Bones to Ashes (Temperance Brennan, #10)

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Bones to Ashes (Temperance Brennan #10)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 12,373 ratings · 748 reviews

Temperance Brennan, like her creator Kathy Reichs, is a brilliant, sexy forensic anthropologist called on to solve the toughest cases. But for Tempe, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another assignment. Evangeline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. Named for the character in the Longfellow poem, Evangeline was...more

Hardcover, 310 pages

Published August 28th 2007 by Scribner

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Nov 15, 2007 Alex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

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 - tell...more 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.
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Sep 03, 2007 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

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 - whi...more

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Sep 08, 2007 A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery, 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! L...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Lorraine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: die-hard Reichs fans

Shelves: mystery

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 gen...more 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. (less)

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Jul 23, 2008 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 'Bones to Ashes' is one of my favourite Tempe Brennan books, despite the rather abhorrent topic involved - missing girls and kiddie porn. Be prepared to be disgusted and outraged.

Readers of Kathy Reichs need to have a fairly good ability to suspend disbelief. Coincidences abound in all Tempe novels, and this is no exception. The major coincidence in 'Bones to Ashes' involves Tempe's childhood friend Evangeline, who disappeared forty years ago. Tempe comes across a skeleton which she is sure is E...more 'Bones to Ashes' is one of my favourite Tempe Brennan books, despite the rather abhorrent topic involved - missing girls and kiddie porn. Be prepared to be disgusted and outraged.

Readers of Kathy Reichs need to have a fairly good ability to suspend disbelief. Coincidences abound in all Tempe novels, and this is no exception. The major coincidence in 'Bones to Ashes' involves Tempe's childhood friend Evangeline, who disappeared forty years ago. Tempe comes across a skeleton which she is sure is Evangeline. In researching the bones she discovers that they actually belonged to a girl on a leprosy colony who died over 100 years ago, but then *gasp*, what a coincidence, the next day or there abouts she finds a torture-porn photo that involves Evangeline. And then, wow, she finds out that Evangeline is still alive, suffering from, you guessed it, leprosy.

But since I am able to suspend disbelief, I was sucked into the novel regardless of the coincidences. The romance between Tempe and Ryan may be cliched (though, it's pretty impossible to have a romantic arc that isn't cliched. There's only so many ways people can hook up/break up), it is still enjoyable and interesting. I'm looking forward to read more about the Ryan/Tempe/Lutetia/Pete/Summer love pentagon.

And then there's Harry, who's a hoot. I love it that she's in the book, helping her big sis play detective. Her involvement here is much more interesting than the time she got draw into the killer cult.

I also found the ending satisfying. Reichs writing style and ability are improving, and this is especially noticable in this book because there are only a few pages of exposition after the conclusion rather than a whole chapter as with some of her previous novels. I was happy that Evangeline was alive, that that the 'bad guy' wasn't actually one and, sad though it is, I'm satisfied that Phoebe remained missing, and one of the DOA's remained unidentified, as this ending adds a touch of realism and symbolises the hundreds of children that disappear or are murdered every year and whose cases are never closed.

With the exception of 'Cross Bones', which I felt was a bit of a flop, the Tempe Brennan tales get better and better, and I am definitely looking forward to the next installment.(less)

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Jun 18, 2008 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: forensics/csi buffs.

Shelves: own, thriller, suspense, mystery

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 o...more

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Oct 08, 2007 Writerlibrarian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, read2007

This 10th novel in her Temperance Brennan series is much better than the last one, Break no Bones. Unlike Bones the TV show, the original Brennan is more integrated in the world, has an ex, a daughter, a sister, an off and on beau. This novel delves into Brennan's childhood and the disappearance of her best friend Évangéline when Brennan was 12. One of the major pecks for me reading Reichs is that her stories take place where I live. I know these locations, I can see the characters, hear the sou...more

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Jun 15, 2008 Susan Burpee added it

I 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 th...more

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Aug 30, 2008 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

This review contains spoilers. The story was OK, but I felt the author rambled a bit too much about nothing-- and some of it was way too far-fetched-- in fact just plain bizarre, like the character who mysteriously ended her words in o's -- some sort of 'code' Temperance couldn't crack. It seemed as if Reichs wanted this character to be strange, but wasn't quite sure how to depict it, so made up a really unbelievable quirk to catch your attention **ALERT! WEIRD CHARACTER!!!** Next, I had a probl...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Celia Powell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

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 Re...more

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Nov 15, 2007 Kendra rated it 3 of 5 stars

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...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Hayley Lamb added it

