Love Kathy Reichs and zipped right through A Conspiracy of Bones. Lots of twists and turns in the plot kept me reading late into the night. I’m already wanting more Tempe! Thanks to NetGalley and the author along with her publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of A Conspiracy of Bones.

A CONSPIRACY OF BONES by Kathy Reichs is the nineteenth book in the series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Temperance is facing a lot of personal and professional challenges in this book. She has a new boss that she has had professional conflicts with in the past and on top of that she has been recovering from neurosurgery and is still experiencing severe headaches. The novel is largely set in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. One day she receives text messages containing pictures of a corpse missing its face and hands. Due to her relationship with her new boss, Temperance works the case on the sly.

This novel was much more introspective than most in the series and almost like a private detective working the case alongside the police. While it seemed a little slower paced in the beginning, it had enough action, red herrings and twists to keep my interest and it picked up speed as the book progressed.

The characters are compelling and you can definitely root for Temperance as she works to find answers. Her goals are clear and believable. The supporting characters are well-rounded and enhance the story. The stakes were high and the tension built up to the conclusion.

Overall, the plot was intriguing and contemporary. The prose was well-written and engrossing. The story is gripping and well worth reading. I recommend it and the entire series. However, I believe readers will have the best reading experience if they start at the beginning of the series.

Thanks to Scribner and Kathy Reichs for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Tempe Goes Rogue

This story does not start with Tempe in the autopsy room trying to find out who body it is and how it became so grisly, or in immediate peril. This novel, as usual, starts with Tempe but in this case a very reflective Tempe. Her boss in North Carolina, Larabee, has been murdered. She is not sure of her sometime long distance relationship with Ryan. Her daughter is posted to Afghanistan. Her mother has cancer and a new boyfriend with benefits. Lastly, Tempe has been diagnosed with an aneurysm and undergone surgery leaving her with migraine headaches. The icing on this layer cake of stressors is a late night prowler. On the professional side, Larabee has been replaced Magot Heavner with whom Tempe has had a tempestuous adversarial relationship for some years.

Then a body is found near the border with South Carolina. Tempe receives a late night text with pictures of the body that suffered significant scavenging by feral hogs. Tempe goes to the office of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Medical Examiner. Heavner tells her that her services will not be required. Being locked out of a major source of her income by a person Tempe would love to prove wrong again, she has the time to achieve that goal. Tempe decides to go rogue and investigate the identity of the deceased. Tempe approaches Slidell, aka Skinny, who is now retired and working as a PI. He does volunteer on cold case unit. The novel starts takes off from here.

I have read all 19 Temperance Brennen novels. The aspects that I love are here in spades. Tempe sassy responses, comments, and especially the asides to the reader are here in spades. Eye rolls did seem fewer and farther apart. Tempe does continue to make and act out many impetuous decisions that usually gain a piece of the puzzle but also point out that there is much more complex this case is. Several times, they put Tempe in danger. My interest was quickly captured. I had to be reading this novel every chance I had.

As usual with all previous novels, the B-storyline is very extensive. In this novel, the relationships between Tempe with Slidell, Ryan, and her mother are quite extensive. Skinny and Tempe work together more as a team than ever before, and the readers will see how Skinny’s relationship with Tempe has changed and not changed.

There is a constant level of vulgar language. The level did not cause me problems, but it could some. There is even swearing is in Spanish! There are references to sex, but no more than that.

Overall, this novel is definitely up to the standards set in the previous novels. I enjoyed reading it and had a hard time to put it down. All the reasons that I like this series were here. All of the loose ends were explained by the end of the novel. Even though that this is the 19th novel in this series, this book’s plot is not stale. I also recommend reading the From the Forensic Files of Dr. Kathy Reichs at the end for some interesting information. I rate this novel with five stars. I strongly recommend reading this novel.

I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Scriber with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Scriber for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

This latest (19th) installment in the Temperance Brennan series is sure to make fans happy, and to win new readers.

Brennan is recovering from neurosurgery when she receives text messages with pictures of a faceless corpse. When the actual corpse turns up in the Charlotte morgue, Tempe is blocked from the investigation by her new boss. With her job threatened, and with the help of colleagues she trusts, Brennan pushes forward to unravel the truth about the faceless man and his tragic secrets.

