The following review was published on my blog (www.blogginboutbooks.com) on 7.01.21:

Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for The Bone Code, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Tempe Brennan mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.

In the wake of a fierce hurricane in the Carolinas, the streets are littered with downed trees, broken branches, and other debris. When a shipping container washes ashore in Charleston, kayakers pry it open and are shocked to discover two corpses inside. The bodies are wrapped in plastic sheeting and secured with electrical wire. Who are they? What were they doing in the water? Forensic anthropologist Temperance "Tempe" Brennan—who recognizes certain aspects of the killings as similar to a murder she worked fifteen years ago in Quebec—is summoned to South Carolina to find out.

Consulting with Andrew Ryan, her cop boyfriend who also worked the long-ago case, Tempe is determined to identify the two young women from the container. While busy with that, she's also trying to solve a mystery involving a puzzling death mask and help a hysterical friend clean up after the storm. The appearance of a troubling human flesh-eating contagion almost doesn't register, until Tempe starts to realize there might be a connection between it and the cases she's working. The more she digs, the more she discovers, and the more dangerous her job becomes. Increasingly obvious is the fact that someone is keeping explosive secrets, secrets they would kill to keep under wraps.

You all know I'm a big Kathy Reichs fan. I've long loved the Tempe Brennan series with its appealing heroine, approachable scientific explanations, twisty mysteries, and lively prose. The newest installment, The Bone Code (available July 6, 2021), offers all of these elements and more, which makes it a compelling, enjoyable addition to the series. Although one of my favorite characters—the always colorful "Skinny" Slidell—is unfortunately missing from this story, other series favorites appear, along with some fun new story people (can Tonia V. be a series regular, pretty please?). As always, Tempe's devotion and wit shine through it all, whether she's piecing together evidence to solve a case, flirting with the always sexy Andrew Ryan, or fighting for her life against another nasty villain. Not surprisingly, I loved this newest mystery and will wait with bated breath for the next.

(Readalikes: Other books in the Tempe Brennan series, including First Bones [novella], Deja Dead, Death Du Jour, Deadly Decisions, Fatal Voyage, Grave Secrets, Bare Bones, Monday Mourning, Cross Bones, Break No Bones, Bones to Ashes, Devil Bones, 206 Bones, Spider Bones, Flash and Bones, Bones Are Forever, Bones in Her Pocket [novella], Bones of the Lost, Swamp Bones [novella], Bones Never Lie, Bones On Ice [novella], Speaking in Bones, and A Conspiracy of Bones)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, mild sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Bone Code from the generous folks at Simon & Schuster via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Since we as readers tend to look on our favorite fictional characters as our friends, I guess it's natural that we might -- after a 24-year relationship -- stop to "dish" about, or at least reevaluate, a long-term, lead-character companion.

Temperance Brennan, in her 1997 intro, struck awe in my heart. She was fiercely bright, widely respected, committed to her calling, and so much more than an academic. Kathy Reichs' drive to get the science right in her novels was evident on every page, and readers were enlightened while they were entertained.

Now that Brennan is older, I feel a bit frustrated in her presence. She's just as strong a scientist as ever, she still cracks wise, but I don't feel the wisdom that often comes with maturity. Tempe seems a bit shallow to me. She seems caught up in material comforts. She seems out of touch, and her love affair with former detective Andrew Ryan seems trivial and cutesy.

I've never missed one of Reichs' books about Temperance Brennan, usually reading them in the month they were published. I wonder if I'll keep on with that.

Oh, about this plot: It was structured well, with tie-ins between a 15-year-old cold case in Montreal and a current mystery in the Carolinas. There was a lot of timely, topical data about vaccines and mRNA. The weak point is the secondary storyline about altered vaccines that make the recipients vulnerable to . . . nah, it was unclear, even though I've gone back and re-read the explanation twice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance readers copy.

