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Devil Bones: A Novel
Devil Bones: A Novel
Devil Bones: A Novel
Audiobook9 hours

Devil Bones: A Novel

Written by Kathy Reichs

Narrated by Linda Emond

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Kathy Reichs’s eleventh forensic mystery thriller, in which Temperance Brennan heads to Charlotte, North Carolina to solve a demonic plot involving ritual sacrifice before the town’s vengeful citizens take matters into their own hands.

In a house under renovation, a plumber uncovers a cellar no one knew about and makes a grisly discovery: a decapitated chicken, animal bones, and cauldrons containing beads, feathers, and other relics of religious ceremonies. In the center of the shrine rests the skull of a teenage girl. Meanwhile, on a nearby lakeshore, the headless body of a teenage boy is found by a man walking his dog.

Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is called in to investigate, and a complex and gripping tale unfolds. Nothing is clear—neither when the deaths occurred, nor where. Was the skull brought to the cellar or was the girl murdered there? Why is the boy's body remarkably well preserved? Led by a preacher turned politician, citizen vigilantes blame devil worshippers and Wiccans, and Temperance will need all of her expertise to get to the real culprit first.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 26, 2008
ISBN9780743571920
Author

Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. Fire and Bones is Reichs’s twenty-third novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Reichs was also a producer of Fox Television’s longest running scripted drama, Bones, which was based on her work and her novels. One of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Reichs divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. Visit her at KathyReichs.com or follow her on Twitter @KathyReichs, Instagram @KathyReichs, or Facebook @KathyReichsBooks. 

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Reviews for Devil Bones

Rating: 3.663872001524391 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In Charlotte , NC, DR Temperance Brennan has to mysterious corpses to identify, both who seem to be a result of some Satanic killing. Brennan doesn't think so but the local press and a loud mouth politician seem intent on scaring the public.I have read a few of Reichs' novels and is this is not one of my favorites. Temperance seems off her game and there are too many coincidences. I think I also prefer the ones that take place in Montreal. I did like the discussion between Satanic religions and other religions that are mistaken as Satanic but are not, such as Wicca and Voo-Doo and Santeria. The plot was decent, lots of twists and turns. Normally I like when Brennan works with Andrew Ryan in Montreal and he makes an appearance in this book but it seemed gratuitous. I preferred cranky Slidell for this book.my rating 3.5 stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Overall this is an okay Temperence Brennan story. Satanism and other dark religions are behind the latest murders Tempe is involved in solving. The personal aspects of the story are very satisfying; the religious aspects are not. I didn't care about the victims or the possible suspects in any way -- good or bad. It didn's seem so much a "murder mystery" as a short tutorial on satanism and "dark" religions. Having read all the Temperence books up through this one I find that I enjoy them less as I go along. We'll see what happens after reading "206 Bones".
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the eleventh Kathy Reich book I have read. I loved them all, I love the main character, accurate science and original cases. BUT! Why does, in EVERY single book, Temperance Brennan have to get herself in danger, injured and nearly dead?? It’s like in eleven books so far, she didn’t learn that she shouldn’t go discover dangerous shit by herself and like cops both in Charlotte and Montreal didn’t realise that they shouldn’t take her to risky missions. In EVERY book she is threatened one way or another and every time she is like “lol whatever, no problem”. This gets really annoying and predictable and I’m hoping to read one in which Tempe is safe throughout the plot. I think it wouldn’t make a book less interesting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book! Couldn’t wait to start my commute everyday so that I could listen to what would happen next!

    The author painted such vivid scenes that I caught myself mimicking some of the subtle actions of the characters.

