Book Review: A Conspiracy of Bones by Kathy Reichs

Available here

It's been a while since I read a Temp Brennan novel, but  despite the fact that things have changed for Tempe, I found it ridiculously easy to pick things up. There was a time, a few years ago, when I read this series and no sooner finished one than I was looking out for the next one - I've no idea why that stopped - probably found another author to get addicted to. However, I'm pleased I reacquainted myself with Brennan and her entourage. 

Here's the Blurb
EVERY BODY HAS SECRETS

It’s sweltering in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Temperance Brennan, still recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm, is battling nightmares, migraines, and what she thinks might be hallucinations when she receives a series of mysterious text messages, each containing a new picture of a corpse that is missing its face and hands. Immediately, she’s anxious to know who the dead man is, and why the images were sent to her.

An identified corpse soon turns up, only partly answering her questions.

To win answers to the others, including the man’s identity, she must go rogue. With help from a number of law enforcement associates including her Montreal beau Andrew Ryan and the always-ready-with-a-smart-quip, ex-homicide investigator Skinny Slidell, and utilizing new cutting-edge forensic methods, Tempe draws closer to the astonishing truth.

But the more she uncovers, the darker and more twisted the picture becomes ...

My Thoughts
I was intrigued when I found out early on that Tempe had an aneurysm that was causing some brain distrubances and was even more intrigued when I later found out that the author herself had/is going through the same thing as Brennan. I think it was brave of Reich's to include this and not only that, but it was really authentic and I think was a great way of evolving Tempe as a character. The hallucinations, uncertainty as well as Tempe's job uncertainty made for an edgy read.

The Charlotte weather plays an important part in this novel and becomes almost a character in its own right. I could almost feel thestiffling sun, smell the sweat and see the heat haze rising from the ground. 
In this one, Tempe isn't the anthropologist studying the bones that have been found which again made for a slightly different format for the novel. I have to say I did miss Brennan's anthroplogical assessments and the whole 'putting the identity or life of the diceased together from the bones' thing. 

There was a substantial amount of fact dumping which I personally find a tad distracting and so I skimmed a lot of that, however I enjoyed Tempe's interactions with  Detective Slidell and especially her unspoken asides to his abrupt behaviours. That made me laugh. We see the delectable Ryan make a return and as always that heats things up. Tempe's mother also plays a key role and I love the dynamics between those two as well. Who doesn't want an over-sexed, computer literate mother who explores the dark web?