Bones of the Lost

A Temperance Brennan Novel, Book 16

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Linda Emond

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Kathy Reichs returns with her 16th riveting novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan, whose examination of a young girl killed in a hit and run in North Carolina triggers an investigation into international human trafficking.

When Charlotte police discover the body of a teenage girl along a desolate stretch of two-lane highway, Temperance Brennan fears the worst. The girl’s body shows signs of foul play. Inside her purse police find the ID card of a prominent local businessman, John-Henry Story, who died in a horrific flea market fire months earlier. Was the girl an illegal immigrant turning tricks? Was she murdered?

As the case deepens, Tempe must also grapple with personal turmoil. Her daughter, Katy,, grieving the death of her boyfriend in Afghanistan, impulsively enlists in the Army. Meanwhile, Katy’s father, Pete, is frustrated by Tempe’s reluctance to finalize their divorce. As pressure mounts from all corners, Tempe soon finds herself at the center of a conspiracy that extends all the way from South America, to Afghanistan, and right to the center of Charlotte. "A genius at building suspense" (New York Daily News), Kathy Reichs is at her brilliant best in this thrilling novel.

©2013 Kathy Reichs (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Kathy Reichs in fine form, narrator, not so much

Would you try another book from Kathy Reichs and/or Linda Emond?

I have loved all the books in this series and would buy again IF Linda Emond is not the narrator - she's horrible.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Didn't get past the first hour, so no idea.

Would you be willing to try another one of Linda Emond’s performances?

No.

Was Bones of the Lost worth the listening time?

It would be, if the narrator wasn't so bad.

Any additional comments?

Gonna buy this on Kindle instead.

Solid Reichs effort

There are several things you can count on when reading a Kathy Reichs novel: extremely detailed forensic information passed on to the reader throughout, Tempe going rogue and risking her life because Slidell has the audacity to have other things going on in his life, lots of conversations with Birdie, the cat, and so many rhetorical questions! I enjoy the forensic stuff - I'm learning stuff while enjoying a good book. Tempe is annoying at times. She's not a cop, but she goes way beyond her position every time. I'm frankly surprised that Slidell, who is annoying in his own special way, hasn't murdered her. At any rate, this book takes Tempe all over the world, and ends up being a sad tale of human trafficking with a rather surprise ending. I overlook the things about Tempe that aggravate me, because, at the core, these are very good stories. Linda Emond narrates perfectly.

Entertaining and Fun

It starts a little lame, but once things get going, the plot moves fast. It held my attention and made a long drive much more enjoyable.

So-So

What made the experience of listening to Bones of the Lost the most enjoyable?

The story was pretty good.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

A good detective novel. The least is that I didn't think I was buying a detective novel.

What about Linda Emond’s performance did you like?

A good performance doesn't make you think you are listening to a performance. She did a good job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Don't make a film of this book.

Any additional comments?

What has hooked me in the past about the Tempe Brennan novels is the fact that she's a forensic anthropologist. Not a detective. I loved Tempe's reviewing of the body, it's location, what she discovers. Kathy Reichs sometimes got a bit too detailed, but basically, it's Tempe's job that interested me. In this book, there's very little of her forensic anthropologist part of her life. She seems to have forgotten exactly what she does for a living. In this book, she mostly plays detective alongside a bumbling, painfully difficult to get in touch with homicide detective.

A previous review made mention of the fact that Tempe can be something of a snob, and I have to agree. Anyone less education and intelligent than herself seems to cause Tempe to look down her nose at those in more menial occupations or life situations.I listened to this on Audible and was wondering, did we ever find out what happened with her cat? Maybe I missed it.

I have loved the Tempe Brennan books and will probably give it one more shot. I hope Reichs goes back to what made these books popular.

another great novel

I liked this novel a lot. It went by so fast when I was listening to it. I wasn't sure about how the story would come together with Dr. Brennan being involved in two different cases, but everything made perfect sense in the end. This novel picked up where the previous one left off as far as relationships with some of the characters, so I was happy to get some answers. This novel focused on human sex trafficking and shed some light on how disgusting people can be. I really like listening to this narrator. She does a great job with different character's and has a smooth, easy to listen to voice.

Not bad. . .

I liked the book overall. The fact that all the story lines were all tied together made it an unbelievable, but interesting story. I think Reichs wrote it that way so that Pete could play a bigger role in the next one? It will be interesting to see what's next for the Tempe, Pete and Ryan triangle. It's a solid addition to the series- not the best, not the worst, and it kept my interest throughout. Emond does a pretty good job. Her narration kind of throws you off in the beginning because she's so blunt but it kind of grows on you because how else do you voice Tempe?

Good read/listen :)

I enjoyed the story, the visual pictures and all the pieces that came together in the end.

Worthy Addition to the Series

Two notes on the audiobook, then a review of the book as a whole.

For me, Linda Emond is the voice of Temperance Brennan; she handles voices of other characters well; the pacing is great and her voice is pleasant.

I enjoy the essay that appears at the end of the more recent books in this series. This was added to just one of the audiobooks--and is missing from this one. I think it should be added to the recorded material. (Switching back and forth between the audiobook and Kindle book, I read the essay at the end of the latter.)

As an aside, Whispersync is great--love the ability to switch back and forth between audio and e-book.

A fan of Kathy Reich’s books (though not the related television series), I enjoyed Bones of the Lost. The book’s plot, complexity and cast of characters kept me engaged, and I enjoyed its diverse settings for the action. I appreciate the way the author grounds her stories in interesting factual material—the product of research and of her own experiences as forensic anthropologist, and as someone who traveled to Afghanistan at the behest of the USO “to thank our troops for their courage and dedication.”

As ever, I found the narrator, Tempe Brennan, relatable, apart from her inclination to rush into dangerous situations—particularly her intelligence, and an inclination to introspection that tempers her the effect of her impatience on readers, if not on the fictional recipients of brusque interactions. The relatable aspects of her life—connections with relatives and pets, with her ex; the way her fridge ends up bare as mine does when we are busy—ground the drama, make it easier to relate and care when her actions seem rude or reckless; more readily accepting of improbable coincidence.

As one who read this book as part of a series, I enjoyed the continuing evolution of the characters in this book, particularly the evolving relationship with Skinny Slidell. Slidell is sometimes comical in his pretensions, often repellant due to poor grooming and other rough edges, but this seems secondary when he demonstrates effectiveness in his work as a detective, willingness to work with Tempe when she goes beyond the boundaries of her official role, and tolerance when she is rude. I can also relate to daughter Katy’s transformation after joining the U.S. Army; I’ve seen and experienced the effect that military service can have on previously-aimless young people. Katy still clearly loves her mother and enjoys her company, but is increasingly independent, appropriate as she is in her mid-twenties. And Pete, reliable, caring ex-husband (possibly officially divorced, possibly not), apparently over his mid-life fling with a much-younger woman, though there have been others. Andrew Ryan's brief appearance was enough for me--I'm not much of a fan of his so far.

From my perspective, this book succeeds as entertainment. I also appreciate the opportunity to further consider issues related to human trafficking, as well as the experiences of deployed members of our armed forces.

Outstanding!

Storyline was great. The narrater was very good. She knew when to emphacise the exciting moments and soften the less dramatic times. I plan to reccomend this book and the other two by Cathy Reichts.

Great for sleeping

Where does Bones of the Lost rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd say this one ranks in the lower third overall. I love Kathy Reichs and have read or listened to all of her books. But I quickly wondered if I'd ordered a version for those whom English is a second language because the narrator read....so.....slowly.... As if Kathy had inserted about 3x as many periods as needed or correct. Particularly frustrating as I downloaded this for a long drive and in turn had to consume an unhealthy amount of diet coke to stay awake. Conversely, it did help tremendously when I later listened at night as I was trying to sleep. As for the story line...it was good overall. I didn't think the Afghan bit was bad, but I do think she had so many small characters that with the pace...by the end it was a bit confusing and kind of hard to care.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Hire a better reader. And I would agree that KR needs to get back to more orifginal fiction content and stop her over reliance on inserting "results of her research." The recitation of her Google searches was way too much for such a good author.

Would you be willing to try another one of Linda Emond’s performances?

Not intentionally. Go get Barbara Rosenblatt.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Pick a different book to make a movie of

Any additional comments?

Please keep this series coming but bring Ryan back not as a douche and drop the reliance on "here's what I learned from the internet." Related...enough propaganda...a little is great but I think that hurt you here.