    Amazing amazing book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The books in Kathy Reichs' Bones series are either really, really good or merely decent, and this newest installment fell into the latter category. I think my level of enjoyment depends on how interested I am in the murder mystery.I was annoyed with the level of "catch up" Reichs did - I can understand wanting a new reader to be able to pick up any Bones book and understand the players, but by the 11th book in the series, I really don't need to spend pages on what Tempe's job is, who her co-workers are, a detailed chronology of her dating life, etc. I've spent a lot of time with you, Kathy and Tempe. Just hit me with the story.I was also disappointed that a pivotal conversation between Tempe and Andrew Ryan was reduced to Tempe relating it after the fact in a few sentences. After spending 10 books being invested in the on-again, off-again relationship, it was so odd that Reichs didn't flesh it out and let us in on it.The introduction of a new potential date for Tempe also confirmed what I thought all along - Reichs can't (won't?) write more than one type of love interest. I'd always thought Pete and Ryan were identical, characterized mainly by their witty, combative personalities. Now Charlie, a man Tempe knows from their high school days, tries to date her, and lo and behold, he's exactly the same as the other two!I've resigned myself to the fact that these books are rather formulaic, and that they'll always end with Tempe in mortal danger, which leads to her missing out on how the police put the final pieces together - the final chapter is always an after-the-fact recounting of the final clues, which always makes the ending feel rushed. I've also stopped gritting my teeth at the melodramatic, foreshadowy chapter endings and Tempe's habit of getting preachy when discussing a topic that clearly matters to the author. Because really, despite all these flaws, Tempe Brennan is a good protagonist to spend time with, and Reichs always has an entertaining mystery thanks to her day job as a forensic anthropologist. I'm exasperated I already finished the new book in one sitting, but at least the new season of Bones starts in three days.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tempe has quite the case on her hands this time. A human skull has been found in an underground room in a basement and the room also contains a beheaded chicken, a goat skull and all sorts of strange paraphernalia. Tempe comes head to head with religions such as santaria, voodoo and devil worship. But nothing is as it seems. A headless body is found by the lake, a suspect is run over by a subway train and a fellow colleague is murdered. Plus, along the way a cold case is solved.Reichs' last two books were pretty good but I feel that with Devil Bones she is back on track with the brilliance of her earlier books which made me such a fan in the first place. Absolutely riveting! I read the first 3/4 of the book in one sitting staying up to the wee hours of the morning and had to force myself to wait another day to finish it off. Great pacing, twists and turns that keep the plot rolling just as we think we've got it all figured out. My only complaint would be that the whole background story of Tempe's personal and professional life (from the past 10 books) is reiterated bit by bit during the first several chapters. As one who has read all her books, I found it irritating but a new reader to the series would be filled in quickly and be able to jump in and read this first. But seriously folks, read these books in order! There is a whole personal story line that follows through the books that would take half the fun of this series away if you just read the books in any old order. Start with Deja Dead and you'll be hooked!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book did not disappoint. Like all the rest of her books I could barely put this down once I started reading it. My only slight cavil is that it takes place in Charlotte, NC not Canada but I guess every once in a while Reichs has to throw a sop to her American readers. As is obvious from the title, in this book Tempe is dealing with possible Satanism. She is called to a sub-basement that a plumber discovered in an old house. The plumber glimpsed a human skull and smelt decomposition and called 911. Tempe enters the sub-basement and quickly determines that the smell emanates from a chicken carcass but because the skull is human and there appear to be ritualistic shrines an investigation is started. Soon after a headless corpse is found outside of the city with a pentacle and 666 carved in it. A grandstanding local politician whips up fervour about these crimes and Tempe gets sucked into responding, with disastrous results for her career. All is not work though and Tempe's daughter matchmakes for her since Ryan is trying to rekindle his relationship with his old girlfriend for their daughter's sake. Tempe's new swain is actually an old one as they went to highschool together and had a fling. We never do really find out what transpired between her and Charlie Hunt because, for the first time in all the books, Tempe falls off the wagon and blacks out. I always learn something when I read Reichs' books and this time it was about syncretic religions which are a blending of "heathen" religious practices with Christianity. Santeria, voodoo, brujeria and Palo Mayombe are all examples of syncretic religions. Most of them are harmless but Palo Mayombe followers "use magic to manipulate, captivate, and control, often for their own malevolent purposes." (p. 72) These religions are different from Satanism and Wicca, both of which are also explored in the book. There is an interview with Reichs at the back of the book in which she says her next book moves between Chicago and Montreal so I am looking forward to that. Keep on writing Kathy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In a house under renovation, a plumber uncovers a cellar no one knew about, and makes a rather grisly discovery This set up seems familiar. Another Bones book started this way. But it was a different and enjoyable story.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I'm always aware that Reich is working with a formula, but it was really obvious with this one. Still it got me through a miserable day with a cold.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Temperance Brennan, the forty-plus forensic anthropologist, explores alternative religions in "Devil Bones," the latest Kathy Reichs thriller. An employee of the state of North Carolina, Tempe is under contract to Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She examines "the burned, decomposed, mummified, mutilated, dismembered, and skeletal." This time around, she has a great deal on her plate. First, she is called to a "chamber of horrors" containing human and animal remains and various objects, including cauldrons, statues, candles, and dolls pierced with miniature swords. Was this the site of some sort of satanic ritual? Next, a dog walker finds a headless body near a lake. The victim's torso had been carved up with various markings that might also point to a ritualistic killing. These findings set off a firestorm, fueled by hysterical media coverage and the ranting of a grandstanding politician named Boyce Lingo, who decries "murderous devil worshipers" allowed to go unpunished. Anyone who has followed Tempe during her long and arduous journey will want to accompany her once again as she tries to solve some of the strangest puzzles she has ever encountered.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It has been a long while since I have read a Kathy Reichs' novel, but I know remember why I enjoyed them. There is just enough forensic detail, enough intrigue, enough character development, and enough twists to keep me entertained and involved in the story. This novel takes place in Charlotte where Tempe and her favourite police officers, Slidell and Rinaldi, try to discover how and why skeletal remains end up in a forgotten cellar. Then a teen boy with carvings on his torso is discovered shortly after this. Everything that seems simple gets complicated, and that which is complicated is actually very simple. I didn't figure out the ending - even though the signs were there.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    this book was a more than adequate read, good story line, easy to read. For me however it just did not set off any lightbulbs.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    If this was the first Reichs book I read, I don't know that I'd read any more. Nothing about it was memorable or unique enough to set it apart from other mystery books. There was a bit less of the smart/stupid Brennan than the last book, less of textbook explanation of various sciences, fewer rhetorical questions, but still too many for me. The other annoying bit about the writing was the "telling" not "showing" of action and emotion. The only example that comes to mind at the moment is "radiated like heat" -- why include the last two words when radiated already implies the heat? And all the telling regarding Tempe's emotions with Andrew Ryan. Made for boring scenes between them. Stop with the recollection of what happened and keep the action in the present! Even the "climactic ending" when, shocker, Tempe is kidnapped and 'almost' dies but Ryan bursts in at the exact right moment -- gee, didn't see that coming.

