Review: COLD, COLD BONES by Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs is one of my go-to authors and so I am always on the lookout for any additions to her series featuring Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist. Admittedly, a big deviation from my usual light mystery fare. Cold, Cold Bones is the 21st book in the series and I was lucky enough to recieve an advance review copy.

Description*

Winter has come to North Carolina and, with it, a drop in crime. Freed from a heavy work schedule, Tempe Brennan is content to dote on her daughter Katy, finally returned to civilian life from the army. But when mother and daughter meet at Tempe’s place one night, they find a box on the back porch. Inside: a very fresh human eyeball.

GPS coordinates etched into the eyeball lead to a Benedictine monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits. Soon after, Tempe examines a mummified corpse in a state park, and her anxiety deepens.

There seems to be no pattern to the subsequent killings uncovered, except that each mimics in some way a homicide that a younger Tempe had been called in to analyze. Who or what is targeting her, and why?

Helping Tempe search for answers is detective Erskine “Skinny” Slidell, retired but still volunteering with the CMPD cold case unit—and still displaying his gallows humor. Also pulled into the mystery: Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s Montreal-based beau, now working as a private detective.

Could this elaborately staged skein of mayhem be the prelude to a twist that is even more shocking? Tempe is at a loss to establish the motive for what is going on…and then her daughter disappears.

*Description as appears on Amazon.

My Review

In this fast-paced novel, Temperance is tasked with connecting the dots between a series of new cases and cold cases she worked on in previous years. At first, she doesn’t make the connections. She is just haunted by a nagging feeling that her subconscious is trying to tell her something. It’s not just business. It’s personal, and the suspense and tension build when the killer begins targetting people close to Tempe. The plot creates an intricate puzzle – a puzzle with lots of pieces that don’t seem to fit together. That is, until they do. Kudos to the author for another suspense-filled tale.

Note: If you are offended by the use of profanity or graphic descriptions of violence, this book might not be for you.

FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review.