Break No Bones [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Kathy Reichs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2006

It's the second-to-last day of archaeological field school - the students are working on a site of prehistoric graves on Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, South Carolina, when a much more recent burial is uncovered...The skeleton is articulated, the bone fresh and the vertebrae still connected by soft-tissue - it's a case forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan has to take. But her investigations soon have her in too deep, her entire view of humanity challenged, and the further she probes, the more she seems to be putting herself in danger...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The success of the Fox TV show Bones, based on bestseller Reichs's series featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (Cross Bones, etc.), bodes well for this latest installment, in which Brennan once again stumbles on a modern-day mystery inadvertently. While supervising a dig of Native American burial grounds in Charleston, S.C., Brennan finds more recent remains. Soon, her ex-husband, who's a lawyer, appears in town, pursuing leads in a missing persons case connected with a local church. Bodies start piling up at an alarming rate, and Brennan begins to suspect that the deaths are linked to each other—and her ex-husband's inquiry. Reichs's down-to-earth heroine is an appealing creation, who deftly juggles personal problems with professional challenges. Despite the somewhat obvious solution, this novel confirms the series' place in the front rank of the ever-expanding forensic thriller subgenre. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this ninth in the popular series, forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is spending two weeks in May on Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, South Carolina, where she is leading a student excavation of a prehistoric site when one of the bodies they find isn't so ancient. After reporting her find to her friend Emma Rousseau, coroner at the Charleston County Coroner's Office, Tempe learns that Emma is ill and unable to investigate; so Tempe fills in for her as a consultant. When another body is found in a different location, the forensic examination of the bones shows a similarity in the manner of death. As Tempe investigates further, another body turns up, leading her to a horrifying conclusion about the motive for these deaths. Complicating matters, Tempe's estranged husband moves into the house she has borrowed, and her boyfriend arrives unexpectedly from Montreal. Tempe must work through her ambivalence about divorcing her unfaithful husband, for whom she still has feelings, but she also cares for her boyfriend. Readers who enjoy Patricia Cornwell's mysteries will appreciate the forensic detail here, and more character-oriented readers will respond to Reichs' likable and well-developed cast, from the local sheriff to Tempe herself, a dedicated woman who feels compelled to provide justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves. An engrossing entry in a widely read series. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 565 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (August 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786288205
• ISBN-13: 978-0786288205
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,307,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathy Reichs, like her fictional creation, Temperance Brennan, is forensic anthropologist for the province of Quebec. She is Vice President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, serves on the Canadian National Police Services Advisory Council, and is one of only fifty-six forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. A professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal. Deja Dead, her debut novel, brought her fame when it became a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Ellis Award for Best First Novel. In 2007 Break No Bones was short- listed for the Ellis Award for Best Novel. Kathy Reichs is the inspiration for the television drama Bones; her latest novel featuring Temperance Brennan is Devil Bones. Her newest release, 206 Bones, is due out in the summer of 2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 16 Little Indians, September 23, 2006

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Break No Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels) (Hardcover)

While Kathy Reichs' work bears undeniable similarities to Patricia Cornwell's, it is quite clear that Reichs has managed to find a balance between the private life of Tempe Brennan and Brennan's career as a forensic anthropologist serving in Quebec and North Carolina. Which means that the reader spends less time thinking about the heroine's propensity for dysfunctional relationships and more time enjoying a plot in which forensic detection plays a major role. Indeed, Brennan's relationships aren't particularly dysfunctional, just complicated. Which is a relief sometimes.

When an instructor heads for greener pastures, Tempe is asked to teach a field school in South Carolina. It's a very dull dig that has earned the antagonism of the builder who is impatient to develop the area. But other than that, the burial site is interesting, but not remarkable. Until, that is, one of the bodies found turns out to be much more recent. Her arms slightly twisted by an old friend, the archeologist consents to handle the case, which presents several unusual features, but no real clues. But the body count begins to mount, and the mysterious deaths point to something more than normally sinister.

On the personal side, Tempe's life is equally tempestuous. She had planned to have Ryan, her lover, show up to enjoy some time in the Carolinas, but the sudden appearance of her ex-husband complicates matters by no small amount. Ryan has realized that Tempe is avoiding any real commitment and Tempe discovers that her feelings for her ex-husband Pete are conflicted. When Pete is shot Tempe becomes completely distracted by her reaction. So not only is the trio going through a rough period, but Tempe comes dangerously close to missing the trail of a deadly killer.

As I've already said, Reich's seems to have found the balance point between emotional involvement and the very vine forensic detective work required for a book like this to be a forensic detective novel. This is a pleasant relief at a time where writers in popular fiction seem to prefer having their heroines go over the deep end rather than suffering the agonies of actually advancing the plot. As long as Reichs can keep this up I will remain a dedicated fan.

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shine the Light on Temperance, July 16, 2006

By 

Ben F. Small (Tucson, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Break No Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels) (Hardcover)

Little did Temperance Brennan realize when she led a student archaelogy class on an ancient Native American dig on an island off Charlesston, SC, that she was going to unearth more recent remains. Bugs, shells and the smell of death. Then another body is found, this one hanging headless in the woods. But both bodies bear the same strange marks.Tempe's asked by the coroner, a sick friend, to assist a county sheriff, a hard-boiled good ole boy no doubt last seen sweating Paul Neuman in "Cool Hand Luke." Convincing this sheriff that these cases are murder and that there are likely more bodies to be found will be no small task.

Enter Andrew Ryan and Tempe's estranged husband Pete, who are all bunking together in a friend's beach house. No three-way here. Just taunting, teasing and a desperate need for Valium.

But this is no Tempe-in-trouble-Ryan-to-the-rescue formulaic treatment. Ryan plays a bit role, actually more of a foil for Pete than a white knight for Tempe. And it's a nice twist.
For Tempe's got her hands full uncovering a pattern of crimes so horrific Anderson Cooper would slobber all over himself.

This is a return to Kathy Reichs at her best. The plotting is intricate and thorough, the pace whirlwind and the style less clipped than her last two books. And the characters are better developed. From Tempe herself; to Emma, her sick friend; to the county sheriff, and especially Pete, these characters are full and real. Even the dog is a well rounded character. I, for one, am celebrating that Kathy Reichs is back. Keep it up Kathy; you're best in class.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Temperance digs up an unexpected surprise., March 25, 2007

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Break No Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels) (Hardcover)

I had kind of given up on Kathy Reichs after her first few books. Although I liked the forensic element in the novels, I tended to find her writing formulaic and a little bit reductive in terms of characters. I decided to give her books another go after becoming addicted to the television show Bones.

There were some pleasant surprises for me in Break No Bones. Reichs has clearly developed her feel for character since the first two books. I didn't love the oh-too-cute two men in one house routine, but still-- Tempe and her beaus are well-rounded and there was a lot of even believable dialogue.

The plot left me a little bit cold. It irritated me a little bit that even though Reichs has a main character who has an excuse to be digging up bodies she still needed to have her accidentally find a corpse. It doesn't stretch likelihood so much as rip it to shreds.

Anyhow, it was not too bad. Recommended if you like forensic mysteries but simply cannot stomach any more Scarpetta.