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Book Review of Bones Never Lie (Temperance Brennan, Bk 17)

Bones Never Lie (Temperance Brennan, Bk 17)
alterlisa avatar reviewed on + 335 more book reviews


This is the first book by Reichs that Ive read. I received a complimentary advance copy from the Random House Readers Circle program and decided what the heck, Id go ahead and read it even though it was book 17 in the series. Ive watched Bones for years but had held off reading the book series until the TV series was a done deal. I have, however, listened to two audio books in this series recently so had a picture of Tempe, Slidell, and Ryan in my head. After reading Bones Never Lie, Im setting out to read the first 16 books in this series as it was freaking awesome. These two different formats of the character Tempe Brennan are so totally different that I really hate that I did not pick up these books earlier. Other than at a very basic level are they similar, though I do think they complement each other very nicely.
I generally dont like to read a series of books while watching the TV show or movies neither will I read them out of order but these two are different enough that one will not ruin the other and this book was so entertaining that the order simply didnt matter. Yeah, you would know the backstory with Ryan but its really not necessary as Ryan has only a minor role in most of this book.
Reichs forensic details are not mind numbing and her characters are often witty and human in a way that makes them so credible. The murders takes place in Montreal, Vermont and Charlotte, NC and extend over 14 years. The suspected killer, Pomerleau (the only one who got away) nearly killed Brennan years earlier when she was working this case in Montreal and all signs point to her involvement again though there was a very nice twist that I definitely did not see coming. I get the feeling that you generally do not know who the killer is early on in these stories but with the surprise ending, this so worked. Once starting this book, I read it in one day as I could not stand to put it down. Each chapter just flowed so well into the next one that it was impossible to lay it aside. It was fast paced, scary and twisty enough to keep you reading long after you should have been in bed. Im so looking forward to starting this series from the beginning so I can enjoy many more hours with Tempe, Ryan, Slidell and Birdie. Its not often that you get a chance to start an ongoing series with such a fascinating cast and storylines.