This mystery thriller is Book 23 of Kathy Reichs’ series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. If you have read any of the books in the series, you know she is single, has a boyfriend {who plays a minimal role in this book, acting mostly as a soundboard], and investigates human remains at crime scenes when the flesh of the victim is too degraded for evidence to be uncovered by a coroner. Fire and Bones involves an arson investigation in Washington D.C. There is a history of a neighborhood that goes back to the thirties and forties and a building that was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and criminals. New characters include a telejournalist and her boyfriend and a police detective. Tempe learns about the building’s ownership which leads her to the investigation of the murder of the son of one of the gang members as well as the investigation of the burning of a second building also linked to the gang.
I found the mystery and twists and turns to be passable. There was only one scene when Brennen actually does an autopsy. Other colleagues do much of the forensic investigative work. Brennan takes on the role of researcher and detective. This series is interesting to me because of her part in the forensic fiction. And it was sorely missed. The outcome was fairy predictable, the motives of the murderers somewhat murky. Another case that Brennan is involve in is referred to but I did not find it well explained and just seemed an unnecessary diversion. I was perplexed by certain events: a character at the fire scene who is well introduced but then just disappears, the telejournist who is key to the story but leaves town, a gun aimed at Brennan’s head but no action to follow. Did the man with the gun just leave? Did Brennen call the police? The story just segues to new events.
I also found some of the dialogue disconcerting. “Moi hoping,”“chocolate skin,” “old coot,” “sweet Christ on a pickle.”
The book seems to have a strong attraction to product placement.I don’t believe that I have ever read a book with more specific brands or services mentioned rather than just using a generic product name. Just some in the text include Walmart,, Petco, Sunoco, Kit-Kat bars, Hokas, Febreze, Safeway, TJ Maxx, Louis Vuitton, Herman Miler, Montblanc, Eames Lounge Chairs and Camel cigarettes.
The use of precursors “within hours that view would be prove correct” at the end of passages were distracting and unnecessary. A character who was watching Bones on TV seemed contrived and a reference to Spy vs Spy was just corny.
All in all, the story had good dialogue, good descriptive phrases and strong background information. It was an interesting mystery but the characters were weakly drawn and there was a lack of cohesion. The conclusion was well rounded and satisfying,

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Kathy Reichs. I loved Bones when I watched it throughout my younger years and I will absolutely still get wrapped up in it if it’s on. She’s fantastic at hooking you in and keeping your interest. One more chapter isn’t a thing with her, it’s more like read until you fall asleep because the chapters end with little hooks. I don’t love it stylistically, once I realized what was happening it was mildly repetitive in a way. The plot was great, I was constantly trying to guess who did what and how (I never got any of it right except knowing the sleezeball was in fact a sleezeball), and the historical aspect was really interesting. I wished the historical aspect had tied in a bit more to the main story, but it was still a nice touch. The characters are interesting and very well fleshed out (to be expected in a series) and we can easily see motives and why people are how they are in this book.

All in all I give it a 3.75⭐️ because while it hooked me quickly, the stylistic repetitiveness of the mini cliffhangers grated on my nerves for some reason. And also the historical aspect not fully tying in like I was hoping. It was a great book, but I expected more than what it was and was MILDLY disappointed.

Just about to leave on a weekend trip with her boyfriend Ryan, Temperance finds herself heading to Washington, DC to help a reporter friend of her daughter who is investigating a fatal fire. It is in Foggy Bottom in an old building that was housing an illegal Airbnb. Thinking her help will be short lived, she promised Ryan that the trip is still on. But, as is her normal practice, she becomes totally caught up in the victim identification and investigation. Ryan gets angry and quits returning her calls. Temperance tenaciously pursues the truth and once again places herself in peril. Well written with enough twists and turns to keep the reader on edge, Kathy Reich’s 23rd entry in the series is a tense ride. I was gifted with an advanced copy from NetGalley but the opinion is totally mine.

Tempe is planning a weekend away with her love Ryan when she is awakened in the night by her daughter with a request. Would she give an interview to her friend Ivy on a building fire, an old building in Foggy Bottom DC, where people had been trapped inside and died. Tempe reluctantly agrees and does a Zoom interview the next morning. While she is packing, her phone rings yet again, and her stomach falls. She reluctantly answers and its the ME in DC needing Tempe to come and help with the recovery of the bodies and the identification of them since visual ID is not possible.Tempe tries, really tries, to get out of it so she and Ryan can spend time together, but it just doesn't work and so the ME says she will arrange for a plane ticket. However, its a holiday weekend and there's a huge event also going on and so no flights available, so Tempe not only has to tell Ryan their time together has been derailed, bit she now has to drive. Which she does, only to get there and learn she has no promised hotel room! What more could possibly go wrong?!? Don't ask! If there is ever a Murphy's Law case book, its this one! She helps recover the number of !issing, presumed dead, and then finds another! But this last one is much older and sets Tempe and Ivy on quite the squirrel chase, down so many twisty, curvy lanes, one can really get lost! Eventually, Tempe finds herself at the end of a gun held by a mad woman with a decades old grudge and all the ties come together! With a chinchilla too! Wow! What a read!

