FIRE AND BONES

4 stars out of 5

Personally, I'm happy that forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan gets coerced into giving up a romantic three-day vacation in Savannah with main squeeze Andrew Ryan to take a look at victims of an arson fire in Washington, D.C. - but mostly because it makes for an intriguing investigation. Ryan, though, is less than thrilled - pulling a disappearing act that pretty much leaves him out of the action. Yes, Tempe misses him, and truth be told, so did I - a lot.

The gutted building is located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of D.C. - far from the "best" part of town - and it appears to have been used as an Airbnb property. Several people died in the fire, and since Tempe is experienced in examining and identifying crispy victims, her expertise is very much needed. But in addition to the bodies found in the ashes, she finds another victim - a tiny woman - almost literally wadded up in a potato sack that dates back to Prohibition. That one, needless to say, proves challenging when it comes to an ID.

Early on, Tempe faces another challenge, though; a place to stay. Apparently, all the hotels are filled, so she ends up staying where she'd rather not be - with TV news anchor Ivy Doyle, who's a friend of Tempe's daughter Katy. Some of the action, then centers on trying to not reveal enough information about the arson investigation that the story ends up on the 6 p.m. news. Then, another building in the same general area goes up in flames, adding another layer to the investigation and further delaying any rendezvous with Ryan (assuming he's still speaking to her).

Are the two fires connected? Who are the victims - and did the arsonist intend to kill them? And who is the little lady in the potato sack and who put her there? And perhaps most important of all, can the relationship between Tempe and Ryan be rekindled? All these questions, and more, are addressed as the story progresses; the details you'll need to find out by reading the book for yourself. I certainly enjoyed learning the answers, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this, the 23rd book in the series I've followed since the very beginning.

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs (Scribner, August 2024); 288 pp.

THE WATCHMAKER'S HAND

4.5 stars out of 5

One of the most daunting aspects of writing books in a series, it seems to me, is that the characters tend to become like old friends to readers - which is great, of course - but also readers who come to expect that each new installment will be at least as good - perhaps even better - than the last. To be sure, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this, the 16th featuring consulting forensic scientist Lincoln Rhymes and his now wife, NYPD detective Amelia Sachs. And make no mistake: it is very good - I stayed up 45 minutes past my bedtime to finish it, for gosh sake. But the abundance of technical "stuff" was a bit overwhelming, and for whatever reason, I didn't feel as much of a "connection" between Lincoln and Amelia this time out.

That technical part centers around construction cranes and the horrifying repercussions when they go beserk. Now I'm very familiar (or so I thought) with cranes, but it became clear early on that I had no idea what a "tower crane" is (I finally opted for a search engine to see what they look like, and yes, I've seen them). Neither Lincoln nor Amelia seemed to have their hearts into their relationship (even Thom Reston, caregiver of Lincoln, a paraplegic, lacked his usually spicy banter with Lincoln). On the other hand, the story did bring back a couple of unsavory nemeses from past books as well as actions/interactions of much-liked colleagues like Lincoln's former partner Lon Sellitto and colleague Ron Pulaski.

This one begins as a tower crane at a project in downtown Manhattan inexplicably becomes unstable, dropping 36,000 pounds of 6 foot by 4 foot flange beams and counterweights that, thanks to quick actions by the operator, kill just one human and injure only a handful. Shortly thereafter comes a demand from the perpetrator that promises a drop of even bigger proportions if that demand is not met within 24 hours. At that point, of course, the clock starts ticking (heads up, longtime fans) and Lincoln and Amelia switch to action mode.

From that point on, the action is pretty much nonstop; needless to say, the goings-on put just about everyone in danger and few events are what they seem to be. It puts all of Lincoln's vast knowledge to the test, tests the resilience of everyone on the team showed me that I'm able to sit on the edge of my seat a lot longer than I'd have predicted. All told, another good one - and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it.

The Watchmaker's Hand by Jeffery Deaver (G.P. Putnam's Sons, November 2023); 427 pp.

COLD COLD BONES

4 stars out of 5

It's always a treat to learn there's a new Bones back in town - not only do I love the books (this is the 21st), but it's one of few book series that, IMHO, translated well to the small screen. I don't think I've missed a single book, and I'm pretty sure I didn't miss an episode of the TV series either, which, according to sources I checked, aired 246 episodes over 12 seasons.

Anyhow, this book brings forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan back between the pages, and she's wintering at home in North Carolina, helping her daughter Katy get settled in after a stint in the military. Suffice it to say, then, that they're both a bit unsettled when a box turns up on her porch that contains a human eyeball. Say what? Then, she gets a call from her sweetie Andrew Ryan's private eye partner, "Skinny" Slidell, and off they go to find a body that appears to be missing an eyeball - except that the remains are on the well-seasoned side while the eyeball is, well, fresh.

As still other strange things happen - like a running feud with a neighbor who's convinced Tempe is trying to scare his son to death and at least one more body - suspicions arise that what's happening now may be mirroring some of her old cases. But she can't seem to connect the dots, nor convince Skinny of that possibility. Meantime, Katy - who's having some trouble readjusting to civilian life - is struggling but doesn't want mom's help. And then she goes missing.

