Scan barcode
A review by hmgelo02
206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
3.0
I've been reading Kathy Reich's books for about seven years now, ever since I discovered the first three or four in our library. Every year since then I've kept an eye out for the next book in her Temperance Brennan series, because I enjoy reading them so much. Although I'm a serial reader - once I begin a series I generally want to read every one in order, without reading anything else in between - I like that these books can each stand on their own. Although they incorporate many of the same characters and she makes references to previous cases in her subsequent books, one does not need knowledge of the previous books to get invested in each new one. I love when an author can do that for his/her readers.
This book seemed much more straightforward to me than most of her previous books. There was much more science and investigating, and far fewer personal details. A new reader to Reich's books might not understand that her working relationship with the lead male is far deeper and much more convoluted than she lets on in this book. A new reader might not understand her work situation, which is a combination of living and working between her homes in Charlotte, NC and Quebec. I'm not sure if her choice to pull back from these aspects of Tempe's life are in response to reader feedback (more science, less personal drama?) or because she had a specific agenda in writing this novel.
In the epilogue, Reichs quotes her characters' final statements in response to the situation detailed within this novel. Mainly, that being trained within one aspect of forensics does not make one an expert in all areas. Or (in my own words) that watching every episode of CSI, NCIS, and the other acronymed TV shows does not make one any more of a crime scene expert than the actors playing them. I very much felt that with the writing of this book, Reichs was trying to make a point to that end... and I think she succeeded.
But for me, this novel fell short of her other others. Though it took Tempe almost the entirety of the book to "realize" the situation at hand, I picked up on it and predicted its outcome very early on. I missed the deeper interaction between the characters I've gotten to know, and I missed feeling her inner turmoil along with her. Although I very much enjoyed reading this book, I hope that in future ones she'll return to the more deeply layered and multifaceted aspects of Tempe.
This book seemed much more straightforward to me than most of her previous books. There was much more science and investigating, and far fewer personal details. A new reader to Reich's books might not understand that her working relationship with the lead male is far deeper and much more convoluted than she lets on in this book. A new reader might not understand her work situation, which is a combination of living and working between her homes in Charlotte, NC and Quebec. I'm not sure if her choice to pull back from these aspects of Tempe's life are in response to reader feedback (more science, less personal drama?) or because she had a specific agenda in writing this novel.
In the epilogue, Reichs quotes her characters' final statements in response to the situation detailed within this novel. Mainly, that being trained within one aspect of forensics does not make one an expert in all areas. Or (in my own words) that watching every episode of CSI, NCIS, and the other acronymed TV shows does not make one any more of a crime scene expert than the actors playing them. I very much felt that with the writing of this book, Reichs was trying to make a point to that end... and I think she succeeded.
But for me, this novel fell short of her other others. Though it took Tempe almost the entirety of the book to "realize" the situation at hand, I picked up on it and predicted its outcome very early on. I missed the deeper interaction between the characters I've gotten to know, and I missed feeling her inner turmoil along with her. Although I very much enjoyed reading this book, I hope that in future ones she'll return to the more deeply layered and multifaceted aspects of Tempe.