[.ca] Bare Bones: A Novel (ISBN 0743529812)

From Amazon.com:
"As I was packaging what remained of the dead baby, the man I would kill was burning pavement north toward Charlotte." With this opening sentence, Kathy Reichs serves notice that her heroine, Temperance Brennan, is in for one of her scariest, most gruesome adventures yet. As fans of this popular series already know, Tempe is a forensic anthropologist: an expert in the human form (especially bones) who helps solve crimes. The abovementioned infant is only the first in a series of grisly remains, both human and animal, that Tempe must sort through and decode. Meanwhile, as several seemingly unrelated cases begin to intertwine, her sleuthing puts her in the crosshairs of a very nasty stalker who hides behind an e-mail alias. Reichs knows how to keep the narrative ball rolling with a canny mix of plot developments, character delineation, and scientific detail, all relayed in Tempe's smart, breezy, sarcastic voice. In fact, Bare Bones has a few too many characters and plot lines for Reichs--or most readers--to keep perfect track of. But it's a fun ride anyway, enlivened by some steamy romantic scenes and some fascinating, appalling information about the illicit trade in endangered wildlife (did you know that bears' gall bladders fetch more money per ounce than cocaine?). Bare Bones is a crisp, enjoyable read that cements Kathy Reichs's standing as the best forensic-thriller writer at work today. --Nicholas H. Allison

A Bit Boring:
Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan investigates when a newborn's bones are found in a woodstove, there's a Cessna crash, and bones are found in a remote area. I was a bit bored with this one, but it was interesting to learn about Klinefelter's Syndrome. (B)

More of What You Expect from Reichs:
This was a particularly good entry in the Temperance Brennan series. With a first sentence like that I was hooked and read the first half of the book in one setting. This one will not disappoint fans. More of what you expect from Reichs and there are some interesting developments in Brennan's personal life, too. I was annoyed with the political preaching of the last two pages which were totally unnecessary and the reason for my rating of 4.

Finally! Tempe gets some lovin':
But I want more! I have read almost all the Tempe Brennan novels now, and kept reading them to see if she would hook up with a hunk of burnin' love. Well now she has (& I won't say who), but I want more than a piddly paragraph or two. Then again , Kathy probably has enough to do with her real life not to have to worry about the main character's love life.

Deceiving:
A so so mystery. Not fast enough. I got hooked past the middle of the book. I almost abandoned it. I must say I prefer thrillers. I agree with Ez's review.

A Disappointment:
I've read Reichs's previous novels and enjoyed them. I bought this one when it came out in paperback, expecting another page-turner. It wasn't. Reichs really overdid her tendency to use short dialogue and paragraphs. I assume this is to make the tone snappy and concise. Instead it came off as choppy and annoying. What really drove me nuts was the product placement: you will be lucky to find a chapter without several references to name brands. I'm convinced she has an advertising contract with Diet Coke!! Normally I would not notice this if the plot is good, but it was impossible to ignore in this book. I was looking forward to another engrossing mystery, but by the book's end, I honestly couldn't care less how it turned out. Save your money ... or, if you're a diehard Reichs fan, buy it second-hand so you don't feel too ripped off!