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Grave Secrets [Mass Market Paperback]

Kathy Reichs
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)

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Book Description

July 1, 2003 Temperance Brennan Novels
"Fans of TV's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation should be in heaven" (People) stepping into the world of forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, star of Kathy Reichs' electrifyingly authentic bestsellers.

A harrowing excavation unearths a chilling tragedy never laid to rest.

They are "the disappeared," twenty-three massacre victims buried in a well in the Guatemalan village of Chupan Ya two decades ago. Leading a team of experts on a meticulous, heartbreaking dig, Tempe Brennan pieces together the violence of the past. But a fresh wave of terror begins when the horrific sounds of a fatal attack on two colleagues come in on a blood-chilling satellite call. Teaming up with Special Crimes Investigator Bartolomé Galiano and Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, Tempe quickly becomes enmeshed in the cases of four privileged young women who have vanished from Guatemala City -- and finds herself caught in deadly territory where power, money, greed, and science converge.


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Grave Secrets + Fatal Voyage (Temperance Brennan Novels) + Bare Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Temperance Brennan is helping her Guatemalan colleagues identify the remains of villagers who were "disappeared" 20 years ago when she's called in to consult on four more recent disappearances. Is there a serial killer loose in Guatemala City, or is the fate of the young women who've gone missing--including the daughter of the Canadian ambassador--connected to the murder of a human-rights investigator looking into the decades-old massacre? Brennan, the protagonist of Reichs's popular series, is literally hip-deep in intrigue, between the well in Chupan Ya where she unearths the bones of women and children slain in Guatemala's bloody civil war and the septic tank in the capital where the remains of one of the missing girls turn up. Tempe is a standout in crime fiction's crowded field of forensics experts--she's one of its more complex and interesting protagonists, dealing with intriguing cases that often cross national borders and a personal life that's rich in possibilities the author skillfully exploits. Tempe--and Reichs--just keep getting better. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of the Temperance Brennan series will be pleased by forensic anthropologist Reichs's latest installment (after Fatal Voyage; Deadly Decisions; etc.). Grave Secrets finds Tempe plying her pathology trade in Guatemala, investigating a massacre site as a favor to a Guatemalan anthropology association. However, when her team is ambushed by gunmen, Tempe finds herself ensnared in a mesh of corruption and murder stretching from Guatemala City to Montreal, involving DAs, military thugs and kinky diplomats. Tempe finds herself drawn and trapped between the two cops investigating: her longtime Canadian suitor, Lt. Andrew Ryan, and her would-be Latin lover, agente Bartolom‚ Galiano. That the two men know each other and are friends doesn't help the situation. When a nosy reporter looking into the massacre is gunned down before Tempe's eyes, she realizes she herself is the next likely target. As has been said before, Reichs has much in common with Patricia Cornwell, though her language is more stripped down and there is less melodrama between autopsies. Devotees of medical procedurals will appreciate the detailed descriptions of bone formation and the mechanics of bodily decomposition within a septic tank; others may not. But the author keeps the twists coming, and by the novel's climax, she has skillfully interwoven her many subplots and red herrings into a satisfying puddle of sex, sleaze, greed and gore.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket Star (July 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671028383
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671028381
  • Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1.5 x 7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,899 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

Rehashing of existing relationships is boring and the story development is very predictable. Lynn Edey  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
I was very disappointed in the ending in all aspects. Lizzie  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
Kathy Reichs is fast becoming one of my very favorite authors and this book is no exception. Jayne A. Hitchcock  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Dead and Buried July 11, 2002
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Grave Secrets , the fifth Temperance Brennan novel, is another excellent addition to the series which has blasted Kathy Reichs to fame.

This time, Tempe is sent to Guatemala to recover the bodies of the dead (known as "the Disappeareds") massacred during that country's vile civil war. It is in the village of Chupan Ya that she uncovers 28 dead bodies, and on the way to the site, two other forensic scientists are attacked on the road, shot, and left for dead. It is the beginning of an investigation which will haunt Tempe in the coming weeks.

Shortly after, her help is sought by the local police. Four teenage girls have gone missing in Guatemala City, and one of them is the daughter of the Canadian Ambassador. Is there a serial killer at work? Soon after, a decomposing body is found in a septic tank of a local hotel, and the investigating begins in earnest.