I've read all of Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels, and this is definitely one of her better ones for a while now. The last few have seemed strained and a little repetitive. However, I found this book very compelling, and as such, had finished within two days. I enjoyed the story and the development of Brennan's character, getting more of an insight into her past. I've always liked the sexual chemistry between Brennan and Ryan and wasn't disappointed here. IMHO this was still not as good a...more

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Feb 08, 2009 Toni Osborne rated it 3 of 5 stars

The discovery of a young skeleton in Acadia is for Temperance Brennan (forensic anthropologist) more to her than another assignment. Tempe believes the bones could be her childhood friend Evangeline Landry, who disappeared three decades ago without a trace. Looking back Tempe vaguely remembers being told to forget Evangeline ever lived. --------------Could this New Brunswick skeleton be part of a series of cold cases Temp and Andrew Ryan have been investigating? Flooded with memories and armed w...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is finally getting a more in depth look at Tempe's past. This novel delves into her childhood and family while she was growing up than pretty much all of the other novels combined.

When Tempe was a young girl, her family would vacation in NC. One summer there she met an exotic french girl several years older than she and they became the best of friends. Then, all of a sudden, three years later she just vanishes without so much as a good bye. The re...more Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is finally getting a more in depth look at Tempe's past. This novel delves into her childhood and family while she was growing up than pretty much all of the other novels combined.

When Tempe was a young girl, her family would vacation in NC. One summer there she met an exotic french girl several years older than she and they became the best of friends. Then, all of a sudden, three years later she just vanishes without so much as a good bye. The remaining family tell Tempe not to keep asking questions and just accept it.

Fast forward 30 years. In the midst of handling a complicated case of missing persons for her on again-off again lover/co worker Ryan something comes across her desk that dredges up what could possibly be the ruined bones of her long lost friend from summer vacation. Could it actually be her?

Of course being a Tempe Brennan book there's alot of threads dangling all at the same time. Tempe novels are generally pretty busy and this is no exception. The missing person cases for Ryan, the mysterious body that could be that of her decades lost friend, the danger and dark characters that Tempe inevitably gets herself embroiled with.

Now, with these books being so busy, it opens the door for the book going into territory you'd never expect. It's happened in previous books. Biker gangs, secret societies, cults, you name it. Once again this is on exception. However there are pitfalls to that.

Sometimes I find it hard to keep track of who's who in these books. I don't know if it's me letting my mind wander at times, or all the French names which I'm really still not used to seeing, not to mention all the French speak and terms, locations, etc, etc. Also when you have a high number of cases that Tempe's working on, it gets to be a bit much. A great many players, it's just a little funny (no, not funny 'ha ha') that most of them just so happen to be reduced to bone! =)

The other thing that gets on my nerves is the relationship between Ryan and Tempe. This novel deftly picks up the thread from Break No Bones as far as their relationship is concerned. That thread being Tempe's confused feelings towards her estranged not quite ex husband. To put it briefly, Ryan no likey! Which is fine and would normally make for more or less interesting character interaction. But we have grown adult professionals who handle relationships and feelings as if they were confused teenagers. Tempe leaves a lot of thoughts in her head and becomes very stubborn towards anything relationship wise. If you're up to this book in the series, I'm sure you've become used to it as well. But being used to it doesn't make it any less frustrating at times, although I'm in it for the long haul to see how this long standing series (and the relationship between Tempe and Ryan) pans out.

Sometimes the dialogue is a bit odd too. Maybe it's because most of the characters are primarily Francophones? Hard to say, but sometimes the phrases people use just don't seem quite natural. Hard to explain, but it's just one of those things.

At the end of the day you get a pretty intriguing mystery with some good (and overdue) fleshing out of Tempe's past as well as a very satisfying ending. If you've enjoyed the other Tempe Brennan books, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this as well. (less)

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May 08, 2012 Nissanmama rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a good thing that I space this series out so widely between the other books on my to-be-read pile. I genuinely enjoy the character of Temperance Brennen and can completely identify with the way in which her brain makes connections through seemingly random happenings, making lists, and even in dreams as the subconscious churns through recent events. Having spent many of my childhood summers at the beach with a best friend, I liked that aspect of this particular book which connected Brennen t...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Dianna Richards rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had originally started reading the Temperance Brennan books to last me during the "Bones" off season. It seems sort of cruel joke to give us six episodes, and then put the show on a long hiatus. It's now scheduled to re-start on April 2nd, so needless to say, I'm still reading the Temperance Brennan books.

