Customer Reviews
Not as good as it used to be.... - By: craig, 23 Sep 2008 
I've read & enjoyed alll of Kathy Reichs' other novels, & I have to say that I was shocked by how poor an effort "Devil Bones" was. The characterization was spare at best, the plot was unimaginative & could have been lifted straight from any of her other books (it probably was, come to think of it). Tedious little forensic science lectures do little to lift this unimaginative book. I shan't be buying one of these again in a hurry ....
Please drop the monotonous tirade of scientific terms. - By: K. Barton, 20 Sep 2008 
This book 'would' of been good if only Reichs had stopped putting in mind numbing explanations about different dietys, & in-depth explanations about this & that. If I wanted to read a book on pathology, I would buy a science book.
Come... come now Dr Reichs, entertain us with gore & a bit of romance, NOT something I expect to be reading sat in a science class. Im not a stupid person, but even 'I' had to look up some words in her books.
I don't know what it is, but it seems like Reichs has to prove she's better than the likes of Cornwell, with her flashy inserts. Well... NEWS FLASH Dr Reichs, your losing the plot on these books big time.
Disappointing - By: Joyce Holmes, 09 Sep 2008 
I was truly looking forward to Devil Bones, but it does not seem to me to be as good as the other Brennan books. I got the feeling that it had been put together more as a precis than a full blown novel. It was still enjoyable, but the story felt rushed as though the author was just writing to fill in a gap. I only hope that the next book will return to the format I have enjoyed before, with the characters returning to a full bodied existence. Please Kathy Reichs go back to giving us that at least.
Deftly Plotted Mystery, Lots of Pagan Religion, Jammed with Medical Details, and No Romantic Movement - By: Donald Mitchell, 04 Sep 2008 
If you are a long-time fan of this series, I've written this review for you. You can skip this book if you want to. In terms of series continuity, I'm sure Dr. Reichs will be able to put in two sentences near the start of the next book to handle what happens in this one.
If you haven't read any books in the series, don't start with this one. Start with Deja Dead, a much better book.
If you like mysteries that are hard to solve as a reader, you will like Devil Bones much better than most readers. That's also true if you are fascinated by pagan religions & cannot get enough information about dead bodies.
On the other hand, if you want an entertaining story that's an easy read, you will probably think this is a two-star book. The book also features an easy-to-hate politician who makes the story less appealing. If you like to see Dr. Tempe Brennan's love life get somewhere, this book is pretty close to a zero.
Let's face it. We alll have bad days. Tempe seems to be having one throughout this book. That also makes the book more of a downer than it had to be.
Tempe is callled out when an apparent root cellar turns out to contain a human skull, associated with what looks like some sort of pagan religious rite. Tracking down the rest of that body becomes the focus of much of the story in Devil Bones. Soon thereafter, a body is dumped that displays satanic signs. Are the two events connected? How?
The investigation has many unexpected twists & turns, most of which wouldn't have happened if Tempe had been a little sharper in assessing one of the clues. If you are quicker than Tempe, you'll unravel the mystery faster than she did. But you'll probably miss the real criminal until alll is revealed unless you have ESP.
I learned way too much about pagan religions & medical details from this book, but I liked the mystery being difficult to solve. So I rounded up from two stars to three.
Sell-by date coming up? - By: Michael Watson, 03 Sep 2008 As ever, I was looking forward to the latest Tempe Brennan story. Ahead of Cornwell in the forensic anthropologist stakes, in my view but now I'm beginning to wonder. At first, I thought I'd somehow missed out a book. I don't remember Ryan leaving her in the lurch, I don't remember the dog leaving home but maybe I'm wrong.
Anyway, this book doesn't flow like the others. There's plenty of forensic detail, several bodies to be explained & a few more currently taken care of by the killer.
What I don't quite get is how an anthropologist becomes the number one detective. As though the police hardly make a difference for without Brennan, the case would not be solved. Which, of course, means her life is threatened once again. But this time, the coincidences are wearing a bit thin. I reallly don't believe a chance look at a music website brings up the identity of one of the people involved. Surely not??
I've given the book 4 stars because I've enjoyed the outing with Tempe Brennan but I honestly think it's worth only 3! As for the next one? I may well wait until I can pick it up secondhand after the hype has gone. Sorry if her fans disagree with me.
