Published 29th April 2021 by Simon and Schuster.
From the cover of the book:
A storm has hit South Carolina, dredging up crimes of the past.En route to Isle of Palms, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan receives a call from the Charleston coroner.
During the storm, a medical waste container has washed up on the beach. Inside are two decomposed bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. Chillingly, Tempe recognises many details as identical to those of an unsolved case she handled in Quebec fifteen years earlier.
With a growing sense of foreboding, she flies to Montreal to gather evidence and convince her boss Pierre LaManch to reopen the cold case. She also seeks the advice—and comfort—of her longtime beau Andrew Ryan.
Meanwhile, a storm of a different type gathers force in South Carolina. The citizens of Charleston are struck by capnocytophaga, a bacterium that, at its worst, can eat human flesh. Thousands panic and test themselves for a rare genetic mutation that may have rendered them vulnerable.
Shockingly, Tempe eventually deduces not only that the victims in both grisly murder cases are related, but that the murders and the disease outbreak also have a common cause . . .
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You always know you're in for an enjoyable time when you dig into one of Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels, and this latest one, The Bone Code, delivers on every front.
This time around, our story begins with Tempe on the verge of battening down the hatches as a storm approaches the Carolina coast, when she receives a visit from an old woman asking for help with a curious historical case of a missing twin.
However, it is not until after the storm that the action really gets going. Just as Tempe is assessing the damage in the aftermath of the wild weather, she receives a call asking her to consult on a case of two bodies found within a medical waste container that has been washed up on the shore - bodies that have been wrapped in plastic and tied with electrical flex. It's a call that makes Tempe very uneasy, but it is not until she gets to work on the badly decomposed bodies that her worst fears are confirmed - this case bears a striking resemblance to a cold case she and her partner Andrew Ryan worked on fifteen years ago... in Montreal.
And then we're off, in true Reichs' style, with a new investigation on US soil and a re-opened cold case in Canada, as Tempe finds herself flying back and forth between countries, tracking down the clues that link these murders. Add in, Tempe's hectic workload of intriguing cases; romantic interludes with Ryan; a sideline investigation taken on by her best friend to find out what happened to the missing twin; and a dangerous flesh-eating bacterial breakout in Charleston that bears the marks of foul-play; and there is a lot to keep you glued to the page.
This is a wonderful ensemble piece with Tempe at the hub of the action, and lots of great characters, some old and some new (including the adorable Birdie), making a contribution in solving the mysterious goings on. As all the painstakingly gathered pieces of the puzzle fall into place, including the scientific clues that mark this series of books out as being so fascinating, you arrive at some terrifying conclusions, and a heart in the mouth climax that has you teetering on the edge of your seat.
And it's interesting to note that the events in this book take place in a post Covid-19 landscape, which adds a real chill to the proceedings once you understand where Reichs has been leading you all along. It's brilliant... terrifying, but brilliant.
The Bone Code is available to buy now in hardcover, e-book and audio formats from your favourite book retailer.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a hardback copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead was a number one bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The Bone Code is Kathy’s twentieth entry in her series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Kathy was also a producer of the hit Fox TV series, Bones, which is based on her work and her novels.
Dr. Reichs is one of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, and as a member of the National Police Services Advisory Council in Canada.
Huge thanks for the blog tour support x
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