On the whole Kathy Reichs is an engaging author, and despite the forensic nature of the stories, most of the science is explained and easy to follow. While her cliffhanger chapter endings mi...more I had originally started reading the Temperance Brennan books to last me during the "Bones" off season. It seems sort of cruel joke to give us six episodes, and then put the show on a long hiatus. It's now scheduled to re-start on April 2nd, so needless to say, I'm still reading the Temperance Brennan books.

On the whole Kathy Reichs is an engaging author, and despite the forensic nature of the stories, most of the science is explained and easy to follow. While her cliffhanger chapter endings might be deemed heavy-handed by some, they do keep you turning the pages. But several things continue to bug me.

Temperance, for example, when told to stay put, generally lets the detective who told her to "stay put" get two steps away and then goes after him. I mean, what sane individual goes running after a guy that is getting shot at? When her sister Harry, who is visiting in this book, fails to "stay put" and goes running off to watch a particularly dangerous character, Tempe gets upset. Maybe she should take a clue from that? (She doesn't, BTW. She's back to chasing detectives in the sequel to this book.)

You can always count on Tempe getting a knock in the head somewhere during the story. But this time, the girl should have serious brain damage. Maybe she does? Maybe that's why she can't "stay put"? Or maybe that's why she can't figure out her on again, off again, romance which Andrew Ryan? Or perhaps that's also why she can't quite put her finger on what's bugging her, even though you may find yourself screaming at the book and saying, "Tempe! You forgot about ...."? You can count on Tempe missing out on some important clue as well. It's there, she just can't seem to remember it....

In Bones to Ashes, Brennan is called in to work with Ryan after a pair of skeletons are found in a house, a mother and daughter pairing that is found posed in an upstairs bedroom. The investigation leads to a number of cold cases for Ryan and Hippolyte Gallant, a cold case expert for the Montreal police department. The investigation also leads to Brennan to re-open the search of a childhood friend that went missing.

The story line gets convoluted at times and the guy Tempe believes to be the villain in all of this isn't quite what he seems. There are several twists and turns in the story line, which also includes threats to Tempe and Harry's collective well being - ah, but what would a Brennan story be without threats? - strange illnesses, pornography, and odd characters.

Harry is kind of an interesting character, and I can't help but wonder how she would have played during visits into TV Tempe's life. Pity they chose to change up Tempe's back life for the TV series.

Well worth the read, especially if you haven't tried some of Reichs other books.
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Oct 16, 2011 Antonia added it

The tenth installment of Dr. Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series starts by following the same pattern as all the other books before Bones to Ashes: six or seven intricately woven plots that are somehow connected, gigantic scientific words, and the same, reliable ending. Bones to Ashes definitely has one of the more wilder plot stories: how often do you find a body that is connected to your missing childhood friend, whose husband and brother-in-law were crime bosses who killed those other dea...more The tenth installment of Dr. Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series starts by following the same pattern as all the other books before Bones to Ashes: six or seven intricately woven plots that are somehow connected, gigantic scientific words, and the same, reliable ending. Bones to Ashes definitely has one of the more wilder plot stories: how often do you find a body that is connected to your missing childhood friend, whose husband and brother-in-law were crime bosses who killed those other deaths you were coincidentally trying to solve at the same time, all while researching a leprosy hospital that your friend’s mother happened to secretly work at 40 years ago? However, as Bones to Ashes had the same elements of humor and excitement as all of its predecessors, it also had the lesser components that all Temperance Brennan novels have. ¬¬¬¬¬
One of the problems with Bones to Ashes is the immensely complex plot it had. That single book would have to be made into several seasons of a TV show in order to fully explain the plotline and the enormous amount of characters with similarly sounding French names would thoroughly confuse everyone watching. I stopped reading Bones to Ashes for two days, and by the time I picked it up again to begin reading, I had to start over because I had no idea what was going on, who “Leisur,” “Chenevier,” and “Cormier,” were, or even which cold case Brennan and Ryan were trying to solve, as there were multiple investigations going on at the same time.
Apart from the main storyline, there were many different cases going on at the same time, the reasons of why they were even included in the novel extremely nebulous. The Jane Doe skeleton nicknamed “Hippo’s girl,” was simply buried anonymously after never serving a purpose, and the first murder that had been neglected since the first and only paragraph it was mentioned, popped up out of the blue on the last page, after I had already forgotten it existed. “Cause of death would never be determined for Geneviève Doucet. No matter” (382). What was the point of even bringing the mystery of Geneviève Doucet into the book, if Reichs was just going to wave it aside, saying it didn’t matter in the first place? There were some serious editing errors occurring, and Bones to Ashes could have been much more concise and easy to follow if Reichs had stuck to the original mystery.
Luckily, Bones to Ashes had a few redeeming qualities that made me want to keep reading. The predictable Brennan-Tries-To-Catch-The-Bad-Guy-But-Gets-In-Trouble-So-Ryan-Heroically-Saves-Her ending was made extremely entertaining by the suspense of the last minute cliffhanger: Ryan, Malo (the antagonist), and Bastarche (a suspect) locked in a ¬¬¬stand-off, followed by a surprising revelation: “Though older, artificially tanned, and more fit, Malo bore a striking resemblance to Bastarche. A resemblance that could only be explained by genes” (Reichs 377). While this new information should evoke a gasp from the reader, it isn’t all that unexpected that Reichs would try to squeeze more twists into the plot in the last 10 pages of the novel.
Bones to Ashes was clearly not one of Reichs’s masterpieces, but it was not a complete bust either. The book was just a little bump in the road to an otherwise great series, and I know that it was not bad enough to make me want to stop reading Reichs’s books. As a whole, Bones to Ashes was not terrible; the story just seemed to drag on for eons, as half of the book was completely irrelevant to the initial story and could have easily been edited out. But a word to the wise—read Bones to Ashes on a long road trip where you can finish it in one sitting, because once you start it, it is all too tempting to put it down for good.
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May 20, 2011 Alexandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

