The Bone Code

I received an Advance Reader’s Edition of The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs from the publisher (Scribner). The Bone Code is scheduled for release on July 6, 2021.

The Bone Code is book 20 in the Temperance Brennan series. In this novel, Tempe is called into a Charleston case involving two bodies packed into a medical waste container that washes ashore during a hurricane. Tempe is struck by the similarities to a case she worked in Quebec years earlier. As Tempe works to unravel the possible connection, South Carolina battles a flesh-eating bacteria that is appearing too often for people still recovering from the COVID pandemic.

Since this is book 20 in an established series, and I have read some, but not all, 19 previous books, I had a moment of hesitation going in. I was concerned that I would be unfamiliar with some characters, or not have needed knowledge about ongoing plotlines. I didn’t need to worry about this. Reichs does a good job of making this book be able to stand alone. As the novel is written in first person, and given Tempe’s character, we have moments (especially early in the story) where Tempe simply says, “All right, here’s what you need you need to know about _.” These direct acknowledgments that this is a continuing story worked very well for me. I was able to access the information I needed and then continue on with the current story.

This novel was likely written in the midst of the pandemic, and presents us a world with COVID tucked into our past. I appreciated this nod to a major world event, but some of the plot points and information late in the novel did not quite work for me given how the pandemic has continued to play out. (I did read an ARC, so it is very possible that these points may be changed in the final version of the book).

Like the other Temperance Brennan books I have read, The Bone Code weaves together several plot lines. While this makes it a challenge to follow as a reader, and results in me often forgetting about important points, it works for these stories, and is honestly how life works in reality. Tempe, like all humans, does not get the privilege of focusing on one goal until that goal is completed. She is balancing several goals that are competing for her attention, and like the reader, will sometimes forget one of the balls she is supposed to be juggling until it falls on the floor. Honestly, this a great tool for continuing the mystery elements of the book, as it allows important details to remain slightly obscured until everything comes together.

Overall, The Bone Code is a timely mystery/crime thriller that delivers what other books in the series have led readers to expect. While it is the 20th book in the series, even readers new to Tempe’s tales will enjoy the ride.