knows her stuff!
Read
June 15, 2008I like Kathie Reichs books as a rule. Bones to Ashes is a fun read as far as plot is concerned. The scientific stuff is interesting and the detail on leprosy is fascinating especially since I have heard about the leprosy hospital in New Brunswick from my mum. Reichs needs to make sure that all her detail is accurate, though, not just the scientific stuff. She has a character making reference to the city of Miramichi long before it existed..the river and the region have long held that name but the city is a recent almalgamation of Chatham and Newcastle, and those two communities would have been referred to as towns in their own right when her character was young. Also I found the style a bit annoying at times especially Reichs' tendency to overuse nouns as verbs. I understand that brevity and a fresh take on words can be good but she overdoes it and uses clauses like: [the character]"Dristans his nostril." Now that is just bad style in my opinion! 3 stars at most!
September 11, 2022
After a little break I am back reading this series. I found the books started to feel very formulaic, This does continue in this book as well, but I did like the mystery in this one. I can't help but compare it to the show, and I think I do prefer the show, I feel like it's more realistic in terms of what happens during the investigations.
December 29, 2024
Kathy Reichs is one of my favorite storytellers. She really does her research and although the level of of her profession is painted across her novels beautifully, alas my intellect scurries along trying to catch up with Google lol. I love "hanging out" with her lol. Without any spoilers I'll say you will be entertained and touched with Bones to Ashes. I finished with goosebumps from scalp to toes🤭
December 31, 2015
Series and author on which one of my favourite TV series "Bones" is based .... just as is most often the case, the book is far more enjoyable than the screen production. Looking forward to reading more in the series. Easy read and a good escape. Love the cliff hangers at the end of each chapter that 'forces' one onto the next chapter!
July 23, 2016
Das Verhalten der Personen ging mir hier sehr auf die Nerven. Kommunikation wäre schon ein Anfang. Werde den nächsten Fall noch lesen und dann erst mal wieder etwas pausieren. Vielleicht war es jetzt einfach zu viel hintereinander.
February 4, 2015
Odlična!Totalno me zaokupila i bacila u svijet forenzike. Napeta do samoga kraja!
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