So far, this book is perfect for me! Touche to mom for surprising me with this one. I love how it does not only give the main character, Temperance Brennan, the title of being a forensic anthropologist, but it also goes into her details at work as well, such as her thought process as to how, why, and when the deceased person she is examining has died, and also the scientific evidence behind it. It is interesting as well as educational, which is great since I am currently a forensic science major...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Pvw rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective

I have to admit that I listened to this one as an audiobook, in an abbreviated version. But I didn't like it, mostly because it was tedious and slow, so my guess is that the unabridged text is even a bigger horror.

In its genre, Kathy Reichs is probably equally bad as Karin Slaughter. Our main character is an unlikable female forensic pathologist. Typically, she is romantically frustrated and stubborn (which is her only noticabel character trait).

The story is too uninteresting to mention. I remem...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Tom Croom rated it 2 of 5 stars

I totally dig the TV show Bones. It's smart, fun, has David Boreanaz (aka "Angel") and let's face it: Emily Deschanel is hot.

As a result, I decided to try and read the books which (I was warned) are different. Temperance "Bones" Brennan is a recovering alcoholic, divorced, and has a child in the novel versions which is entirely unlike her quirky fish out of water-esque television parallel. With this in mind, I decided to try the books from a fresh perspective.

It's from that perspective, though,...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Jlaurenmc rated it 4 of 5 stars

The next novel in my Kathy Reichs's Tempe Brennan series quest was Bones to Ashes, and so I delved into its pages as I laid on the beach on Hilton Head Island and then as Brent fished off the pier on Tybee Island. We decided that since we were so close to the coast (about 4 hours from the cabin), we would regret it if we didn't spend at least one night at the beach. So we visited the beach on HHI at Folly Field, stayed the night on Hilton Head (and visited the oh-so-fun Salty Dog & had our p...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent.

From Booklist:
With crisp prose, well-drawn characters, unflagging attention to detail, and a resonant emotional angle, Reichs' tenth Temperance Brennan mystery (after Break No Bones, 2006) featuring the forensic anthropologist finds the forensic anthropologist in top form. This time it's personal, when the skeleton of a young girl evokes memories of a deep, decades-old friendship with10-year-old Evangeline Landry, who sustained 8-year-old Tempe at a time of great personal loss only to...more

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Jun 26, 2009 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this Temperance Brennan novel at the library book sale, pretty sure that I hadn't seen this before. Luckily I was right.

I needed a good book to get me back into reading for fun, rather than schoolwork. This was it. I devoured this one in 2 days. The TV show Bones is based on the Temperance Brennan novels but I personally love the novels more although I really enjoy the show.

Bones to Ashes takes us to Brennan's past as her baby brother dies, her father dies and her mom and sister and...more

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May 23, 2009 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Amazon:

Under the microscope, the outer bone surface is a moonscape of craters…

The skeleton is that of a young girl, no more than fourteen years old – and forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan is struggling to keep her emotions in check.

A nagging in her subconscious won’t let up. A memory triggered, deep in her hindbrain – the disappearance of a childhood friend; no warning, no explanation…

Detective Andrew Ryan is working a series of parallel cases, and requires Tempe’s f...more Synopsis from Amazon:

Under the microscope, the outer bone surface is a moonscape of craters…

The skeleton is that of a young girl, no more than fourteen years old – and forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan is struggling to keep her emotions in check.

