“I’d seen so much death. Corpses whole and partial, known and unknown. Lives ended in every conceivable manner. From the very old to the very young, male and female. At times cause was apparent, at other times a puzzle requiring prolonged assessment and all my acuity.”
The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with another suspense-filled forensic novel. This time she brings Dr Temperance Brennan to life in a different style!
The Bone Collection is Reichs’ first volume of collected short stories. These stories are craftily titled with bones in mind being Bones in Her Pocket, Swamp Bones, Bones on Ice and First Bones.
In First Bones, a prequel to Reichs’ very first novel, Déjá Dead, she at last reveals how Tempe became a forensic anthropologist. In this never-before-published story, Tempe recalls the case that lured her from a promising career in academia into the grim but addictive world of criminal investigation.
Three more stories take Tempe from the low country of the Florida Everglades, where she makes a grisly discovery in the stomach of an eighteen-foot Burmese python, to the heights of Mount Everest, where a frozen corpse is unearthed.
________________________
Reichs’ transition to writing short stories for the Tempe series was a smart move. The four short stories allow the reader to get a dose of the Tempe series in quick reads preferable for a flight across cities or that hectic week at work where you’re too drained to spend hours reading at night before bed.
The Bone Collection is a great addition to the Tempe series! While the length of the novels are reduced, the intensity of the stories are amplified. The stories are written with the same passion Reichs wrote the previous novels in the series and is surely evident in her writing.
If you’re a fan of thrillers with a twist, The Bone Collection is just the right novel for you. And even if you haven’t read the previous novels in the series, you should definitely start with this one. The short stories allow you to get a feel for Reichs’ writing and what to expect in other novels.
Looking for a great Christmas gift? Wow them with the gift of Kathy Reichs and Dr Temperance Brennan in The Bone Collection!
Recommended Reading:
Kathy Reichs – Déjá Dead [and follow-up novels / Tempe Brennan series]
Michael Connelly – The Lincoln Lawyer [Mickey Haller series]
James Patterson – Cross The Line [Alex Cross series]
Praise:
“I love Kathy Reichs – always scary, always suspenseful, and I always learn something” – Lee Child
Lotus Book Blog 
1 thought on “Review: The Bone Collection by Kathy Reichs [Penguin Random House]”