I listened to this on CD while driving. So the numerous technical explanations and jargon were less of an issue for me than if I had been turning pages.

The story kept me interested, although it was contrived and overdone. Did the guy who died in the pond really have to have been engaged in such a ludicrous activity, or is Reichs exploiting and 'showing off' a case she worked on? It certainly does nothing to promote an interest in the character of the dead man. The manner of death should also have presented more of a quandary for dealing with feelings of the victim's father - Plato, who thought his son was a war hero. But this complexity was ignored and should have never been a factor in the first place.

Also, the whole scene with the car in the ocean and how was she going to get home was absurd.

I dislike Reichs' dialog. I cannot imagine how anyone who is not steeped in contemporary US youth and television culture would understand the colloquialisms that never stop, even in a professional setting. Very annoying. Also the relationships between Tempe and Ryan and their 20-something daughters are ridiculously unrealistic. One would have thought the girls were 14-15.

This is only my second Temperance Brennan book. I will probably listen to others for entertainment. I like the procedural content. However, for characters and dialog, I much prefer the TV spin-off.