First Bones

Temperance Brennan #0.5

by Kathy Reichs

An e-novella by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs that explores the origins of her vastly popular character, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

In 1980s Charlotte, North Carolina, Temperance Brennan is newly employed as a bioarchaeologist, studying the bones of the ancient dead. But a strange opportunity presents itself when two detectives appear at her laboratory, seeking consultation on a recently burned body. As a murder investigation unfolds, Temperance finds that there is another deadly threat at work…

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Short Stories, Novella

78 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2020

About the author

Kathy 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

Reviews

[Tinika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I only read First Bones because it was included at the back of A Conspiracy of Bones but I liked it. I found it more reminiscent of Kathy Reichs’ earlier books in the series than her later ones. This prequel novella explains how the author’s character, Tempe Brennan, originally became involved in forensic anthropology and is partly inspired by the author’s own experience. This biographical aspect enriched the story greatly. It was also nice to revisit with Mrs. Flowers and Rinaldi, however briefly. And, finally, I appreciated Tempe once again doing her best work in the lab rather than playing detective by tramping all over the countryside. The Tempe that first drew me in was a specialist rather than a one-woman CSI department. I was intrigued by this brief novella more than the main attraction.

[ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure.

Initially, I was not super fond of Dr. Brennan's character - which doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad book. Unlikable characters can be part of authorial choices, of course.

I think the biggest thing was the ways that she criticized people's appearances? It felt really unnecessary, especially when she assumed someone's eating habits based on what they look like. That was icky.

But I guess overall it was okay? I like mystery, and I found the minor plot twists were well written, so I would probably give this novella 2.5 stars out of five.

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love bones. I have read every single one. Not once have I been disappointed.
Great murder mystery. No spice so I would allow my older teenage children to read these.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first watched "Bones" in my last year of high school. I had a dictionary next to me because I had so many unknown words... Now, so many years later, I stumbled upon this book, after reading that it's the introduction of Temperance's world, I couldn't resist and I went ahead and read it. I can say that I enjoyed it but I'm not a big fan of dying characters, so I'm not very happy about the ending.

[Ana Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series is supposed to be based on the show Bones. I am excited to keep reading it! I extremely love the tv show, so I am excited to note the similarities and differences between them. I found this book/story to be very engaging and fast-paced. It was a shorter story, so I would give it 3.75-4 stars. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the flashback to Tempe's first case and then cried at the present day bit at the end.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book! I don’t know why I didn’t read it sooner. If you are interested in the series I suggest you read it ASAP. You’ll find it very interesting.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Bones features Temperance Brennan's first case consulting as a forensic anthropologist.

In 1980s Charlotte, North Carolina, Temperance Brennan is working as a bioarchaeologist, studying the bones of the ancient dead at a local university. When two detectives appear at her lab looking for her boss, Tempe finds herself drawn into their case when she explains her boss is out of town. A burned body has been discovered and they need help identifying the remains. As the investigation unfolds, Tempe finds herself getting more involved and determined to uncover who was behind such a heinous crime.

Getting to see the case that drew Tempe into forensic anthropology was incredibly interesting. In the rest of the series, she's already well established as one of the leading people in her field so I liked getting to see Tempe when she was just starting out. Her background of working with the ancient dead was a good starting point when it came to looking at more recent bones. I liked watching Tempe have to adapt her skills to work on the case and that she didn't claim to know everything. The murder case itself was quite interesting and I was surprised by how it was resolved. We see at the end of the book that the case has inspired Tempe to change her field which I thought was a nice touch.

Overall First Bones was a fantastic read and I would recommend it to fans of the series.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced little novella that gives longtime fans of Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series some insight into how Tempe got into “the business” in the first place and to the murder of her boss: Dr. Larabee alluded to first in her latest novel “A Conspiracy of Bones”. The crime set in the early eighties within the onslaught of the horrific and heartbreaking AIDS epidemic is taut and engaging for such a short little book.

[Thenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Bones on Books On Track


Quite dated, both in terms of technology, character behaviors and the issues they are dealing with, namely "the gay disease", AIDs, which is expected, since the story is supposed to take place in late 1990s.

It was interesting seeing how Temperance Brennan got into the world of forensics.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short story that was included at the back of A Conspiracy of Bones. I really liked the style of this one as it was closer to earlier Temperance Brennan novels. I enjoyed the origin story of how she got into being a forensic anthropologist.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is where it all begins. I have been a fan of Kathy Reichs for a long time. I am waiting in line for new books and checking out short novellas that I have miss. This was a good read.

[Madara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 4
Pace: 5
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 4

[Beth Peninger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this short story, novella if you will, describes the first case Dr. Brennan ever worked on in the field of forensics it should be read between books 18 and 19. The present-day part of the book takes place in between those two titles and makes the most sense. Flashing back from present-day to when Tempe was first introduced, or rather pushed, into the world of forensic anthropology she relays meeting her American sidekick, Skinny Slidell, for the first time and the circumstances in which she began working with the MCME and bones that were more recent than thousands of years old. She was still married to Pete, hadn't yet started working in Canada, or met Andrew Ryan. After the fiction part of the story is over, Reichs gives a brief summary of her own beginnings in forensic anthropology. It's all so very interesting, how we stumble into fields we didn't know we might love.

[John Toffee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella is the prequel to the Temperance Brennan Bones series.
The story sets out how the unqualified Brennan who was studying ancient bones when, because of the lack of available pathologists and business of the department, Brennan is coerced in to assisting with the examination of the bones of a burnt body found in a trailer. Brennan assists Slidell and Rinaldi, the investigating cops, in the case, which sees a rising body count.
Brennan becomes engrossed and feels that this is how she can make a difference.
There's little room for character development and the dialogue reminds me of those 80's cop movies where every line has to contain a smart ass comment that I hate so much. It's an ok 78 page read and of interest to fans of the Bones series.

[David Clemis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Intro to a Prequel

First of all I am a longtime fan of Kathy Reichs. The character, Temperance Brennan, is a complex and driven person who appears at times aloof but with a huge heart. While, from the series, we learn about her past, I always wondered about what brought her into her field of work. Her relationship with Dr. Larabee begins here. Her interactions with detectives Slidell and Renaldi develops quickly. Her tenacity shows through as does her impulsiveness.

It was a wonderful albeit short read. I hope we will see a continuance of the prequel one day.

[Inga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a little novella that tells us about how Tempe was brought into her job as a forensic anthropologist by detective Slidell. The story is not really impressive or thrilling, its main purpose being to show us that she was good at her job right from the beginning. And annoyingly enough - even in this first case she is not able to listen to the professionals and stay put, she has to run to the place where the showdown is and see for herself. *sigh*

[Kate H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read the Temperance Brennan books after watching the television show Bones. The two are similar but also very different, I enjoy both. Kathy Reichs has a very detailed but still interesting writing style. I do not understand all of the technical jargon but that does not detract from my reading enjoyment. Tempe and Ryan are great characters and my favorite parts of the books are when they are in a scene together especially if it is out in "the field"

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beginning of Dr. Brennan's practice as a forensic anthropologist. Before this story, she is a post-doctoral archaeologist in North Carolina. A professor that had previously assisted the police is on leave, so Tempe decides to step in. She enjoys the work too much and begins a new life in forensics. This is the genesis of the Temperance Brennan stories.

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, as always !

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time reading Kathy Reichs's work is in the collection of short stories The Bone Collection, and all I can say is thankfully I own almost all her books containing Temperance Brennan.

Having been a long time fan of the TV Series Bones, I happily found that I am now itching to start on her first Temperance Brennan novel Déjà Dead. I enjoyed Tempe Brennan in the books, far more than I did in the TV series.