What a way to return a favor! Bilingual forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is planning a romantic getaway to Savannah with long time partner Andrew Ryan when the call comes. It’s her daughter Kate. She wants her mother to help Washington journalist Ivy Doyle with a case. Before Tempe can refuse, Kate says “She saved my life” and Savannah is cancelled.

There has been a deadly fire in Washington’s historic Foggy Bottom district. Four renters are dead and Tempe’s skills are needed to identify them. This may have been arson related to one of the victims. As Tempe tries to pinpoint the location of the bodies before the building partially collapsed, she fins a hidden basement and another body, murdered decades earlier. Tempe and Ivy learn that the building was once owned by gang members and bootleggers. How does a crime spree in the 1930s relate to arson today?

Fire and Bones is another surefire bestseller for Kathy Reichs. The 23rd in this series, it’s as fresh and captivating as the first. Who else can combine mystery, romance and rotting bodies? 5 stars, bien sûr.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner and Kathy Reichs for this ARC.

Our favorite forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is ready for some desperately needed time off with her long-distance love interest... none other than Andrew Ryan .(Just goes by Ryan😉) A former detective with the Quebec Provincial Police, now self-employed as a private investigator.

But hold up, Tempe. Being the best in your field can come with a hefty price. Your services are always in big demand. And you being who you are…well, you just can’t say no.

Sorry Ryan… romance will need to be shelved for the immediate future.

So now who’s in desperate need of Tempe’s services?
A fire in Washington DC has left at least four un-identified dead and not one clue how the fire started.

Gas up the car Tempe, next stop…the nation’s capital.

I adore Tempe’s character. Fiercely independent and professional. But she also has a quirky side that’s both fun and a bit snarky. A perfect combination!

I’ve always said my favorite books in the series are the ones that are Canadian-based and I proudly stand by that statement! In my mind, this series just doesn’t hold up as well south of the border…whether it’s Charlotte NC or Washington DC. (It’s just a me thing…EH!)💁🏻‍♀️

Still, all in all, another great addition to one of my favorite long running series.

Hoping the next in the series will once again cross over into 🇨🇦

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner

Kathy Reichs does it again!

This time Tempe is called to DC to work a fire scene. The building was being operated as an illegal AirBnb so she works with the fire investigator and detective to look into the backgrounds of the people staying there. As she goes deeper into the history of the house and neighborhood the picture becomes clearer.

Tempe works with TV reporter and her daughter's friend, Ivy Doyle, who has an interesting story of her own. They go back in history investigating the Foggy Bottom Gang.

Edge of your seat thrilling, fast paced installment of Temperance Brennan's new case.

Oh, I really enjoyed this latest entry in the series!

Tempe is fantastic – funny, capable, and still getting herself into some dangerous situations.

The story does get a little grotesque at times – especially given the subject matter – but it’s also fascinating. I really wanted to know what was going on and was very surprised by the who and why of everything!

A hugely entertaining read and I didn’t want to come up for air until the last page.

• ARC via Publisher

I loved it! I pre-ordered this as early as I could. This series has been a favorite of mine since the start. Tying DNA and genealogy together is fascinating. As always, Temperance's smart and saucy humor is unexpected and funny and it's a good thing she keeps it in her head most times. Excellent author.

Another amazing Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan novel. I swear these books get better with each new installment. I literally read this book in one sitting on a rainy day. Cannot wait to recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Mysteries and unexplained deaths.

I loved this addition to this series. I loved the unspooling of this mystery while I followed the clues along with Tempe. The story had the perfect mix of humor, history, gravitas, drama, intrigue, mystery, danger, mistakes, surprises, and real life issues.Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist in Charlotte, NC. A romantic weekend is derailed when Tempe agrees to help identify remains from a suspicious fire at an illegal Airbnb in DC. A quick trip before going back to her romantic plans ends up taking much longer and she begins doing what she always does, following the story to help find closure for the dead she attends to. This time she teams up with a reporter, Ivy Doyle, who is a friend of Tempe’s daughter, Katy. As Tempe, with the help Ivy and the police and arson investigators, pulls thread after thread to identify the culprit along with an unknown victim the suspense and danger ramps up. The further the story got, the harder it was to put down and the more invested I was in the outcome. As long as this author keeps writing them, I’ll keep reading these books. 4.5 stars.

This is the 23rd in the Temperance Brennan “Bones” series. Temperance is a forensic anthropologist who works both in North Carolina and Quebec. In this story, she is asked to come to Washington DC to help identify bodies that burned in a fire in an illegal AirBnB in Foggy Bottom. She is reluctant at first because she does not particularly like working with burn victims and she is about to leave on a vacation with long time lover, Ryan.

