My first experience reading Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan novels was in (gasp) 1997, and I really enjoyed the strong female character with the fascinating job, being a forensic anthropologist employed by agencies in both Montreal and North Carolina. Since, I have read and enjoyed most of the series, so I was happy to have a chance to read The Bone Code, her latest (21st) in the series, in exchange for an honest review (thank you, Scribner and NetGalley). 

All the books in the series are told in the first person, so most readers who have followed the series seem to feel they know Tempe really well, and the recurring characters of Bird (the cat) and Ryan (the hunky Canadian detective boyfriend) are familiar reminders of her series’ excellent character development. In the latest entry in the series, there are two separate stories going on: a medical waste container washes up on shore on a barrier island off the Carolina coast, complete with two bodies inside. The evidence looks identical to a case Tempe handled in Quebec years ago, so she heads off to Canada to investigate.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, the spread of a flesh-eating contagion is nearly overlooked due to the focus on the bodies in the barrel…the two stories move along at a good pace, and the story is told with Reichs’s usual tight plotting and interesting factoids about forensic science. 

All the books in the Tempe Brennan series can be read as standalones, but I think there is comfort in reuniting with a familiar friend, even if she is a fictional character! Similar to a few other recent books, this one reminded me of the potential for sinister usage of genetics. Not nightmare inducing, but given where we are in the pandemic of 2020-21, a bit unsettling. Four stars and  kudos to Reichs for maintaining the consistently high level of storytelling throughout the series.