By Kathy Reichs
Scribner | 320pgs
Release Date: August 24, 2010

Summary:
An unusual death in Quebec drives Dr. Temperance Brennan to dig forty years into the past for answers in Spider Bones, Kathy Reichs’ 13th outing with the forensic anthropologist. Fingerprints identify the victim of drowning, with strange S&M overtones, as John Lowery. But, records show that John Lowery died in Vietnam in 1968, and was buried by his family in North Carolina. How could one man die twice? Brennan exhumes Lowery’s grave and takes the remains to the U.S. military’s Joint POW/ MIA Accounting Command, in Hawaii to find answers. Things are further complicated when yet another set of remains is discovered, this one entangled with Lowery’s dog tags, and Brennan is also asked to consult on the body of a possible shark attack victim. The good Doctor teams up with Detective Andrew Ryan, her on-again off-again lover, and Honolulu medical examiner Hadley Perry to unravel the twisted mysteries behind all these deaths.

What critics are saying:
The Temperance Brennan novels are always enjoyable reads, even though the dialog can veer toward corniness at times, and a few of the plot twists are a bit hokey. It is Reichs’ real life experiences as a forensic anthropologist that makes these novels shine. The science in these stories is compelling, and the forensic twists and turns in the plots are truly engrossing. Reichs’ novels are usually well received among critics, and this 13th installment is no exception. “Reading a new Brennan novel is like hooking up with old friends: you know what to expect, but that’s OK, because you also know you’ll have a good time,” writes David Pitt for Booklist.