What a great book in the Temperance Brennan series. In this installment Tempe heads to Isle of Palms, SC to stay with her friend Anne after a Hurricane batters both of the Carolinas. While on her way, she gets a call from the ME in Charleston, SC asking for her assistance in a strange case. It seems that a blue barrel has washed ashore with two badly damaged bodies inside. As soon Tempe starts her examinations, she realizes that the case is eerily similar to a case she worked in Quebec about 15 years prior.
In that case a barrel was discovered with the body of a woman and child in it. They were never identified and were buried in unmarked graves. Getting the help of her boyfriend, now retired detective Ryan in Quebec, detective Vislosky in Charleston, and various experts throughout the southeastern US and in Canada, Tempe was able to finally solve the 15-year-old case, plus the current case using DNA and other technology. Tempe also traveled from Charleston, and Isle of Palms, to Charlotte, Nashville, and Quebec throughout this novel.
One of my favorite parts of the story was when her best friend Anne was watching an episode of Bones and asked Tempe if she wanted to watch with her. When she briefly described the episode, I called out the killer. My daughter and I are huge fans of the tv show and have watched the entire series repeatedly. As a matter of fact, my family was laughing because they kept asking, “Are you really reading a book from Kathy Reich’s while watching Bones?” And of course, the answer was always yes.
Ms. Reich’s writing keeps you intrigued until the end. When she reveals the killer, I knew who, but not why. And the kicker and the end was something I suspected. No you don’t have to read all the books in order to enjoy this book, Ms. Reich brings forth everything you need to read each book individually. But why wouldn’t you want to read the series if you love thrillers? This story is definitely worth your time.

**I received an ARC of this story from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Temperence, Tempe, Brennan is back again. This time she has travelled to South Carolina to visit her friend, Anne. While there, she is asked to assist with two bodies that were found stuffed into a container. This scene is eerily similar to one from Quebec many years ago. As Tempe delves into this murder, she is taken all over this country and Canada. Add on that she has something else going on with death masks of years past and Tempe is kept quite busy.
Opinion
I am a huge Kathy Reichs fan. So of course, I jumped at the chance to read this book. This book is number 20 in the series. A reader could get by without reading the first 20, but why would you? This series is flat out awesome. Ms. Reichs has a way of writing that is so fluid and consuming that it is hard to put the book down.
I think my favorite part from this book is when she referenced Bones, the series based off of these books. I about died in a small fit of laughter.
Truly, if you like mysteries, pick this series up. You will not be disappointed.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I was so disappointed with the last book in the series since it was very short on forensics, but am happy to report that Tempe is back to doing what she does best.

Tempe is in the states and runs across a case that reminds her of one of her unsolved Canadians cases. Two corpses tied up in a tarp in a plastic container in the sea. With so many years and miles between them, is it possible they’re related?

I loved that the story gave Tempe the chance to investigate in both SC and Montreal. There is a little of her beau Ryan, he always brings in some humor, and her friend Anne. I am always intrigued how she can find out so much from what seems like so little. And this case in particular seemed timely with the discussion of vaccines.

A span of 2 countries and multiple states in addition to the 4 bodies, these enough to keep you guessing until the end. All that you’ve grown to expect rolled up in a great story.

This story was so interesting and had plenty of action. Tempe is dealing with a hurricane and at the end of it, a container is discovered with two bodies in it. It is very familiar to Tempe as she had a very similar case in Canada years before. Are they linked? Tempe is very sure and with Ryan's help, she will find the link. Tempe travels all over the South and in Canada to get all the answers, but she will find them. Loved it!

I personally had never read a Temperance Brennon book before. I had watched the TV series, but as one knows normally the books are better then the show. And that is the case in this book as well. I really liked how Temperance came off as more human in the book series, and while she was still smart, she was not nearly as distant as she came off in the show most of the time. This book was both fast paced and just well laid out. You have a smaller mystery within a bigger one. Both play out together and are well aligned in the plot. Overall I would totally read more of this series, and more importantly it will be a great book/series to suggest to my patrons looking for a woman driven murder mystery. Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an advance copy.

By book #20 in the series, you know exactly what you are getting. The Bone Code is entertaining, fast paced, and features Birdie! Reich’s delivers on her writing style of ending each chapter on a cliff hanger!

When two bodies wash up on a beach in Charleston, wrapped in plastic and shoved in a medical waste container, it triggers a memory for forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan of a case she'd been unable to solve 10 years earlier in Montreal.

When I started this book, I didn't realize it was the 20th book in the series and I think I was 2 or 3 chapters in before it dawned on me that this is the character on which the tv series Bones is based. I haven't read any of the other books in the series and I've only seen a handful of episodes of Bones, so I feel like I was able to read this in a pretty unbiased way. I usually hate coming into a series in the middle because frequently, they are missing information or full of inside jokes and one feels compelled to go back and read everything leading up to the current book. But this book could very well have been a stand-alone. The way the backstory is filled in doesn't feel like a recitation. There's nothing that makes you feel like you have to refer to other materials. If I do decide to go back and read previous books, it'll be because I enjoyed it and not because I feel compelled.

