Post by Charlynn on Jan 21, 2014 19:12:42 GMT -5
Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs
Is there a death more disturbing than that of a child? This is what Temperance Brennan must confront in Bones are Forever. After discovering the corpses of three dead infants, she and Detective Andrew Ryan travel to Edmonton where they believe their suspect - the babies' mother - was once a prostitute and where she has fled to once again. There, they discover a fourth dead child... and just so happen to be paired up with an old flame of Tempe's. To say the working relationship between Ryan and Ollie Hasty (Royal Mounted Police) is strained is an understatement. To further complicate the case, their suspect has several different aliases and runs off once again, this time going to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories - mining country.
When the suspect's reported pimp follows this ragtag group north, the investigation becomes overshadowed by a drug war. In trying to wade through the various crimes and players in order to determine what and who are actually related to their case, Brennan and Ryan find themselves pulled into an old murder case that was dismissed as accidental, an environmental fight, and the dangerous business of diamonds. If these mines of precious gems aren't enough to contend with, then there's always Brennan and Ryan's personal history and their daughters' drama as well. Combined, this case quickly becomes a slippery slope capable of felling even the most confident of professionals. Before it can be solved, it must be survived, no easy feat.
Bones are Forever is the fifteenth book in Reichs' Temperance Brennan series, and, thankfully, it falls into the one of the two possible categories that always makes the story more compelling: it's set in Canada. Canada means Detective Andrew Ryan, the series' second most important and interesting character. While he can be mentioned and has even appeared in North Carolina set books, this isn't always guaranteed, and his absence is always felt deeply. This is because, of all the series' supporting characters, Ryan shares the richest, most complicated history with Brennan. Plus, he always adds a spark of sex when present, and when is that ever a bad thing?
But Canada also presents Reichs with the opportunity to share of places and words (French) less explored by readers, setting those novels apart from their American contemporaries (both those by Reichs herself and others who pen scientific procedural mysteries). As for this story itself, it further upped the unfamiliar ante by focusing on the often ignored indigenous culture of Northern Canada. Also, as previously mentioned, the list of victims in this case is topped with the four innocent lives of dead babies. The deaths of children are always more poignant, and this makes for a more haunting, more passionate read. While, obviously, the goal is always for the murderer to be apprehended, this is even more so the case when children are involved, ratcheting up the characters' determination and the readers' investment. This is certainly the case in Bones are Forever, resulting in Reichs' strongest outing in several recent novels.
3 out of 5 Stars
Is there a death more disturbing than that of a child? This is what Temperance Brennan must confront in Bones are Forever. After discovering the corpses of three dead infants, she and Detective Andrew Ryan travel to Edmonton where they believe their suspect - the babies' mother - was once a prostitute and where she has fled to once again. There, they discover a fourth dead child... and just so happen to be paired up with an old flame of Tempe's. To say the working relationship between Ryan and Ollie Hasty (Royal Mounted Police) is strained is an understatement. To further complicate the case, their suspect has several different aliases and runs off once again, this time going to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories - mining country.
When the suspect's reported pimp follows this ragtag group north, the investigation becomes overshadowed by a drug war. In trying to wade through the various crimes and players in order to determine what and who are actually related to their case, Brennan and Ryan find themselves pulled into an old murder case that was dismissed as accidental, an environmental fight, and the dangerous business of diamonds. If these mines of precious gems aren't enough to contend with, then there's always Brennan and Ryan's personal history and their daughters' drama as well. Combined, this case quickly becomes a slippery slope capable of felling even the most confident of professionals. Before it can be solved, it must be survived, no easy feat.
Bones are Forever is the fifteenth book in Reichs' Temperance Brennan series, and, thankfully, it falls into the one of the two possible categories that always makes the story more compelling: it's set in Canada. Canada means Detective Andrew Ryan, the series' second most important and interesting character. While he can be mentioned and has even appeared in North Carolina set books, this isn't always guaranteed, and his absence is always felt deeply. This is because, of all the series' supporting characters, Ryan shares the richest, most complicated history with Brennan. Plus, he always adds a spark of sex when present, and when is that ever a bad thing?
But Canada also presents Reichs with the opportunity to share of places and words (French) less explored by readers, setting those novels apart from their American contemporaries (both those by Reichs herself and others who pen scientific procedural mysteries). As for this story itself, it further upped the unfamiliar ante by focusing on the often ignored indigenous culture of Northern Canada. Also, as previously mentioned, the list of victims in this case is topped with the four innocent lives of dead babies. The deaths of children are always more poignant, and this makes for a more haunting, more passionate read. While, obviously, the goal is always for the murderer to be apprehended, this is even more so the case when children are involved, ratcheting up the characters' determination and the readers' investment. This is certainly the case in Bones are Forever, resulting in Reichs' strongest outing in several recent novels.
3 out of 5 Stars