The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs

A storm has hit South Carolina, dredging up crimes of the past.

En route to Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan receives a call from the Charleston coroner. During the storm, a medical waste container has washed up on the beach. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Chillingly, Tempe recognises many details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec fifteen years earlier. With a growing sense of foreboding, she flies to Montreal to gather evidence and convince her boss Pierre LaManch to reopen the cold case. She also seeks the advice—and comfort—of her longtime beau Andrew Ryan.

Meanwhile, a storm of a different type gathers force in South Carolina. The citizens of Charleston are struck by capnocytophaga, a bacterium that, at its worst, can eat human flesh. Thousands panic and test themselves for a rare genetic mutation that may have rendered them vulnerable.

Shockingly, Tempe eventually deduces not only that the victims in both grisly murder cases are related, but that the murders and the disease outbreak also have a common cause . . .

About the Author

Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead was a number one bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The Bone Code is Kathy’s twentieth entry in her series featuring forensic anthropologist Temper- ance Brennan. Kathy was also a producer of the hit Fox TV series, Bones, which is based on her work and her novels.

Dr. Reichs is one of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, and as a member of the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada.

Review.

I was super stoked when I was invited to be a part of this tour as I adore this author’s books and loved the TV series Bones! You know what you are going to get when you read one of the Tempe books, an amazing story, lots of fascinating science, a little romance and a cracking good versus bad narrative! This one certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s pace was relentless, the tension was crackling and the story was heartbreaking. Kathy is definitely at the top of her game!

We find Brennan in ‘The South’ when a hurricane hits the area and in the aftermath she drives down to see how her BFF Anne has faired. She is asked to consult on a case since she is in the area, as a container has been washed up by the storm and it looks like two bodies are unfortunately in it. However, the details are eerily similar to a case she worked on in Montreal 15 years ago, where two bodies were found in a medical waste container wrapped in plastic sheeting and shot execution-style through the back of the head. But it can't be the same, can it? Also after still reeling from the Covid pandemic, when an outbreak of capnocytophaga, which is a bacteria that can eat human flesh, causes people to panic and they start to get genetically tested to see if they are vulnerable!

To me reading a Kathy Reichs book is a comfort read! That might seem weird to some people as they can be grizzly reads, but when you have spent, yes decades, with the characters, it feels like a family reunion of sorts. I devoured this one in under 24 hours as the narrative was especially gripping and the writing was superb. Kathy has the ability to break down the science into bite-sized chunks that people can understand but still be completely fascinating. You always learn from her books. On this journey we delve into genetics, genetic modifications and genetic genealogy which I feel I might get a bit obsessed with and carry on researching after I finish this review! It fascinates me that there is so much history in our DNA, that there are markers for health conditions etc.

What can you say about Tempe as a character? Well, she kicks ass. I think she is my favourite character in the crime genre and that is mainly due to her humanity. It's obvious that she cares about every single person who comes to her table and will fight for the justice and resolution that they deserve. I have always admired that steely determination that she radiates. Plus, Kathy isn't afraid to show her weaknesses as well which gives us a rich character experience as a reader.

N.B. The design of the hardback books is beautiful - look at those endpapers and the design on the cloth cover!