As she investigates, with the assistance of her daughter’s reporter friend, Ivy, she learns that the residence was used by the Foggy Bottom Gang for nefarious purposes in the 1930s and 40s. When another nearby structure burns and a descendent of the Gang is murdered, the mystery and the danger deepen. Of course, Tempe cannot help herself from probing further.

I enjoy Reichs’ writing. It is intelligent and she has a clever way with words. A good sense of humor comes through in Tempe’s witty observations. I always learn some new information from her novels, whether it be in the area of forensic pathology or something related to the plot.Reichs is a master at building up suspense at the end of each chapter with a tease that makes the reader want jump into the next one.

I think I have read all of the books in the “Bones” series, however, each one works as a stand alone. While this might not have been the strongest plot in the series, it still made for an engrossing read. I look forward to the next one!

I'm a huge fan of the Tempe Brennan books and I eagerly look forward to the new ones. This was ok but hours after I finished it, I have to think about what happened with the two key mysteries. It's a "traveling" story, so not set in either Charlotte or Montreal, so light on the usual supporting characters and the new characters just don't pop. It's a quick read with the resolutions to both mysteries coming in very fast and third late breaking mystery being very transparent. It just wasn't as compelling as so many from this series are.

I received an advance copy from net galley and publisher to review.

Fire and Bones started so well with a young woman trapped in a burning building. Tempe is asked for her professional analysis and foregoes a planned romantic weekend with Ryan to investigate the arson-caused death of the four D. C. victims. I was expecting a thriller where Tempe collaborates with investigators to establish the pathology and motive for the death of five victims, one who was buried in a basement decades earlier. However the story turned into a cozy mystery with few thrills.
Tempe teams with an investigative reporter delving into the history of the building and gang rivalries. The reporter leaves town in the last quarter of the book so Tempe goes solo on the investigation. The conclusion depends on deus ex machina and luck. The final chapter neatly wraps up the identity of the buried body, a case Tempe left hanging in Atlanta, and her tempestuous romance with Ryan.
I have always enjoyed Reichs' writing, and the first person POV for Tempe. Unfortunately in Fire and Bones the use of "if I had known..." and "more on that later" is a narrative distraction.
Fire and Bones is a departure from the long history of the Tempe Brennan novels. Am I disappointed in the story? Yes. Do I look forward to the next novel? You betcha! Because a C-level Bones book is still better than the majority of this year's stories.
Thank you NatGalley for the ARC. This review is independent.

I have long loved this series from way back in the beginning and loved the progression over time of main character. Kathy Reichs is a master storyteller.
This book was good with a propulsive plot. Revolving around arson . I loved the setting in DC
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this great book

The following review was published on Goodreads on 05.20.24:

I love the Tempe Brennan series, so it's no surprise that I very much enjoyed this newest installment. Our heroine is an always-appealing main character who narrates her story with intelligence and humor. Her devotion to finding answers about the victims she examines is what always shines through in these books. Although FIRE AND BONES doesn't seem to have as many forensic details as some of the other installments in this series, I always appreciate that Tempe/Reichs explains the science in a way that is approachable for the average reader without ever sounding condescending.

The Washington, D.C., setting makes FIRE AND BONES stand out from its fellows. It's a fun departure that helped me learn about our capitol's colorful history while offering a new stomping ground for Tempe. There are some entertaining characters in the book who made me laugh (Roy, Ronan, and their granny really do steal the show). Short, punchy chapters and a swiftly-moving plot keep things cooking right along. While FIRE AND BONES may not be quite as serious or edge-of-your-seat thrilling as some of the previous Tempe books, it nevertheless kept me fully engaged. In fact, this is one of my favorite installments so far. I zipped through it because I couldn't put it down.

My only real complaint about FIRE AND BONES is that Ryan isn't in it much. I miss him as a central character.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, unputdownable thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself at the center of a Washington, DC, arson investigation that spawns deepening levels of mystery and, ultimately, violence!! Good book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had murder, mystery, suspense, action, intrigue, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Temperance Brennan is another one of my favorite characters.
This is a great series.
The story starts out a little slow but quickly picks up. Who started the fire in an illegal BNB?
Who are the victims? Follow along as Temperance digs to find out.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

. Another enjoyable book by Kathy Reichs. I enjoyed getting to know this cast of characters, and characters they are! I flew through this book and was sad to reach the end. I’ll be waiting with bated breath for the next one

Fire and Bones
By Kathy Reichs
Pub date: 6 Aug 2024
• Another terrific novel by a consummate storyteller
• Interesting, clever, complicated and funny main character with a dry wit and entertaining sense of humor
• This story lacks the thrills of her previous work, but succeeds in sucking you into her newest adventure and mystery
• Well written with enduring and masterful development of characters that come alive on the page
• The iconic Temperance Brennan breezes through this latest mystery as she uncovers the act of deadly arson and buried motives