As she recalls the warning from her youth, Tempe wonders what caused the lesions on the bone structure. At the same time Ryan investigates three cold cases involving missing teenage girls eventually found dead with the same scenario as that of the Jane Doe that Tempe feels is Evangeline. Both think their cases are the result of the same serial killer and share the fear factor that this predator still operates freely after all these years.

Tempe’s tenth forensic whodunit is a superb investigative thriller that hooks the audience from the first moment that the heroine begins her inquiry. The fast-paced story line is action-packed with the two subplots tied together as much by the investigations as it is the relationship. No one plays with Bones better than Kathy Reichs does as the latest Temperance Brennan cold case mysteries retains the series trademark of fresh suspense enhanced by the latest forensic breakthroughs.

Harriet Klausner

Rating: 5 / 5

Dr. Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, is working several cases at once. Detective Andrew Ryan (sometime love interest) fears that a serial killer might be murdering teenaged girls. Ryan has a dead body, several recent unidentified dead girls, as well as several missing persons. Another colleague who specializes in cold cases, Hippolyte Gallant, asks Brennan to check out a set of bones found in New Brunswick. Brennan had a childhood friend from New Brunswick who would summer at Pawley’s Island, SC where Brennan and her family also vacationed. But her friend, Evangeline Landry, disappeared suddenly one summer without a trace. Brennan has a gut feeling that the bones might belong to Evangeline. In Bones to Ashes, Brennan finds herself investigating leper colonies in Canada as well as makers of kiddie porn.

There are a number of things that bothered me about Bones to Ashes. First, Brennan’s sister, Harry, is totally obnoxious and will interfere with Brennan’s cases without concern for safety or protocol. She’s way too over the top. The love triangle (Tempe-Ryan-Pete) kind of fizzles in this book. And the plot is just a little too far-fetched. Why Brennan would think unknown bones from New Brunswick would be Evangeline’s is just way too much of a stretch. Also, why doesn’t Reichs provide us with a map of the Canadian Maritimes so that we know where some of the action is taking place?

But despite these criticisms, I still enjoyed Bones to Ashes and Reichs really knows her forensic anthropology (as well she should). You can just picture yourself in a lab with Brennan. Reichs describes how she boils the soft tissue off bones in “submersion baskets, the kind used to deep-fry potatoes or fish…Heat the water to just below boiling, add enzyme detergent to minimize grease, stir. The recipe’s a hit every time. Unless the bones are too fragile, of course. Then it’s hand laundry all the way.”

When an author has a series, it’s almost impossible for every book to be top notch. With Bones to Ashes, Reichs provides us with a mystery that is still better than average.

Rating: 3 / 5