As usual, Reichs delivers thriller full of twists and turns. High recommended.

I liked the book, but there have been better in the series. The storyline was confusing at times. Just not that interesting in my opinion. But I’ll keep with the series. Need more Ryan!

This is the first book by the author that I have read and based on prior reviews of her books I thought I would take a chance on it. I was very disappointed as I found the writing style tedious and unengaging. In addition, this is not a stand alone novel. You need to read at least some of the prior books in the series to fully understand what is happening with the main character. I am sure that fans of the author will find this book likeable, but as for me it will the last one that I will read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

The latest Temperance Brennan book is an investigation into uncomfortable subjects - a death where the corpse is unidentifiable due to feral hogs scavenging the body, a despicable podcast host who spews filth and hate about the world , politics, survival prepping, missing and abused children and some developing medical problems for Tempe. Not to mention the new head coroner who replaces Larabie who was murdered and who hates Temperance and shuts her out of the case. The case flows with the slow often repetitive going over of facts and clues as Temperance along with retired cop turned PI Slidell seek to find the truth lurking in lives of the player. This reads much like her other book with this character but this one feels a little more personal. At the end of the story the author reveals some of how she put the story together.This was most interesting.

This is the nineteenth book in the Temperance Brennan series and while it does okay as a stand-alone, there is a moderate amount of background left for self-analysis by new readers. Kathy Reichs writes with great passion on her subject line and offers an original and exciting storyline. Her characters are well-crafted but new readers may feel that they are missing some much needed depth. However, what the characterization lacks is made up for in other details of the story. The amount of forensic science woven in to the plot is current, comprehensive, and completely intriguing. Thoroughly enjoyed it.


Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #AConspiracyofBones, which was read and reviewed voluntarily by Tarrah Marie (@wayward_readers)

Temperance Brennan strikes again. This time going rogue to work on a faceless body. She hasn't been fired yet, but this one might do it.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Temperance Brennan is back and in typical form! She is battling difficulties on several fronts. She has health issues and she has a new boss that she does not like working with. She and the new boss have a troubled history.

There is a new case in the morgue where identification of the body is almost impossible. The hands and face of the victim have been destroyed by the native wildlife. Tempe, with the assistance of some of her old and newer friends, works to solve this case.

Anyone having read one of Reich’s books or having seen an episode of the TV series “Bones” would be immediately drawn into this book. It grabs your attention and it moves along at a great pace. Things unravel in an appropriate manner. One never feels like you could solve the mystery halfway through the book.

As a result, you just keep reading, unable to put the book down, until you finish with a satisfying conclusion.

Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, must work diligently and utilize all of her skills to identify a "faceless" corpse and its connection to a missing child's case from a decade ago. Brennan had been recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm, and is still coping with headaches and nightmares, when she receives a text messages - each with pictures of a corpse missing its hands and face.

Intrigued, she is ready to solve the case and must do so rogue. Soon, an identified case shows up and she becomes even more intrigued....

This one was a struggle for me. I found it hard to get into and very slow in the beginning. I don't know if it was me or the book. I have been reading a few books which grabbed me from page one and this one, failed to do so, it had a slower build for me, and I found myself putting this book down, looking for other books to read. Plus, I have not read too many books in this series to perhaps long-time readers of this series will enjoy the book more than I did. The book did pick up, but for me it also dragged in spots and failed to wow me. Maybe I was expecting too much of an aha moment, or more explanations for sections which didn't seem to get them, plus the inner dialogue wasn't working for me.

Slow to start; however, it did become more enjoyable as the book progressed, but not one I will remember in months to come. My guess is, this is not the book to pick up if you have not read any previous books in the series - she is recovering from surgery and not at her best - plus, I think more background on the characters is needed prior to reading this one.

Many are enjoying this book more than I did and I encourage everyone to read those reviews as well.


Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

A decent installment in the Tempe Brennan series, though there seemed to be a fair amount of aimless wandering on the part of the investigators.

Kathy Reichs does an amazing job with this thriller. Any fans of crime TV, especially Bones, will love this story. I loved that even though its been years since I've seen Bones and I haven't read any of the other books in this series it was easy to follow along and get sucked into this mystery. I won't ruin the twists for the readers, but there is an amazing balance between the science and the psyche in this book.