I don't really know what else to say. I liked it. I liked Temperance on the page much better than the Temperance on tv (there is a reason I only watched a handful of those). I probably will read a few more of these.

The Bone Code is book #20 in the Temperance Brennan series from Kathy Reichs.

"The Charleston coroner calls Dr. Brennan about two bodies washed up on shore in a waste container. After looking at them she realizes the case is eerily similar to one from Montreal 15 years ago. A case that was never solved and the victims never identified. As Tempe and Andy search for the identities of the victims, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want them nosing around."

Reichs uses the current fascination with DNA testing to craft a story about the terrible lengths people will go to for a big payday. There is a lot of science here but it does not overwhelm the story.
There are a lot of names to remember in all of the locations - Charleston, Montreal, Nashville. Sometimes I would read a name and wonder where they fit in the story. But Reichs does something I wish more authors would do - the characters revisit what's going on and you get an update. And the momentary confusion goes away.
There's an interesting side story about death masks. And it's great to have a story set in the SC Low Country.

Another excellent novel from Dr. Reichs.

I think I would have enjoyed this more with more backstory. That was my own fault, I wasn’t aware that there was more to this story. I recommend this for anyone who likes detective type books.

Another good read in this series. The plot had lots of twists. The science was written in an understandable manner. I recommend this book and the entire series. Good character development throughout the series.

The Bone Code – Kathy Reichs

Temperance “Tempe’ Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who splits her time between North Carolina & Montreal, is finishing up a review of a wrongful death case in Charlotte, and an elderly woman is patiently sitting in the waiting room at the coroner’s office, hoping Tempe can help her solve an old mystery. Meanwhile a hurricane is bearing down on the Carolina’s as Tempe rushes to get home to secure her residence and soothe Birdie, her cat.

While conducting hurricane clean up, then heading to the coast to assist her friend Anne with the same, Tempe receives a call from the Charleston, SC County coroner, asking for her assistance. Apparently during the storm, a plastic container washed ashore and was found to contain two bodies, wrapped in plastic and bound with electrical wire – the tableau eerily similar to a case of Tempe’s from Montreal several years ago. Joining the investigative team for the autopsy the next morning, Tempe also gets a look at an unusual illness that seems to be spreading in Charleston, seemingly passed to humans from their pets. As they begin work on the bodies from the container, Tempe again feels déjà vu due to the similarity in these cases.

As Tempe vows to identify these current victims, she forms an unlikely alliance with the investigating detective from Charleston, and her lover Andrew Ryan is able to find and send her the files on the Montreal deaths. More certain than ever that the cases are somehow related, Tempe returns to Montreal with a plan to exhume to bodies – in hopes that advances in DNA and consumer use of ancestry sites will allow them to finally identify the past victims. Within a few days, Tempe gets a call telling her that that the one of the bodies from Charleston is related to one from Montreal.

As both investigations ramp up into high gear, connections are made to a Canadian Vaccine Manufacturer and a DNA Service. As Tempe keeps digging, slowly putting pieces together, she soon finds her own life in peril, as someone will stop at nothing to keep her from the truth...

This has probably been my most favorite Brennan novel yet! My interest was captured immediately, and I found the story to be fast-paced, suspenseful and difficult to put down, Filled, as always, with intrigue from the scientific world, along with the amazing advances in DNA technology, I found it very relevant and educational with regard to challenges facing the world today. While filled with scientific information, the author does a great job in explaining it in terms a layperson can understand, surrounded by a fascinating story. Well worth the read!!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & Scribner in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit Netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

My first Temperance Brennan book, THE BONE CODE, is every bit as good as I had been led to believe. Author Kathy Reichs is a strong, deliberate writer. Her use of language covers the ground from science to food, easily and smoothly. She is just as adept at describing her dinner choices as the latest technique for harvesting DNA, and readers benefit from her comfortable touch. The main character is winning and delightful. I’ve only watched the TV show a few times but admit the book was much, much better. This is definitely a more intellectual mystery than a thriller and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I also loved the locations, North Carolina and Montreal, two of my favorite places.

