Booklover Book Reviews

Flash and Bones Synopsis

Just as 200,000 fans are pouring into town for Race Week, a body is found in a barrel of asphalt next to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The next day, a NASCAR crew member comes to Temperance Brennan’s office at the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner to share a devastating story. Twelve years earlier, Wayne Gamble’s sister, Cindi, then a high school senior and aspiring racer, disappeared along with her boyfriend, Cale Lovette. Lovette kept company with a group of right-wing extremists known as the Patriot Posse. Could the body be Cindi’s? Or Cale’s?

At the time of their disappearance, the FBI joined the investigation, only to terminate it weeks later. Was there a cover-up? As Tempe juggles multiple theories, the discovery of a strange, deadly substance in the barrel alongside the body throws everything into question. Then an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes missing during Race Week. Tempe can’t overlook the coincidence. Was this man using his lab chemicals for murder? Or is the explanation even more sinister? What other secrets lurk behind the festive veneer of Race Week? (TheNile – Australia)

BOOK REVIEW

I am a huge fan of the Bones TV series inspired by the Kathy Reichs Temperence Brennan series. So I thought the audio book version of the 14th novel in the series, would be a fun listen.

In Flash and Bones Kathy Reichs has good old Tempe Brennan doing her usual thing, sticking her forensic nose in where it is not wanted in the pursuit of the truth.

Narrator Linda Emond provides clear characterisation and a dry delivery that suites Tempe to a tee. The mystery is intriguing and complex and true to her previous form Reichs is not afraid to keep the momentum going by killing off a character or two along the way.

Although a solid crime thriller, I did not enjoy Flash and Bones as much as the previous Kathy Reichs novel I read, Cross Bones. Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s on-again-off-again love interest is one of my favourite characters and he does not play a large part in this storyline. Also Tempe recounted the details of the investigation just one too many times for my liking and was a little slow to put the pieces together for someone so bright.

Flash and Bones is an enjoyable light listen for fans of Tempe Brennan, but for those not already acquainted with Kathy Reichs, I recommend starting with one of her earlier novels.

BOOK RATING: The Story 3 /5 ; The Writing 3.5 /5

BOOK DETAILS: Flash and Bones (Audible); Flash and Bones (Amazon); Flash and Bones (Kobobooks – epub); Flash and Bones (TheNile – Australia)

Genre: Action-Adventure, Mystery, Thriller, Crime-Detective, Audio

Author Information: For all the information you ever needed to know about author Kathy Reichs, check out her official website.

Other Reviews of Flash and Bones: CSI Librarian ; Book Him Danno! ; Murder by Type

Some other titles by Kathy Reichs: 206 Bones , Devil Bones , Bones to Ashes , Break No Bones , Mortal Remains , Cross Bones

Some other audio titles narrated by Linda Emond: The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman ; Brida by Paulo Coelho ; The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

When I saw that a new Kathy Reichs Tempe Brennan novel had been released, before I knew it I was listening to Flash and Bones on my iphone…

If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a huge fan of the Bones TV series inspired by these Kathy Reichs novels, and I really enjoyed the novel Cross Bones.

Not far into this one yet, but good old Tempe is doing her thing, collecting scientific evidence to solve a homicide that you just know is going to end up being a lot more complicated than first impressions would suggest.

Here is my teaser:

I was reaching for my maglite when lightening sparked. A human hand, flashed white in the electric brilliance, dissolved to black. (Chapter 1, Audiobook)

Find out more about this latest Kathy Reichs novel – Flash and Bones. 

Looking forward to reading your teasers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following: Grab your current read, open to a random page and share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

* Win a pre-loved copy of The Summer We Came To Life by Deborah Cloyed – International Giveaway – ENTER NOW - entries close 18 September 2011 *

BOOK REVIEW : This is one action-packed novel! The comparison made by some between this story and The Da Vinci Code is fair in that the characters find themselves questioning the validity of historical ‘facts’ which are the foundations on which modern religions are based. The beauty of Reichs’ novels for me is that they start from real forensic cases and empirical evidence — the time and effort put into researching the storylines is evident. Every time I read a Reichs I feel like I’ve learnt something. The main characters, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan and detective Andrew Ryan, are well developed and have a meaningful back story by this book in the series. I particularly like these characters’ dry observations and innuendo and think little touches such as their pet bird Charlie (a mimic) and their cat named Birdie really add colour to this story based on detective work and forensic anthropology.
 An enjoyable read!

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