3/3.5ish

I was pretty excited to start reading this. I won this and all of her other books in a contest from the publisher. Included, was a simple note card with her autograph.
I've read everything by her including the ebooks and YA books. I started with Monday Mourning and was just astounded. At the end of every chapter Reichs has this ability to end it with some bombshell that you CAN'T go to bed until you've read more.
After that book I started at the beginning, with her first book and devoured everything.
She knows how to keep a reader engaged and reading more.

This book? Not so much. It was pretty disappointing. I was discussing it with my wife and she offered that maybe it was a ghost writer. Initially, I dismissed it. But by the end of the book I decided something was certainly off. Maybe it was a ghost writer. Maybe she was too busy with other things and just phoned this in. Tempe and Ryan are smart. But ***SPOILERS*** after Ryan is hit by a car, they later conclude that she was the target (Isn't she always?). So now they are trying to figure out what case she could be working on that would garner a death threat.
She's an experienced "crime fighter" and he's this super great detective.
So they are going through her cases, the most mundane of mundane. When it suddenly hits them! And they look at each other at the same time! Golly gee, Wally! It's the serial killer!
I actually said out loud "Are you f'ing kidding me?"
In addition was the smart aleck banter between the two. I don't mind the banter. The quips and comebacks are good. But Jesus H. Christ. EVERYBODY was doing it and it was very old very fast.

While reading this, I saw her advertisement on FB for her new book coming out this year. I will buy it, I will read it, because I'm a fan. But if that one turns out like this one, I might pass on the next one.
This was not the fiction she has written for adults in the past. This was written for more young adult readers.

*May contain spoiler*

I always look forward to a new Tempe Brennan book; have done since the very first one. So I am very disappointed to only give this one 2 stars. I'm frankly horrified that a book with any sort of vaccine mistrust or conspiracy would be published right now in the midst of the Covid-19 Delta variant crisis. Also, the mentions of race were poorly executed as well, unless the point was to make Tempe look like a clueless white woman, which she usually isn't.
Additionally, there were too many subplots, and none of them were resolved very satisfactorily. The characterization and dialogue were sparse while the science was lengthy, and it wasn't a combination that worked for me at all. Not ready to give up on Tempe yet, but really hoping for better on the next go.

I was concerned going it because I thought the last book was dreadful. But this one was much better. Two sets of deaths so similar and of course Temperance knows this and jumps in. Seems unrealistic but still fun.

Four minus. Maybe three plus. The book is one of those dazzle-you-with-science Tempe Brennan books, where the plot (four dead women, in pairs,15 years apart) depends on Evil Scientists and greed.

The usual factors—Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s pal Anne, Montreal and Charleston, snappy dialogue— keep the whole thing afloat. However. Reichs must have written this during the pandemic, as it was just published, and she plays fast and loose with information about mRNA vaccines. Readers, presumably, are smart enough to separate facts about vaccines (now saving hundreds of thousands of lives) from speculative fiction.

Three stars.

Amazing. Perfect for me vacation read!

Tempe is visiting her friend is South Carolina when she gets pulled into a case that sounds too familiar to a cold case she was never able to solve from Montreal. After doing her initial examination she cannot shake the feeling that the cases are linked. After providing some “coincidences” she has started to show the others that these cases are too similar to not be related. Now she finds herself traveling back and forth fro the states and Canada to figured out and connect new evidence. With DNA an technology more advanced than when the cold case was originally under no estimation they find the clues that could potentially answer 20 year old questions.

This was a really fun read of the Temperance Brennan series. I feel like this was unique and it was so unpredictable. For the first half you could not have possibly guess who the culprit was (because there was no solid evidence or person of interest yet). It is like this book went from a bunch of random information to dots being connected all at once. I really enjoyed this read. Also the middle drama with Ryan literally had me crying. I don’t know how many series are left so anything is possible.

I've read all the Temperance Brennan books except the last one, A Conspiracy of Bones. It just didn't hold my interest. This one was a bit better, although not as riveting as some of the earlier books in the series. The main crime (two bodies discovered in a shipping container) didn't become compelling until midway through the story--it takes awhile for the disclosure that makes this crime stand out and justify Brennan's interest in the case. I'm used to Reichs' writing style but some of her quirks (the way Brennan describes trying to make a mental connection between two things, the mini cliffhangers at the ends of the chapters, the lengthy scientific explanations given via dialogue) seemed more annoying in this book. I found it interesting that it was set in a post-COVID world, and the science tie-in with current headlines (vaccines, CRISPR) was fascinating.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Kathy Reichs strikes again! As a fellow anthropologist, I’ve been a long time fan of Dr. Temperance Brennan and was so excited to have the chance to read this ARC.

Tempe experiences a serious case of deja vu when called to examine remains in Charleston, SC, reminding her of a cold case from more than a decade ago in Montreal. On top of that, a deadly bacteria is coursing its way through the region, reminding everyone of the not too distant issues surrounding COVID-19. The tension builds to an amazing crescendo as Dr. Brennan fits all of the pieces of the puzzle together.

Reichs does an amazing job making the science of DNA and forensics accessible to the reader. I appreciate that Brennan has softened around the edges a bit, but still gives that sharp scientific point of view that we all love. The lush and detailed descriptions of each city and region won’t be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. Great book. I’m looking forward to Brennan’s next adventure!

Huge thanks to Dr. Reichs, #NetGalley, and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

This latest Temperance Brennan novel does not disappoint. This story followed the forensic trail of alterations in genetic code to support the greed of a couple of men. I enjoy this type of novel with it technical, medical terms and well written descriptions. Been a while since I read one of Reichs' books and this was excellent.