    If the library had more good books on CD, I wouldn't be compelled to read this formulaic stuff.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    GOOD book! Another great read by Kathy Reichs!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I normally start out my reviews with a brief synopsis of events that take place in the first 40-50 pages of a book but in all honesty I can’t think of more than a sentence to say about this one. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist, is called in when a skull is found under the flooring of an old house in North Carolina. Nothing else that develops the plot in any meaningful way happens before page 75. There’s a history lesson about the town of Charlotte, a swag of stultifying detail about Brennan’s work life and some snippets about what she has to eat in her fridge but I’m pretty sure none of that is going to make anyone rush out to get this book.

    The only word that seems to fit this book is dull. If pressed to expand I would, in Douglas Adams fashion, qualify that description by saying mostly dull. The first third of the book could have been written by anyone with access to Google. It’s almost as if Brennan (or Reichs) is lecturing one of her undergraduate classes as she lists in minute detail the dimensions of the bones she has found, details the major deities of several religions and continues a frightfully uninteresting internal monologue about the object of 11 books worth of sexual tension. Yawn. The plot gets slightly better for the last two thirds but it’s not even close to being gripping. I found myself skim-reading long passages of technical stuff and groaning at the portentous statement at the end of each chapter. The resolution to the mystery element was predictable and the final lecture on America’s culture of fear was patronising.

