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?