Temperance Brennan believes two bodies found in North Carolina may be linked to an old, yet similar case, from Canada. She sets out to determine if that is true while learning about other cases while she waits. This is a very good book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is the twentieth book in the series and in the Bone Code, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan juggles several cases between North Carolina and Montreal. While solving complex cases, she must also prepare for a possible hurricane heading toward the Carolinas. Like Tempe, the author has also worked as a forensic anthropologist in both North Carolina and Montreal at the same time. Her experience is evident in the many details about how Tempe is able to solve crimes by examining the bones of the victims. Sometimes all the details are a little too much and slow the pace of the story, but definitely provide for a very authentic look at this profession.

I like the character of Tempe (so much more in the novels than the television show “Bones”) and really like that she is together with Andrew Ryan, a former Quebec homicide detective and now a private investigator. Her friend Anne can be hard to take sometimes and it was strange that the subplot regarding a death mask was handled almost entirely by Anne. There was enough going on this book that I think this whole storyline could have been left out.

Overall, I like the way Reichs tells a story. Most of the chapters end on mini-cliffhangers that help keep your interest throughout the book. The way Tempe is able to tie together a cold case in Montreal from years ago to a current case in the U.S. is fascinating. However, the timing of an important part of the plot was bad timing for me. With recent events going on in the world, reading about a mysterious bacteria making people ill and issues with vaccines was not an entertaining topic for me. Excluding that aspect, The Bone Code is another well-written book by Reichs in a series I really enjoy.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Scribner. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

The Bone Code follows Temperance Brennan as she attempts to solve not one but two cold cases with identical MOs in Charleston and Montreal. 15 yrs ago Brennan worked a case where two bodies where found washed up in a storage container together. Eventually the case went cold and no ids where ever made. Now 15yrs later after a hurricane blew through Charleston, another storage container washed up with two bodies inside. Now, with any luck, using advances made with scientific research, Brennan hopes to ID the newest victims as well as the cold case.

I’m a huge Kathy Reichs fan and I love her style! I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I love the realness with her stories and scientific jargon. It’s so much more realistic and gritty and not flashy just for quick thrills. Temperance Brennan also happens to be one of my favorite literary characters. She’s a scientific bad A and a strong individual. Plus, it isn’t a Brennan novel if there isn’t help from detective Andrew Ryan both professionally and personally. A very solid read especially for book #20 in a long running series. 4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The latest installment in the Temperance Brennan series, The Bone Code involves a blast from the past as a new case Tempe catches in North Carolina brings back memories of an unsolved murder she and Ryan worked in Montreal 15 years earlier. She ping pongs between the U.S. and Canada as she works to discover how (or if) the two cases are indeed connected.

I always enjoy a new Bones book (although I have to say, I hardly associate these books with the TV show because they are so different)! I thought the secondary mystery/investigation in this story was unnecessary and it somewhat distracted from the main plot, but overall it was a good read. There's not much character development, but perhaps that's not too surprising for the 20th book in a series. I'm still looking forward to more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The twentieth installment in Kathy Reichs's beloved Temperance Brennan series, The Bone Code follows Tempe as she assists in investigating a mysterious murder in South Carolina that is chillingly similar to a murder she investigated 15 years ago in Montreal. Meanwhile, in a post-COVID world, a new disease called Capno is causing turmoil across the nation...

There were a lot of things to enjoy about this book. Getting to be back in Tempe's world, an intriguing mystery, lots and lots to learn about forensics and vaccines and genetics, and even the development of the working relationship between Tempe and Vislosky, the detective on the SC case.

Overall, though, I really struggled through this book. The first 25% was painfully slow, with not much happening regarding the mystery other than Tempe looking at the bodies once. When it did eventually pick up, as leads were discovered and progress happened on the two cases, the novel's tension became difficult to take seriously, as Tempe began having these lightbulb moments or being shown something important to the case right at the end of the chapter, and wouldn't let us readers in on what it was until the next chapter. Rather than leaving me with bated breath, this heavily fabricated suspense left me nothing but frustrated.

Although Temperance Brennan isn't a super young character at this point, I didn't expect this book to read so out-of-touch old. There were attempts to poke fun at the differences between Tempe's age and habits and that of the youths of the modern era, but rather than lighthearted and fun, these moments just felt awkward and a little sad, and demonstrated a gross misunderstanding of the modern teenager. Especially in one particular scene, in which Tempe is tasked with deciphering the slang in a Gen Z teen's diary. The diary itself hardly read in an authentic modern teen voice, which lent even less authenticity to Tempe's attempts to break down what the teen was trying to communicate.