    In case you’re wondering I have read Reichs before. In fact I’ve read all the books in this series. I rated the last one, Bones to Ashes, a 4 but the two installments prior to that only rated a 2 on my personal scale. The thing is I can’t decide if Reichs’ writing has deteriorated over the years or my reading tastes have altered during that same period. Maybe it’s a little (or a lot) of both. In the past I’ve felt Reichs has had a genuine interest in exploring the topics she’s used as the basis for her plots, such as in Grave Secrets which dealt with human rights abuses and ’the disappeared’ of 1980’s Guatemala. In Devil Bones it felt like she’d drawn voodoo out of a hat filled with random plot elements and threw in a few facts and figures alongside the dead bodies and danger. I’m firmly convinced the only person who had less interest in this book than I did is Reichs herself.

    I’m done with this series.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Someone recommended this author to me, because the protagonist works out of Montreal. I've been trying to read books set in Quebec, to get me more of a sense of place before I move. It's creepy, though! I can't read it late at night...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Tempe has two cases that appear to involve human remains and ritual. A Wicca coven meets near the site where the second set of remains was found. A conservative Christian councilman is mounting a witch hunt and clashing with Tempe, threatening her job. A pushy journalist is making things worse -- stirring the cauldron of emotion, so to speak. A detective is killed (and no, I won't tell you who).This has to be my least favorite Bones novel, but I finished it. It was way too preachy in hammering home its worthwhile message of religious tolerance. While trying to undo stereotypes about practitioners of alternative spiritualities such Wicca, Santeria, etc. (teaching us that they're not Satanists and don't practice human sacrifice, which I already knew) Reichs seemed equally determined to reinforce secular stereotypes about Christians (as a bunch of intolerant, bigoted fools). I suppose it hit home because there are too many Christians who are that way, but it would have been nice if she'd thrown in a reasonable one or two along the way. Oh, the journalist was pretty much a stereotype, too.There was much melodrama on the romance front and the political fronts, plus Temperance has trouble maintaining her temperance (throughout the series, she's been a recovering alcoholic).When you pared it down to the mystery itself, it wasn't a bad read. I just got aggravated with all the melodrama and the stereotypes.The nicest thing about the book was the dedication -- it was dedicated to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is my second journey into a Temperance Brennan novels set in Charlotte, NC, and Canada. Temperance is a busy woman with all her forensic examinations and college class schedule. Since I live in Charlotte, the setting in Devil Bones is interesting, as well as the many characters loosely based on true characters. My only problem is that Reichs provides too much medical data that goes over my head. Reichs's characters are real people with problems and not the glossy Hollywood images. Reichs does her research and gives a textbook commentary on the various occult religions such as Wicca worship and satanic worship. These are interesting, but detract from the story, at times.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've always enjoyed Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan stories, and this was no exception. I really couldn't put it down and finished it within 24 hours. Just when I thought I'd got a handle on the story and indeed I had another twist turned up and baffled me again. An excellent novel questioning tolerance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is my first Temperance Brennan book. I was glad to see that in print she is much more normal and funnier than her television character. This was much more a procedural story than a classic-style mystery with the baddie introduced in the first 50 or so pages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Read this in 2011 after finding 3 of Reichs books at a thrift and buying then reading outof sequence I relized I had to read them all in order! I just love Kathy reichs books!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was my second Kathy Reichs book and it fell a little short with me. 206 Bones was my first read in the Temperance Brennan series and I enjoyed the plot and pacing of that story. I was really anticipating a good read here. Devil Bones seemed to wander all over the place. A house is being renovated and evidence of some sort of altar with human bones is unearthed. Tempe is called in to help solve this gruesome murder.Although I found the different religious aspects interesting, I felt she spent too much time and energy "teaching" me the difference between Satanism, Wicca, Voodoo and others. And she spent a lot of time pondering her love life and the various men coming in and out of her life. The plot was weak until those moments when she focused on the murders. Unfortunately, she strayed too much from the mystery.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another gripping book by Kathy Reichs. Unlike Patricia Cornwell she's maintained a level of enjoyment and writing throughout her series that constantly keeps me coming back.