A nagging in her subconscious won’t let up. A memory triggered, deep in her hindbrain – the disappearance of a childhood friend; no warning, no explanation…

Detective Andrew Ryan is working a series of parallel cases, and requires Tempe’s forensic expertise. Three missing persons, three unidentified bodies – all female, all early-to-mid teens... Could Tempe’s skeleton be yet another in this tragic line of young victims? Or is she over-reacting, making connections where none exist?

Working on instinct, Tempe takes matters into her own hands. But she couldn’t have predicted where this investigation would lead, or the horrors it would eventually uncover… Can Tempe maintain a professional distance as the past catches up with her in this, her most deeply personal case yet?

I have only just started reading crime novels and this is the first Kathy Reich's book I have read - and it certainly encourages me to read more of this genre and more of her work.

In this novel, Tempe is working with several skeletons - most of them from Ryan's missing girls and cold cases. Except, it all gets a little personal. When a young girl her friend disappeared without a trace, and Tempe worries that one of the skeletons is her friend. With this in mind, she and her sister start their own investigation, which leads them into danger....

This was an exciting book with plenty of turns and twists and I didn't work out the ending. It seemed very realistic - full of scientific knowledge and crime knowledge. Reich's writing is engaging and gripping. She writes about more than just the crimes, there is love and friendship and family explored too, adding depth to an already good book. Through these she is able to explore the characters more fully.

My only complaints were lots of the conversation was in French, which then had to be translated, and there was so much science I didn't understand! Other than that, this was a good book and well worth reading.

8/10(less)

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Feb 04, 2010 Andree rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story, but this is definitely not my favourite Kathy Reichs book. So many details were extremely far-fetched and I actually picked up at least one error. I found it extremely frustrating how Tempe acts foolishly, beyond her qualifications, and unprofessionally.

I personally know a forensic anthropologist. His involvement in a crime investigation is typically this: assist police in searching for remains (if they have not already been recovered), remove/excavate remains, collect evid...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Steve by: Gift

Shelves: crime, own

This was my first introduction to the written character Temperance Brennan created by Kathy Reichs. Though I have a profound interest in the "Bones" show, it took some time to get into this story.
Dissappointment may be clouding my review here so please bear this in mind further on. They have very loosly created that show with some bases to the book.
That being said:
I will be attempting to read the first book of this story at a later time because I do see much promise in the series I do hope that...more

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May 12, 2013 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the 10th novel in her Temperance Brennan series and is the first one I have read. I love the TV show, but this was an interesting change and use of characters. I hear it is much better than the last one. Unlike Bones the TV show, the original Brennan is more integrated in the world, has an ex, a daughter, a sister, an off and on beau. This novel delves into Brennan's childhood and the disappearance of her best friend Évangéline when Brennan was 12. The plot points are a bit gruesome, the...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Batsap rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

I've seen season two of the Bones TV series and quite enjoyed it, but this is my first Kathy Reichs book.
It was one of those books that I tend to race through, partly because I don't like to abandon a book and so read it as quickly as possible. It made a good palette-cleanser for the reading-brain. It was a satisfyingly fast read too. Probably because of the one-line paragraphs. And the continual summing-ups of the case, they could be skim read.
Not the best piece of writing I've ever read. I did...more

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Dec 11, 2008 Artemisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: policial-mistery

I was a nice read. A good crime solving book, but I saw a big part of the solution way before Temp (the main character) did.

And even if I already knew that the tv series was only loosely base on the book I wasn't really prepared of this.

After 3 pages I forced myself to stop making connections an read it as just one more new book, where I didn't know the characters.

I liked the way the story was written. Even if this is the tenth book in the series, every thing you need to understand it is told. t...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Franki Quinliven rated it 2 of 5 stars

So I have the biggest girlgeek soft spot for science-crime dramas and I'm willing to trade a little literary cheesiness for a good mystery... but I couldn't in good conscience recommend this book. The only reason I stuck with was because I had eight hours to kill at work and all I had on my iPod was this or Savage Love. (Don't get me wrong, I love getting the opportunity to peer into somebody's sex escapades as much as the next gal but one can only take so many inquiries about butt sex before yo...more

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About Kathy Reichs

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...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128757.Bones_to_Ashes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1191108544l/128757.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128757.Bones_to_Ashes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs[/url]

Bones to Ashes (Temperance Brennan #10)

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