Evil Bones by Kathy Reichs

An installation of a beloved series that only a true Tempe junkie will enjoy.

Book Synopsis:

Small creatures—a rat, a rabbit, a squirrel—have been turning up throughout Charlotte, North Carolina, mutilated and displayed in the same bizarre manner. But one day, as Tempe is relaxing at home alongside her aimless, moody great-niece Tory, she’s diverted by a disturbing call. Now, it seems, the perp is upping the ante. This find is larger. Could the remains be human?

Tempe visits the scene and discovers that the victim is a dog. Someone’s pet. As one who has always found animal cruelty deeply abhorrent, Tempe vows to help apprehend the person responsible for the killings, and due to Tory’s especially layered knowledge of animal behavior, the young woman turns out to be a valuable ally in the hunt for answers. Oddly, Tempe discovers that semi-retired homicide detective Erskine “Skinny” Slidell is equally outraged and committed. Needing a better understanding of possible motives, Tempe and Skinny seek input from a forensic psychologist. The doctor has no definitive answer but offers several possibilities, warning that the escalating pattern of aggression suggests even more macabre discoveries—and that the perp’s focus may soon shift to humans.

And then it happens. A woman is found disfigured and posed in a manner that mimics the earlier killings.

As Tempe and Slidell follow the horrifying clues to a shocking conclusion, they’re forced to confront an increasingly terrifying question: “What is pure evil?”

Review:

Listen, I’m a huge Temperance Brennan fan, and I’ve been following along with her antics and experiences for decades now. This one, just didn’t do it for me. I loved the premise of Evil Bones, but the conclusion didn’t land for me. Let me explain the good and the not so good. Firstly we get to hang with Tempe and her daughter. I love getting to spend time with Katy so it’s a pleasure. Add a surly niece, Tory, into it, and you get to see some fun family dynamics. I also liked getting to see more of what Katy is doing now, and her ambitions are worked into the plot really well, I thought. 

The mystery is super intriguing – oddly displayed murdered animals that grow in size and intensity. At the same time, Tempe’s troubled niece seems to be trying to make friends with some intense older college students. On top of everything, now Tempe is worried that Tory is being pulled into a cult or something else, and could the dead animals be involved?

The mystery is twisty and the macabre clues that Tempe and my favourite partner of hers, Skinny, have to investigate. Skinny is such an opposite to Tempe and I love the relationship the two of them have. The mystery comes to a shocking climax, and I was on the edge of my seat. And then, the resolution happened. And I was disappointed. And almost a little bored. With the deep dive into humanity and the discussions on good and evil, I had high expectations. Instead I was left feeling confused, and not in a good way. 

I love following Tempe and will continue to read this series, but this one wasn’t a win for me. 

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.