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the 11th book featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.A plumber uncovers a secret room while he is renovating a home. He finds signs of what might be devil worship. A skull is found at the center of a shrine.Temperance investigates and after learning that the skull is from a young girl attempts to find out who the girl was and where the skull came from. While working the case, Temp is working with detective Erskine, "Skinny" Slidell, a detective in the mode of Sam Spade, with few words and hard as nails. As these two investigate the case, they learn of a headless body of a teenage boy found by the side of a river. The body is marked by satanic symbols.The author takes her readers on an adventure into the land of devil worship, Voodoo medicine, Wiccans and other superstitions as she searches for answers. All of this provides an interesting and unique story. There is plenty of action and the story moves with visual scenes as if the reader might be viewing an episode of the TV show "Bones" which is based on the same character.We also learn more of Brennan as a character as the story relates some of her job frustrations and lonliness.It adds to the reader's enjoyment to obeseve the character development and to see her romantic interest.Very entertaining.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    An apparently Satanic altar complete with human bones is discovered in a cellar, and Tempe Brennan investigates. This 11th book in the series sounds interesting, but the execution was lacking. For some reason the heroine spent much of her time explaining things like she was Wikipedia, or flirting with her ex-lovers. It felt puffed up and the resolution of the mystery was a disappointment.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In Charlotte, NC, a house under renovation becomes the site of heated forensic investigation and unrelenting media attention when a plumber stumbles upon a forgotten cellar. There he finds animal and human remains - including a teenage girl's skull - cauldrons and religious artifacts, all arranged in a gruesome display. Then an adolescent boy's torso, carved with a pentagram, is found nearby. Panic over Satanism and devil worship has Charlotte's citizens on a witch hunt led by an evangelical politician. For Tempe Brennan, nothing about the murders is clear. . . and neither is her own heart, which has her tempted yet reluctant to move on from her departed lover. But as she digs deeper into contradictory evidence from the gruesome cellar, Tempe will unearth the truth - darker and more frightening than she ever imagined.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I like Kathy Reichs. I like that many of her books are placed in Montreal, a wonderful city. I like Tempe Brennan who uses science to aid the police in solving violent crimes. I like the variety in her plots, biker gangs, (Deadly Decisions) leprosy, (Bones to Ashes) and non-traditional religions (Devil Bones.) Unfortunately I didn't find that Devil Bones was written with the same clarity and quality as her past titles. I trust this is just a blip and her new book, 206 Bones, will bring a return to her form that has made her a best selling author.An okey read but not the great read I was expecting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another solid suspense novel in the Temperence Brennan series (basis of the TV show Bones).Human bones are found in a sub-basement, along with ritual paraphenalia that Brennan identifies as Santeria. Shortly thereafter, a headless body is found carved with Satanic symbols. Although Brennan protests that they are very different things, other investigators and local politicians are convinced that there is a connection and target a local Wiccan who has ties to the former tenant of the house.To her credit, Reichs makes it very plain that Wicca and Santeria (and voodoo and several others) are *not* Satanist, despite the ignorance and bigotry of several of her characters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Tempe is coping with missing Ryan, Katy match-making and her battle with the bottle after a detective is gunned down on a case she is working involving a deadly mix of voodoo, Santería, and devil worship in her quest to identify two young victims. Ryan comes for the funeral, they talk, can she trust him again? A good read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    With regular intervals I read what might be called trash novels. Books that are fun to read, that is. One of those books is Kathy Reichs Devil Bones, another one in the long line of novels about Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist. Tempe, unlike her real world counterparts, get to do a lot of deducting and on the scene action. I like these books for the same reason that I like TV-series like Xena or Buffy. It's not very deep, but it distracts and entertains. In this book, Tempe is about to solve a case with a skull found in a basement, and a body washed ashore. The skull in the basement turns out to be a young african american woman, and the trail leads to a young man who is not only a Wiccan, but also a game designer. The violent games he designs are of course appropriately detested by the write Kathy Reichs, while Wicca gets a slightly more nuanced treatment. What annoys me with the book is that I'm sitting and more or less telling Tempe what happened to the body that washed ashore. Maybe I've read too many Dexter books, or seen a few too many episodes of CSI, but the answer to the riddle stares me right in the face all along. I'm jumping up and down, impatiently trying to get the enormously slow Tempe to get the hint. It's an okay book. Slightly amusing, slightly entertaining and just as easy to read as I knew it would be.