Title: Break No Bones
Author: Kathy Reichs
Series: Temperance Brennan, #9
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblatt
Published: July 2006, Recorded Books
Length: 10 hours 30 minutes
Source: Library
Following the
tremendous success of “Cross Bones, “Kathy Reichs explores another
high-profile topic in Break No Bones — a case that lands forensic
anthropologist Temperance Brennan in the middle of a gruesome
international scheme. Summoned to South Carolina to fill in for a
negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching a lackluster archaeology
field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground on the
Charleston shore. But when Tempe stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among
the ancient bones, her old friend Emma Rousseau, the local coroner,
persuades her to stay on and help with the investigation. When Emma
reveals a disturbing secret, it becomes more important than ever for
Tempe to help her friend close the case.The body count begins to
climb. An unidentified man is found hanging from a tree deep in the
woods. Another corpse shows up in a barrel. There are mysterious nicks
on bones in several bodies, and signs of strangulation. Tempe follows
the trail to a free street clinic with a belligerent staff, a suspicious
doctor, and a donor who is a charismatic televangelist. Clues abound in
the most unlikely places as Tempe uses her unique knowledge and skills
to build her case, even as the local sheriff remains dubious and her own
life is threatened.Tempe’s love life is also complicated. Ryan,
her current flame, has come down to visit her from Montreal, and Pete,
her former husband, is investigating the disappearance of a local woman
— and he and Tempe are staying in the same borrowed beach house. Ryan
and Pete compete for her attentions, and Tempe finds herself more
distracted by her feelings for both men than she expected.“Break
No Bones” is a smart, taut thriller featuring the kind of high-stakes
crime that makes the headlines every week. Reichs, the inspiration for
the hit FOX TV show Bones, is writing at the top of her form, and Tempe
has never been more compelling.
***Short & Sweet Reviews
are short, quick reviews. These will mainly be used for series books
where I have already done full reviews on some of the earlier books or
for books that I feel will suffice with a quick review. These will not
be used for review requests or blog tours.
My thoughts: This was another good installment in the Temperance Brennan series. Despite being a bit behind in the series, I love that I am able to pick up the next book rather quickly, rather than having to wait a whole year…and I’m hoping to be totally caught up by the time next year’s book comes out!
What I loved about this book was that I felt there was a fairly even balance between the casework and Tempe’s personal life. Tempe is called to South Carolina to fill in at a field school when the students come across recent remains at the burial site. As she digs a little deeper and more bones begin to appear, she realizes this case has become bigger than she anticipated.
On the personal front, Pete, Tempe’s ex, shows up in South Carolina and ends up bunking with her at the beach house she’s staying at. Being in close quarters makes her realize that her feelings aren’t quite as resolved towards Pete as she thought. And when her boyfriend Ryan shows up, things become further complicated and stressful for all. Quite the predicament for Tempe and it only gets further complicated when Pete is shot.
With a pace that moves fairly quickly and an interesting case, plus the romantic troubles that Tempe finds herself in, this book kept me hooked and eager to see how it would play out on all levels. It was a new angle for this series and I quite enjoyed it! Can’t wait for the next one!!!
Audio thoughts: I’m so glad to hear Barbara Rosenblatt narrate again…she narrated an earlier book and I really enjoyed her narration. She does a good job with the voices and her pacing is good. As I’ve said in earlier reviews of this series, my only complaint has been that there’s been no consistency with the narrator. They’ve all been good, but it would be nice to have one consistent narrator for a series.
Books in this series:
- Deja Dead 12. 206 Bones
- Death du Jour 13. Spider Bones
- Deadly Decisions 14. Flash & Bones
- Fatal Voyage 15. Bones are Forever
- Grave Secrets 15.5 Bones in Her Pocket
- Bare Bones 16. Bones of the Lost
- Monday Mourning 16.5 Swamp Bones
- Cross Bones 17. Bones Never Lie
- Break No Bones 17.5 Bones on Ice
- Bones to Ashes 18. Speaking in Bones
- Devil Bones