Reichs' writing is sharp; the plotting tight and complex. Her characters are interesting, often drawn with only a few choice words, and her descriptions of the dead are brilliant. Reichs' books ring with authenticity, as she has been and done the same sorts of things as her main character. This fuels the writing with realism and a relentless compassion for the dead, which really comes out in the story. She never lets you forget that these people walked, breathed, laughed, talked...that they used to be us.

Her use of forensic detail is interesting, and the way she writes about science doesn't make you feel as if you're reading a textbook. (In this area, she is almost on a par with Cornwell.) However, with this book there is one too many plot lines, leading them to become confused in the mind of the reader. However, careful reading does tend to remedy this.

Guatemala is described well, the horrors of the war still brood over the landscape.

Tempe's relationship with Ryan develops and complicates with this book when she also finds herself attracted to a Guatemalan police officer, who once knew Ryan. Tempe's conflict is done well and serves to bolster the roundness of her character. Being a devout Cornwell fan (I even liked Isle of Dogs ) it is hard for me to say, but Tempe is a more realistic, well drawn, and likeable character than Kay Scarpetta.

The... conclusion... is chilling, and brings the book to a satisfying close. While Grave Secrets is not quite as good as last year's offering (Fatal Voyage), it is still first class.

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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars superb yet frightening crime thriller July 9, 2002
Format:Hardcover
Between the years of 1962-1996, Guatemala was involved in a bloody civil war and many of the peasants who were thought to be rebels were killed or disappeared. In the present, the government is now sending in forensic teams to find and identify the victims so they can be given a proper burial. Dr. Temperance Brennan, a famous forensic anthropologist, is one of the members who are trying to sort out the body parts on the site of a massacre.

While doing her work, she is asked by an honest policeman to examine the body of a woman who was found in a septic tank. It seems that in the past few months, four young women have gone missing and the authorities fear they have a serial killer on their hands. While working the case, Temperance finds herself in danger from an unexpected source and only a miracle will save her life.

Kathy Reichs is a fantastic writer of crime thrillers and her latest work GRAVE SECRETS is even better than usual because of its locations. Based on facts and true events, readers get an inside look at a Central American country where genocide on the local people occurred for more than three decades. Temperance is the kind of heroine most women aspires to be.

Harriet Klausner

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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointment September 22, 2002
By DB
Format:Hardcover
I thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in this series, but I was disappointed in "Grave Secrets." The story was confusing at times with too many characters and sub-plots. The writing style was flippant with too many one-liners and the on-going romance was immature and unsatisfying. I wanted more forensic detail and flowing description which I thought was missing entirely from this book. I hope the next book gets back to the basics which previously made this series so successful and a pleasure to read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Guaranteed to Give you Nightmares
Tempe is in Guatemala, helping to unearth the bodies of 28 villagers disappeared (killed by the govt.) during the civil war there. Two of her colleagues are attacked, one dies. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Laurel Whitehead
5.0 out of 5 stars Great suspense
She kept the action moving and kept you wondering if she and Ryan would ever get together. Ms. Reichs is able to paint a picture with words which I love.
Published 8 days ago by Pattie DeLamar
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Ms. Reich scores with another winner here. The story tying restrictions on stem cell research to past genocide is fascinating.
Published 22 days ago by Jelena Follweiler
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed!
Couple of years back while flicking through the TV Channels, I stopped at one particular spot thinking that the channel had started airing the TV show `Angel' again since on the... Read more
Published 27 days ago by b00k r3vi3ws
3.0 out of 5 stars Great
Another great book. Love the way she mixes business with little pleasure. Always gives complete details of all the people involved.
Published 1 month ago by Dianna Griffin
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
If forensics is of interest along w/ snappy dialogue and some good metaphors and similes, you will enjoy this book. I consume her books in a day usually. Good vacation reading.
Published 1 month ago by holmstead
5.0 out of 5 stars Grave Secrets
Kathy Reichs Grave Secrets was full of twists and turns...captivating...
All who who enjoy descriptive and intriguing mysteries, this book is for you.
Published 2 months ago by Angela Toomey
5.0 out of 5 stars Great as always
As always, this book didn't fail me. I feel like I need to get through my next couple of books really fast so I can get onto the next book of this series!
Published 2 months ago by Alyssa Greatbanks
5.0 out of 5 stars another great read
Kathy does another great job in this series of books. The main character is great as well as the others in the story.
I would recommend this book.
Published 3 months ago by aussiejul
5.0 out of 5 stars Great to listen to.
We listen to all books on tape. Very enjoyable. Always a good plot with many funny scenes. Always like her CDS.
Published 3 months ago by Russell D. Foster
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