Tempe is such a well thought out and intelligent character and she loses none of her intensity by being a woman. She takes no shit and it is my favorite thing about her.

When Kathy Reichs comes out with a new novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, I feel a little sort of electric happiness that I carry with me as I await the novel's release and then as I read it. As with any long-running series, the characters continue to grow, becoming more themselves and building their relationships with one another. Temperance, Ryan, Slidel—with each new novel, I enjoy my time with them more.

In this novel Brennan faces a pair of overlapping challenges. First, a new boss with questionable ethics and limited forensic skills, who has it in for Brennan. Second, an unidentified corpse badly mutilated by feral pigs. Determined to identify the corpse and to best this new nemesis, Brennan finds herself following an increasingly complex trail—one that branches out in multiple directions.

Whether or not you're familiar with Brennan, I can pretty much guarantee that you will love this book and will leave it feeling hungry to spend more time with her.

One quick caveat: if you're a reader like me who is uncomfortable with depictions of violence against animals, you'll want to skip a few paragraphs in chapter 32. The first time you see the word "kitten" jump ahead three paragraphs. You'll still be able to follow the action without trouble.

A Conspiracy of Bones
Temperance Brennan has been sidelined by her current boss who is envious and also upset by Temperance’s calling her out publicly for questionable ethics in releasing information of an ongoing investigation.
One night Dr. Brennan sees a man walking around and follows him but doesn’t find anything before he disappears.
The corpse of a man is found whom she is sure is the same man she followed. While her boss has kept her off the case she manages to get case info and photos sub rosa. And with that she is off and running on her own.
This enjoyable tale maintains the fine story telling by author Kathy Reichs. I will be recommending this latest work to all. ;and so they can learn about zombie ants)
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for this eARC for review purposes.

The Conspiracy of Bones is written in Kathy Reichs excellent style as a forensic anthropologist identifying long buried bones, often method of death, age, sex, race or nationality. Tempe most often helps solve the mystery of death (s). She also work for the Surete' du Quebec in Montreal in the same capacity. ..woven into the story is Andrew Ryan, whom she calls Ryan, a detective for the Montreal Surete' du Quebec. Their paths crossed many years ago becoming romantically involved off and on but do love each other. Tempe loves her vocation not resting untill all the pieces of each skeleton is solved.

I couldn’t get into this book at all.I have always enjoyed this author’s books.This was horrible!!!
The story was thin and confusing and I hate the fact that she is on the outside.
If this was her first book I would not read another!!! Very disappointed.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was my first Reich's book so I was not sure if I could read this stand alone and still understanding what was going on. It was perfect because I definitely did not feel like I was missing out on anything since I had not read any other of the "Temperance" books. I loved the show "Bones" so I knew I had to finally had to read one of her books.

A Conspiracy of Bones in the latest Kathy Reichs book featuring Tempe Brennan. Although I've been reading this series for years, this isn't the best, which doesn't mean that it won't hold your attention.

Temperance is recovering from neurosurgery for an aneurysm, her new boss holds a grudge, someone may be stalking her, and in general, life had been difficult for Tempe.

She gets mysterious pictures of a body with most of his face and his hands missing and no identification. Who sent it?

Her new boss is determined to push her out, but Tempe gets into the morgue and views the body. She disagrees with the new coroner about several things and begins investigating on her own. (The savaging of the body is the result of feral hogs, and just recently a woman in Texas was killed by hogs. They truly are fearsome creatures.)

Teaming up with the cantankerous and acerbic Slidell, Tempe sets out to identify the body, and then to look into the Dark Web at conspiracy theories spouted by the repulsive Nick Body, and into a possible connection to missing children.

There is an interesting afterword about how Reichs came up with elements of her plot, but I had no trouble believing in the feral hogs detail as they are prevalent everywhere in the South and have been moving north as well.

NetGalley/Scribner
Mystery. March 17, 2020. Print length: 352 pages.

Temperance has gone through many changes through the years She doesn’t seem as strong as she use to be. The story was interesting and had a satisfactory ending. I hope Brennan gets her zen back
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc