Friday, August 21, 2009

Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

I've read all the Tempe Brennan-books by Kathy Reichs. Most were good reads, a few were really great and one or two were just plain bad. This one, Devil Bones, is the number 11 in the series, which can be read without problem out of order. But as always with a series, it pays to read them in order, since there is some character-development, spoiler-hints to previous books etc.

Devil Bones is an ejoyable, easy and entertaining read. Middle of the road. It wasn't bad at all, but there was not really anything new under the sun, and the plot was not overly interesting to me. Its main plotline is about fringe religions such as Santería, Wicca, Voodoo etc. And then of course there are some murders, some forensic work and some tension between Tempe and the police, her male friends/boyfriends etc.

What has begun to bug me slightly is the "lessons" I am being taught when reading the Tempe Brennan-books. I read forensic thrillers because I think its interesting and because I like a bit of gore and decomposed corpses. But since this is the latest book in a long series, and since Ms. Reichs is not the only one writing forensic thrillers (but, admittedly, she is one of the best), its like we have either heard it all before or the forensics involved are so complicated that we are being taught what it is about in a patronizing way, which is beginning to rub me the wrong way. An example could be like this: Tempe tells the police about some complicated, scientific forensic thing. The dumbass-policeman then says: Could you say that again in human language (or something like that). I just annoys me.

Anyway, Devil Bones is definitely worth a read, specially if you are a Tempe Brennan-fan and has read the other books. It is not the best one in the series though.

4 comments:

Natalie W said...

I love her books and have read them all but haven't read this one. She has a new book out or its due to be released soon.
"The dumbass-policeman then says: Could you say that again in human language (or something like that). I just annoys me" Had to laugh at that!
That annoys me too!
Definitely will have to read Devil Bones!

caite said...

I am curious as to which you think are the best in the series?

Beth F said...

I can definitely see why you'd be annoyed! I haven't read any of her books yet, but I do plan to give her a try one of these days.

Louise said...

Natalie, I will definitely also read the next one in the series, hopefully it is without too many lectures ;o)
Caite, I loved the firsts ones, Deja Dead and Death du Jour, and also found some of the latter ones, Break no Bones and Bones to Ashes very good.

Beth, the first ones are, as I mention above, some of the best, so if you like a good thriller, go ahead. I don't remember if the lecturing was that bad in the first books, but I remember being increasingly annoyed over it ;-)