Several people have said that they found this book confusing. I did not have any trouble following it but I read it in about a three day period. I do not think I would have been able to put it down for a few days and pick it back up without being a little confused.

That aside I did not give this one five stars because in my mind it did not really end. It ends with a question and without resolution and to me that was a little frustrating. I do hope that she picks up that storyline with the next book.

Overall though I found this very interesting and like all of Reichs' books it is a great murder mystery read and quite well thought out.

I like the Bones books much more than the TV show. The characters are rounded out, the stories are well-plotted and engaging and the humour is dry rather than slapstick.

I have been working my way through the novels off and on for five years or so and this book joins a shortlist of two of ones I found tough going.

The location is Hawaii and is a pleasant variation on the usual North Carolina and Montréal. Ryan is present throughout. What I found hard to get through, though, was keeping track of the confusion surrounding the numerous bodies – I should have taken notes!

Along with this was the hugely over-used trope of old cases being interlinked with new. Camila Lackberg uses it so often I want to scream and Reichs has been down this route before but generally in a much subtler fashion. Not so here.

The story moves the whole Brennan-Ryan relationship along a little but does little for their daughters who despite being 24 and 19 are portrayed as though they are petulant 12- or 13-year-olds.

On the whole I would advise skipping this one. Here's hoping the next finds Tempe firmly back on track.

Fair, as far as the Bones books go... Seems like the series needs something to give it a boost. Perhaps some colorful characters like the ones in the TV show.

This. Used. To. Be. A. Must. Read. Series. But. It. Took. Three. Attempts. To. Finish. This. Book. It. Starts. In. Quebues. With. A. Discovery. Of. A body. Whose. Identity. Was decleared. Dead. Years. Ago. In. Vietnam. This. Ttakes. Us. There. With. That. Body. Being. Dug. Up. And. Then we. End up in Hawaii. Confusedk??? There. Is. More. Tempe. Is. Forced. To. Consult. On. Local. Case. That. Somehow. Involves. Gangs Ithink. After. Closing. This. Book. I. Am lost as to. What. I read.

Reichs writes another winner!

Solid read. Exactly what you'd expect from a Kathy Reichs novel and full of twists and turns you don't see coming.

I found this book to me rather average. Somehow it did not surprise and was rather straight forward and confusing at the same time. Reading how Tempe was confused felt like she was not at all—at least not as confused as I was with the names and who's who.
In general, the book felt very predictable.

Four stars because I really thought this was one of the strongest books Reichs has written, plot-wise. The mystery is very elaborate, causing a reader to wonder at several points if there could possibly be a reasonable explanation that resolves all the seemingly incompatible pieces. It's fairly ingenious and very complex, so I can see where some readers failed to pay enough attention (as evidenced by reviews where readers didn't "get" the resolution or got lost along the way). Almost, but not quite, an Agatha-Christie-worthy storyline.

By the way, when you read the first chapter, if you find it off-putting, rest assured that the rest of the book is NOT heading where you think it's going to!

All that said, maybe because I haven't read Reichs in awhile, I found her writing style more irritating than I'd remember. Tempe (far from being the brainiac with a penchant for overly formal language that Bones is in the TV version) thinks in a conversational style of incomplete sentences and sometimes disjointed, choppy phrases. Maybe to some this is charming or even realistic, but I found it very grating in certain spots.

Example from early in the book: "Back in the city, traffic moved like mud through a straw. The Jeep lurched and jerked as Ryan shifted between gas and brake. Kind, yes. Witty, affirmative. Generous, absolutely. Patient, no way. Travel with Ryan was often a trial. I checked my watch. Five ten. Normally Ryan would have queried my dining plans by now. Suggested a restaurant. Tonight he didn't."

See what I mean?