Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Scribner Books #partner, for the finished copy of Fire and Bones in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Scribner Books / Simon and Schuster Audio
Published: August 6, 2024
Summary:
It’s never easy working fire scenes.
Called to Washington, DC to analyse the victims of a mysterious arson attack, Tempe quickly finds her misgivings justified. The fire site is in Foggy Bottom, a neighbourhood with a colourful history, and as the pieces start falling into place, the property’s ownership becomes more and more suspicious.
Sensing a good story, Tempe teams up with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Delving into the past, the duo learns that back in the Thirties and Forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant – until the son of one of the gang members is shot dead at his farm in Virginia.
When another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim, what might have been coincidence starts to look more like targeted attacks. As she and Ivy dig deeper, Tempe’s instincts point towards the somehow, her every move since coming to Washington has been anticipated in advance. And every path forward brings with it a lethal threat.
My thoughts:
This is the 23nd book in the Temperance Brennan series and I love that this series has stayed the course. It’s a series that somehow always feels fresh and exciting for having gone on so long, and while some books have been better than others, this one was one of the better ones.
I’m always excited to be back in Tempe’s world and this one finds her heading to Washington, DC to help identity remains from a suspicious fire at an illegal Airbnb. Of course, the case is not as straightforward as she is initially led to believe and her quick trip ends up taking much longer as she starts doing what she always does – digging into what really happened. She is aided by reporter Ivy Doyle, who got her down there in the first place, and the police and arson squad. It’s not too long before things start getting too hot and the danger ramps up!
As usual, the book moves along at a rather fast pace, aided by the short chapters, most of which tend to end in mini-cliffhangers. This just begs you to keep reading because you need to find out what is going to happen next. For as long as this series has gone on, I love that each new book is so unique and different. I never feel that I am getting the same old case over and over again. But I also loved that as someone who has read the entire series and watched the show, Bones, there are some Easter Eggs scattered throughout!
There are a lot of moving parts to this story and the twists and turns it ends up taking really kept me on my toes. And I did appreciate the historical aspect this one had. While Tempe wasn’t really in the lab this time, we still get quite a bit of the forensics lingo from time to time and still see Tempe doing her thing! This is what I love most about the series – it’s so interesting, but never too high-brow!
I really do enjoy this series and will continue to read it for as long as it continues. While this can definitely be read as a stand-alone, I do recommend reading the series from the beginning – it’s so worth it!
Audio thoughts:
I love listening to this series on audio, especially with Linda Emonds as the narrator. She has narrated previous books in this series and does such a great job bringing Tempe to life. She really is very consistent with the voices, which to me, is important – it’s doesn’t matter how long it’s been since I’ve last listened to a book in this series, as soon as I start listening, I’m right back in the zone! That’s how good and unique her characterization is of the characters she does.
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