206 Bones by Kathy Reichs is the most recent addition to the annals of the adventures and misadventures of Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist. This is a must read for die-hard fans of the series. From the gripping, frightening, heart pounding opening lines, the tension is thick and the suspense is high.
In this installment the stakes are much higher than in previous Brennan novels. 206 Bones is not just about catching a brutal murderer of elderly women; the integrity and credibility of the Montreal medical examiner's office is also at stake as well as Brennan's own reputation, credibility, career, and eventually her life.
Brennan awakens in pitch black darkness and cold without any memory of how she got there or the past several days. She is unsure of how long she has been unconscious or how much time she has spent in captivity. Instead Brennan focuses on passing the time by working to free herself from her terrifying, dark tomb while reconstructing her memories of the events of the past few weeks in hopes of sussing out her captors.
In the previous weeks Detective Ryan and Dr. Brennan accompany a body to Chicago where Brennan is accused of mishandling the autopsy by an anonymous call made to the powerfully connected next of kin to the elderly female victim. Upon return to Montreal, more elderly female murder victims turn up and before long it is clear that not only is someone targeting Brennan's credibility, but that person is also targeting the reputations of other pathologists' in the office. On top of this issue is the suddenly toxic working atmosphere of the office thanks to an ambitious recent addition to the staff. Ryan and Brennan race to put a murderer behind bars while Brennan races to put together the pieces of the mystery of who is sabotaging work in the office and how it all connects to her current predicament of captivity.
Fans of both mystery thriller/suspense and the Brennan series will eagerly devour this gripping, suspenseful, frightening, high stakes page turner of a novel. It is available at the Matthews Public Library and upon request from Annville Free Library, Myerstown Community Library, Palmyra Public Library, and Richland Community Library.
--Reviewed by Ms. Angie
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