If I have a complaint, it's that Tempe goes off on her own a little too often despite advice from her police and P.I. friends, and she's usually too intelligent and sensible to do that (although I'll give her a bit of a pass because she's frantically trying to find her daughter). All the goings-on are unsettling, after all, but things start to come together especially well after Andrew returns from the case he's been working on and tries to help. But can they figure out what's really going on before it's too late to save Tempe? Or Katy? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out. As for me, I'll just thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review another good one.

Cold Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs (Scribner, July 2022); 348 pp.

AUTOPSY

5 stars out of 5

When ace Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta is at her best - using evidence to determine all manner of dead body things like what caused the demise and not spending page after page feeling that she's being put upon - she's hard to beat. And in this book - the 25th in the popular series - I'd say she's there. No, her paranoia hasn't disappeared, but it's noticeably less obtrusive, allowing me, at least, to fully appreciate her skills. And here, she's taken on a new job that's brought her sort of full circle: The forensic pathologist has returned to Virginia as chief medical examiner.

She and her husband, Forensic Psychologist Benton Wesley, have moved to Old Town Alexandria amid political turmoil, some of which can be attributed to fallout from the recent pandemic. Living in a guest house is Scarpetta's technologically gifted niece, Lucy, and nearby neighbors are longtime friend and investigator Pete Marino and his wife, Dorothy (Kay's far-from-beloved sister Dorothy, also loosely defined as Lucy's mother).

It all sounds quite civilized; but Scarpetta's office is quite another story. Amid her regular responsibilities, she's expected to do clean-up duties resulting from some 20 years of mismanagement (or worse). Giving her grief every step of the way is her secretary Maggie, who was a devoted assistant to Scarpetta's incompetent predecessor and seems intent on making trouble for her new boss (making Scarpetta's paranoia totally justified in this instance). No reason was given, so I'll assume the woman can't be fired because she's a government employee; otherwise, I can say for sure she'd have been sent packing after my first day in office - and I have to believe Scarpetta would have done the same.

Soon after Scarpetta takes over and is getting to know her co-workers, she's called to take a look at what appears to be a rather gruesomely murdered woman lying near railroad tracks. That, in turn, raises suspicion of connections to a previous crime. And in the midst of all this, she gets a nasty surprise that temporarily sidelines her, after which she and Wesley get summoned to the White House (she's been appointed to a highly classified national Doomsday Commission). There they learn of possible murders aboard a secret laboratory that's orbiting Earth. Back at home and work in Virginia, the focus turns to the local murder or murders and trying to find out who is behind the aforementioned surprise before he or she strikes again (and worse, is successful). 

For me, this one was a better balance of characters, with a fair amount of interaction with Wesley (quite an impressive guy in his own right), some with Marino and less on her sister and niece (a plus in my book because I've never been fond of either one, although I did work up some sympathy for her niece and what she's been through of late). My only disappointment came at the end, when things seemed wrapped up far too quickly for my liking. On the other hand, I suspect some of it will carry over to the next edition. Overall, a well done story that I always hated to put down - a big thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell (William Morrow, November 2021); 400 pp.

SPEAKING IN BONES

4 stars out of 5

While I admit to growing a bit tired of the popular Bones

 TV show after 10 seasons, I certainly haven't given up; it's a sure bet I'll be watching the Season 11 debut on Oct. 1. For those who might not know, the show is inspired by the books by Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist like her TV and book counterpart Temperance Brennan.

The books have been around even longer; this is the 18th in the series, and I've read almost all of them. Without question, I enjoy the books far more than the TV show; the primary similarity between the two is that they both center around a somewhat emotionally challenged Brennan. Other than that, the twain rarely meets.

Here, she's struggling (still) with her feelings for police detective Andrew Ryan, who has proposed marriage. Not wanting to compromise her independence and still reeling after the betrayal by her ex-husband and father of her now-grown daughter, she keeps putting off a decision, making her the perfect poster child for avoidance behavior. In the midst of the waffling, she gets a visit from a strange woman named Hazel "Lucky" Strike, an amateur Internet sleuth who tries to solve cold cases. The woman brings a frightening tape recording she believes is the voice of an 18-year-old girl who disappeared a few years earlier and whose remains are anonymously stashed in Brennan's lab. The problem? The girl's parents - members of a radical and secretive religious group that's rooted in Catholicism - insist she's not missing; rather, she just ran off with a no-good boyfriend who also can't be found.

Given the lack of hard evidence, Brennan reluctantly does some sleuthing of her own, ending in the backwoods discovery of a few bones that may belong to the missing girl. More sleuthing turns up more bones - and questions of to whom they belong. Brennan gets lots of help from a local law enforcement guy (who's also pretty good in the eye candy department) and some from her own lab colleagues. But mostly, as usual, her headstrong personality demands that she follow the evidence - even if it leads to dangerous places and people and puts her own life in jeopardy.

I enjoyed this book, and, at just 320 pages, breezed through it in no time. I like the somewhat larger role given to Brennan's mother, and as usual, Brennan's sense of humor popped out here and there. And, I definitely didn't foresee the ending. Still, the whole thing seemed a bit on the "lightweight" side, with not quite as much emphasis on the forensics that never fails to grab and hold my attention. 

Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs (Bantam, July 2015); 320 pp.