Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs

Val Penny ♦ January 27, 2016 ♦ 2 Comments

I was so excited when I had an opportunity to meet Kathy Reichs when she visited Scotland and took part in the Bloody Scotland Crime Writers’ Festival in 2014. On that occasion she spoke about when she had travelled to Afghanistan with some other authors to spend time with the serving troops. I bought Bones of the Lost then but it took me too long get around to reading it. In this book Reichs’ character, Tempe Brennan travels to Afghaistan. It makes the book a bit different and very interesting.

Bones of the Lost is Kathy Reichs’ sixteenth novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan, who examines a young girl killed in a hit and run accident in North Carolina. This triggers an investigation into international people trafficking.  The girl’s body shows signs of foul play. Inside her purse police find the ID card of a prominent local businessman, John-Henry Story, who died in a horrific flea market fire months earlier.

Tempe must also deal with personal turmoil. Her daughter Katy, who is grieving after the death of her boyfriend in Afghanistan, impulsively enlists in the Army and is posted to Afghanistan. Katy’s father, Pete, is frustrated by Tempe’s reluctance to finalize their divorce. As pressure mounts from all corners, Tempe soon finds herself at the centre of a conspiracy that extends all the way from South America, to Afghanistan, and to the centre of Charlotte.

This is different from Reichs’ previous novels about Tempe Brennan and has quite a personal feel to it. I enjoyed the book and have no doubt I will read other books by Kathy Reichs in the not too distant future.

Valerie Penny