Another point to bear in mind, should you intend on reading this book, is that it leans heavily into science. Personally, that's something I enjoyed, however long exchanges about genetic theory and vaccine creation might not be everyone's cup of tea.

The last quarter of the book, as with any mystery, is where I really felt my overall reading experience improve. There was real tension as I tried to put together the pieces of the puzzle alongside our leading lady. There were moments where I saw something bad coming, and I was on the edge of my seat practically yelling at the book as if I could save her. And I did quite enjoy the way all the different threads of the mystery were ultimately wrapped up, even threads I might not have considered as pieces of the greater whole.

Tempe Brennan still works in both Montreal and South Carolina. She is going to visit her friend Anna on the Isle of Palms off the coast of South Carolina when she gets a call from Charleston that a medical waste container with two decomposed bodies has washed up from storm. The bodies are wrapped in plastic and bound with electrical wire just as in a case she had in Quebec 15 years earlier. Tempe goes to Charleston morgue, and finds an older woman waiting to see her. Polly Beecraft had a twin sister who died last year, and Polly has been clearing out her house. She has pictures of her and her twin when they graduated from High School, and her grandmother and the grandmother's twin sister at a similar age. They all look exactly alike! The grandmother's twin disappeared in 1888 in Paris. Polly has found a death mask which looks very much like the two sets of twins. Tempe is working with Policewoman Vislosky on the washed up bodies. Meanwhile, people in South Carolina are suddenly getting a new strange flesh eating disease.

Tempe goes back to Montreal to be with her significant other, retired policeman Ryan, who often works with her on cases. Tempe asks for permission to exhume the bodies found 15 years before so she can try to get some DNA to see if there are any connections. She finds that the older girl in Charleston is related to the woman in Montreal. With more detecting, they find that the woman in Montreal was Melanie Chalamet and the child was her daughter Ella, who was 10. Melanie had worked at InnoVax, a biotech company that made vaccines, and one of the girls in the Charleston container was related to a man with a company called GeneFree which did Genetic tests in South Carolina.

Soon Tempe realizes that there may be connections between InnoVax and GeneFree and their directors; they may be doing something illegal; and that Tempe is learning enough to put her in a very dangerous position.

The book gets difficult to put down as the plot evolves with a lot of tension and excitement and danger as Tempe solves all the cases, including the how the strange disease got started in humans.

The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs is the quintessential page-turner with disturbingly timely topics.

I loved the pace of this novel. With short sentences, a good deal of natural dialogue, and relatively short chapters, the pages fly by at a good clip. Even though I was not familiar with many medical terms, this did not slow the story down. Enough information is provided that I easily felt I could keep moving without pausing to look anything up or understand it better. The only technique that I am still unsure of is leaving each chapter with a cliffhanger. It annoyed me at first, though I became more used to it as the book went along.

I had never read a Temperance Brennan mystery before this one, though I thought about it many times as I was a big fan of the tv series Bones. I found the Temperance Brennan character in the novel to be much more relatable than the screen version. They are so different. It is like two different characters that happen to share a name and profession. Andrew Ryan, her significant other, is much more like his TV counterpart Booth personality-wise, even though the names are different, locations are different, and the specifics of their careers are different. I like both versions of Tempy, though for vastly different reasons.

I also loved the setting, as Brennan works in Charlotte, NC (right in my backyard, so to speak), and she investigated a crime in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, which is not far from where I vacation every summer. This familiarity just pulled me right in. The third setting in the book is Montreal which I am not as familiar with, so I enjoyed learning more about Canada.

The book refers to the Covid pandemic, and one of the interesting hang-ups in Brennan’s case is that the law enforcement and forensics are dealing with a strange outbreak of a disease that can only be passed from pets to humans and is very rare. Because they are so busy trying to control the disease, they cannot process Brennan’s findings promptly as she would like. This all brings the story right into our time and makes it feel that more believable.

To Read or Not to Read
The Bone Code is a great thriller to enjoy this summer whether you are new to the series, as I am, have been a long-time fan, or have not picked up one of the books in this series for a while. It works very well as a standalone novel or as the newest piece in the series’ puzzle.