I really enjoyed the start of the book, where you find Temperance Brennan waiting in the hospital, an unknown colleague shot and dying, she flashes back to her first case that leads her from being a bio archaeologist to that of a forensic anthropologist. It was thrilling how Kathy leads you through Tempe's discoveries, careful to leave you hanging, begging to know more. From the excitement of the first case taking us back to the present and the sad ending where, though I did not know the colleague through her other works, it left me feeling the sadness of Tempe and the others who had to go through the loss.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't know how I feel about this book, at first I couldn't understand what was happening because the first chapter was aside from the whole story but thankfully it got explained in the last chapter and I felt really sad because an important character, who got introduced in the main story as Tempe's colleague, was dying. It was really strange at first but going on in the book I was getting to know each character that I already met for the first time. It made me happy especially to understand how Tempe's work relationship with Slidell started, they're so funny together but reading about how they hugged at the end made the whole book worth reading.
The case was interesting but I think that there should have been more pages to fill with details anyways I liked it a lot.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge lover of Bones the TV show and I have been wanting to read this series for a while. So I figured why not give this Novella a shot and see how it goes.

It went smashingly! I love the fact of why Kathy brought Tempe to life. Why Kathy does what she does and gives us a glimpse of her job.

I have always been a girlie who loved Anatomy & Physiology because the human body is an amazing structure. It does Soo much and keeps us going when we are hanging on by a thread. Much like many people who feel as if their rogue justice will really fix whatever is going wrong.

I love how Tempe really brings in the science to make it make sense. Why people died the way they did, how to bring the why to the how. I absolutely cannot wait to continue this series.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This early novella tells the story of Tempe Brennan’s first case. During the early 1980’s, AIDS & HIV were a new danger that very few understood. The victims were adult males and few prevented public health measures were in force. Tempe explained at the time, medical examiners, lab technicians and Forensic Anthropologists wore special masks and aprons, goggles and gloves. They avoided unsafe contact with the bodily fluids of the deceased. It was a very scary time to begin her career working with the medical examiner’s office. The last chapter details the death in hospital of Tempe’s boss and the effect it had on her.

[Susan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bones" being my current favorite tv show, I wanted to read the books that lead to it. My impatient self jumped through some of the details to get to the resolution. But I appreciated getting some background, as well as, reading up on what inspired Kathy Reichs to write. I applaud her and all who work in the fields of forensics and law enforcement. They are made of sterner stuff than I. And I thank them and all who work on the show, not only for the entertainment, but also for the human factors that they infuse the stories with - all the lives, that is what matters.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Temperance Brennan in an anthology called Matchup where the author worked with another author for a short story. I decided I liked the ever sarcastic Temperance so why not begin at the beginning. This story also ends with information about helping to end the business of puppy mills. Hurray for the author on that issue! If you like crime solving and forensics mixed with some sarcasm, this is a series for you.I know I will read more!

[Tina Masterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this fantastic series allows me to take in different aspects I hadn't spotted the 1st time round. This is a fab introduction to Brennan's involvement in supporting the Police and with a delicate topic too. Had this been a full novel, I'm sure it would have delved deeper into the issues of AIDS and attached stigma, in an equally sensitive manner. Praise for Reich's broaching this from a 1980s standpoint, at the height of fear and discrimination!

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I read this book first because I thought it was a prequel, but it actually is made up of mostly flash back scenes, meaning the beginning and end of this novella didn't make a lot of sense to someone who hadn't ready the series yet. The story was still enjoyable enough for me to read on, but it was a fairly jarring experience.

I will also note, as someone who loves the show, do not expect any similarities!

[Brad Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good well written story. I think as a bones origin story it is OK. I think that I should have read the other books in the series first. Characters that appear (other than Bones, have no value other than window dressing.) I wanted to read her books in chronological order (as opposed to in release order). I am going to start Deja Dead. I am not basing my review on the relevance to the TV character as there is literally no comparison.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty-good novella from Tempe Brennan via Kathy Reichs. I just finished Conspiracy of Bones, which begins shortly after the death of a long-running character. I wanted to know the backstory.

You also get a little bit of Tempe’s entrance into the field, and her first meeting with Skinny Slidell. For fans only.