Thrillers & Suspense
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Cold, Cold Bones (21) (A Temperance Brennan Novel)
#1 New York Times bestselling thriller writer Kathy Reichs returns with her twenty-first novel of suspense featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan who, after receiving a box containing a human eyeball, uncovers a series of gruesome killings eerily reenacting the most shocking of her prior cases.
Winter has come to North Carolina and, with it, a drop in crime. Freed from a heavy work schedule, Tempe Brennan is content to dote on her daughter Katy, finally returned to civilian life from the army. But when mother and daughter meet at Tempe's place one night, they find a box on the back porch. Inside: a very fresh human eyeball.
GPS coordinates etched into the eyeball lead to a Benedictine monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits. Soon after, Tempe examines a mummified corpse in a state park, and her anxiety deepens.
There seems to be no pattern to the subsequent killings uncovered, except that each mimics in some way a homicide that a younger Tempe had been called in to analyze. Who or what is targeting her, and why?
Helping Tempe search for answers is detective Erskine "Skinny" Slidell, retired but still volunteering with the CMPD cold case unit-and still displaying his gallows humor. Also pulled into the mystery: Andrew Ryan, Tempe's Montreal-based beau, now working as a private detective.
Could this elaborately staged skein of mayhem be the prelude to a twist that is even more shocking? Tempe is at a loss to establish the motive for what is going on…and then her daughter disappears.
At its core, Cold, Cold Bones is a novel of revenge-one in which revisiting the past may prove the only way to unravel the present.
Winter has come to North Carolina and, with it, a drop in crime. Freed from a heavy work schedule, Tempe Brennan is content to dote on her daughter Katy, finally returned to civilian life from the army. But when mother and daughter meet at Tempe's place one night, they find a box on the back porch. Inside: a very fresh human eyeball.
GPS coordinates etched into the eyeball lead to a Benedictine monastery where an equally macabre discovery awaits. Soon after, Tempe examines a mummified corpse in a state park, and her anxiety deepens.
There seems to be no pattern to the subsequent killings uncovered, except that each mimics in some way a homicide that a younger Tempe had been called in to analyze. Who or what is targeting her, and why?
Helping Tempe search for answers is detective Erskine "Skinny" Slidell, retired but still volunteering with the CMPD cold case unit-and still displaying his gallows humor. Also pulled into the mystery: Andrew Ryan, Tempe's Montreal-based beau, now working as a private detective.
Could this elaborately staged skein of mayhem be the prelude to a twist that is even more shocking? Tempe is at a loss to establish the motive for what is going on…and then her daughter disappears.
At its core, Cold, Cold Bones is a novel of revenge-one in which revisiting the past may prove the only way to unravel the present.
Editorial Reviews
"Reichs is on an incredible streak...The writing is especially sharp here; the story is intense; and Tempe is at her snarky, brook-no-idiots, don't-mess-with-me best ... In this consistently satisfying series, rank this one near the top."
-Booklist (starred review)
"Reichs supplies a great hook, a double helping of homicides past and present, and all the meticulous forensic details and throwaway cliffhanger chapter endings you'd expect from this celebrated series."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Cold, Cold Bones is a thing of clever beauty-smart, scary, complicated, and engrossing from the first sentence. Kathy Reichs has written her masterpiece, a story that reminds us that the past is not quiet and never completely behind us."
-Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours and The Law of Innocence
"Cold, Cold Bones reanimates all the ghosts from Temperance Brennan's forensic past until they thoroughly haunt her present. Who or what is staging this grimly nostalgic murder spree? In Kathy Reich's deft hands, the question is given delicious urgency. This page-turning series never lets the reader down."
-Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author of Stay Close, Hold Tight, and Tell No One
"Masterfully constructed...The cold cases may be stacking up, but for Temperance Brennan, the real target is very close to home."
-J.A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to Lose
-Booklist (starred review)
"Reichs supplies a great hook, a double helping of homicides past and present, and all the meticulous forensic details and throwaway cliffhanger chapter endings you'd expect from this celebrated series."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Cold, Cold Bones is a thing of clever beauty-smart, scary, complicated, and engrossing from the first sentence. Kathy Reichs has written her masterpiece, a story that reminds us that the past is not quiet and never completely behind us."
-Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours and The Law of Innocence
"Cold, Cold Bones reanimates all the ghosts from Temperance Brennan's forensic past until they thoroughly haunt her present. Who or what is staging this grimly nostalgic murder spree? In Kathy Reich's deft hands, the question is given delicious urgency. This page-turning series never lets the reader down."
-Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author of Stay Close, Hold Tight, and Tell No One
"Masterfully constructed...The cold cases may be stacking up, but for Temperance Brennan, the real target is very close to home."
-J.A. Jance, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to Lose
Readers Top Reviews
Mature Readerbeach g
Starting in 2012 while our home was being remodeled, I’ve read every Temperance Brennan book, and this one did not disappoint. Every one has been a page turner. Thank you for keeping the story going.
Wanda Downs
What a great book. I enjoyed every sentence. A series of copy cat murders and an abduction and a missing daughter has dr Brennan in a full scale hunt for the culprit responsible. Now I have to anxiously await the next book.
Susan Vrabel-William
When a human eyeball shows up on Temperance Brennan's doorstep, it's only the beginning of a truly bizarre case. Someone is recreating murder scenarios from Tempe's past, from Montreal to Charlotte. Working with Erskine "Skinny" Slidell, Tempe unweaves the stranger case. Who would want to revisit her old crime scenes? And why??? The answer, when it comes, is surprising, as Tempe and Slidell race to find this weird killer, and to find Katy, Tempe's incommunicado daughter.
Lois L. Voncannon
I am a rabid reader of Kathy Reichs books! I used to be of Patricia Cornwell until she left out all the forensic interesting bits and got into too much characterization. I then found Reich’s books and have never looked back. We have personal life in her books but it never overwhelms the forensic aspect. If I had my life to do over again, I would be in the morgue. While you get the sense That who turns out to be the bad guy isn’t such a good person, I could never figure out the why. But to get there, Reichs kept the story flowing along extremely well until the last page. EXCEPT for the neighbor…..I want THAT resolved in the next book!!
Old Books
I have read every Temperance Brennan book. The way Kathy Reichs writes, you feel like it is you involved in the murder, they are your words and your thoughts. Her style of writing is gripping And she can explain the scene in detail without going into extended And complicated medical explanations. Her character has grown over the years. With each new book, it’s like sitting with an old friend, Picking up where we left off and delving into a new case. I save books like these for a time when I can be alone and read uninterrupted. You never want to put it down even when it’s finished. Thank you Kathy Reichs. Can’t wait for the next one!
