Fiction Book #2 in 2009 – Devil Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels) by Kathy Reichs

Devil Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels) by Kathy Reichs

From From Publishers Weekly on amazon.com:
Dr. Temperance Brennan’s quest to identify two corpses pits her against citizen vigilantes intent on a witch-hunt in bestseller Reichs’s exciting 11th thriller to feature the forensic anthropologist (after 2007’s Bones to Ashes). While working in Charlotte, N.C., Brennan investigates remains unearthed during a housing renovation and discovers disturbing clues possibly pointing to voodoo or Santeria. She must determine if the bones, including the skull of a teenage girl, are linked to an unidentified headless torso found in a nearby lake. Intent on using the deaths as the cornerstone of his crusade against immorality, fundamentalist preacher turned politician Boyce Lingo claims that the bodies bear the mark of devil worshippers. With the help of Det. Erskine Skinny Slidell, Brennan unearths a tangled web of dirty politics, religious persecution and male prostitution. Reichs, whose work inspired the hit TV series Bones, once again expertly blends science and complex character development.

My thoughts:

• I started reading Richs’ books after watching the TV show Bones. I love watching the show, as I like crime / forensic type of shows like CSI and such. After I found out the show is based on Reichs’ books, I started reading her Tempe Brennan series. This is the 11th one in the series. I haven’t read all the books in the series I don’t think…

• It was a quick read. Okay but not too exciting. Quite a few characters. I do like that Reichs explained and described some technical details which made the book a bit more authentic. She is a forensic anthropologist after all in real life.

• Would I recommend it? You won’t miss too much if you don’t read it. I hope Reichs is not going to turn out like Patricia Cornwell – I love her earlier Kay Scarpetta series, but the more recent books are lacking something. The characters aren’t as likable, and the plot is too ‘generic’. I have still reserved her latest book “Kay Scarpetta” so we’ll see if that gets better.

• My favorite forensic author is still Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme (the Bone Collector etc). I just picked his A Maiden’s Grave randomly off the library shelf probably sometime in 1996 or 1997. Then started reading his other books (including the Bone Collector before it was made into a movie). I like to read about the technical side of forensic science. I wanted to be a CSI at one point in life… until I found out I suck at biology and chemistry, and became a psychology major instead.