Audiobook Review: Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs

Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Audio CD, Unabridged,
Temperance Brennan #15



My Review:


Another interesting installment in the Temperence Brennan series by Kathy Reichs. This one has Tempe back in Canada with Detective Ryan and also an old lover who she's not as thrilled to see. However her and Ryan have cooled it because of his relationship with his daughter so there's not much romance in this one. But that's okay there's enough suspense to keep this one moving. I like the Brennan/Ryan romance, but also was getting a little tired of the indecision which is still there, but I felt like the case is at the forefront of this book, with a little angst between the two of them still there. But the case is front and center so if that is what you come for in these books, then read it.

The plot was interesting. Dead babies are found and send Tempe, Ryan and Ollie Hasty (the old flame) across Canada looking for a missing woman who goes by different names. When they finally end up in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, the story really takes off. Lots of great twists and turns that Reichs is known for. Lots of trouble for Tempe to get into, she really never learns, but I still love to read about her and how her mind works as she solves the crimes and really gets to the heart of things. Tempe cares and that's what I really like about her. That part of her character shines through in this book and made it enjoyable for me even when I was a little lost in the details. The fact that she felt something would reel me back in and make me feel something and really care about the characters involved.

The setting was a little bland, but the mining history made things a little more interesting. Also some of the characters were a little so-so which is what brought my rating down a little, but again Tempe is the main character and she shines in this and that was what mattered in the end.

I listened to the audio and it's another winner. I love the reader, she does a wonderful job with the voices so I can tell the difference between the characters even when my mind is wandering a bit on some days (not the fault of the book, the fault of my busy life). I actually found this book held my attention pretty well most days. It had to, I would get a little confused by the different names and places if I didn't pay close attention. So if your mind wanders a lot when you listen to audios, the book version might be better.

I think the book worked overall. Was it one of the best in the series, probably not, but it's the 15th book, there are bound to be some that aren't as great as the others, but then again that is my opinion, you could read it and it might be your favorite. Yellowknife and it's residents may appeal to you more than they did to me. Is is still worth reading? Yes, it's a good book and if you enjoy the series then it's another good book in the series. Will I continue the series? Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love Tempe Brennan and will continue to read the books about her as long as Kathy Reichs writes them. So she still has a follower in me and Bones Are Forever is a good book. It has Tempe at her best, solving a crime, getting in trouble and caring about people, what more can you ask for?

My rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the FOX televison hit Bones, is at her brilliant best in a riveting novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan—a story of infanticide, murder, and corruption, set in the high-stakes, high-danger world of diamond mining. A woman calling herself Amy Roberts checks into a Montreal hospital complaining of uncontrolled bleeding. Doctors see evidence of a recent birth, but before they can act, Roberts disappears. Dispatched to the address she gave at the hospital, police discover bloody towels outside in a Dumpster. Fearing the worst, they call Temperance Brennan to investigate.

In a run-down apartment Tempe makes a ghastly discovery: the decomposing bodies of three infants. According to the landlord, a woman named Alma Rogers lives there. Then a man shows up looking for Alva Rodriguez. Are Amy Roberts, Alma Rogers, and Alva Rodriguez the same person? Did she kill her own babies? And where is she now?

Heading up the investigation is Tempe’s old flame, homicide detective Andrew Ryan. His counterpart from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is sergeant Ollie Hasty, who happens to have a little history with Tempe himself, which she regrets. This unlikely trio follows the woman’s trail, first to Edmonton and then to Yellowknife, a remote diamond-mining city deep in the Northwest Territories. What they find in Yellowknife is more sinister than they ever could have imagined.

Crackling with sexual tension, whip-smart dialogue, and the startling plot twists Reichs delivers so well, Bones Are Forever is the fifteenth thrilling novel in Reichs’s “cleverly plotted and expertly maintained series” (The New York Times Book Review). With the FOX series Bones in its eighth season and her popularity at its broadest ever, Kathy Reichs has reached new heights in suspenseful storytelling.

***I received this audiobook from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the audiobook for free.  ***