Spider Bones - Kathy Reichs

I'm a big fan of Kathy Reichs'  'Bones' series. The books that is - not the television series. I watched it once, but it just didn't mesh with the image I had created in my head for Temp Brennan.

In the 13th book in the series, Spider Bones, Temp is called in to identify a body found in a plastic bag in a lake in Quebec. She does, but the prints come back to a American reported killed during the Vietnam war 40 years ago. She then heads off to Hawaii and the JPAC unit - dedicated to finding and bringing home all Americans that have gone missing in action or who were prisoners of war - to follow up.

As always, Reichs' writing is realistic and has the unmistakable ring of authenticity. And so it should - she herself is a forensic anthropologist with numerous credentials and accolades. Her writing style is effortless and the plot moves along quickly. Lots of foreshadowing kept me turning pages. However, the plot is fairly convoluted and multiple names are bandied about, so I did have to go back a few times to make sure I was keeping up with the numerous twists and turns. I think I've seen  one element of the final solution used as a element in another forensic novel, but can't think of which one. (And I don't want to mention what it is and provide a spoiler!)

A personal element is continued with a sub plot involving former lover Ryan and his daughter. Not my favourite of this series, but a really good read. And I still prefer her over another female author who pens a similar series.

Read an excerpt of Spider Bones.