speaking in bones
TRANSCRIPT
Bo
ok
Gro
up
s @ B
lue
Mo
un
tain
s Libra
ry
Speaking in Bones
Author Background
Kathy Reichs
Born: 1950, Chicago Illinois
Education: B.A. (Anthropolgy) American University; PhD in Physical Anthropolgy, Northwestern University
Dr. Kathy Reichs is an American forensic anthropologist, crime writer and academic. She is
best known for her Temperance Brennan series of books following the life and career of a
forensic anthropologist working at the Laboratoire de Medecine Legale in Montreal.
Temperance (Tempe) Brennan is based closely on Reichs herself - she has said that “some of
Tempe’s personality traits are also mine”1, and they both have the same CV. Unlike Brennan
however, Dr. Reichs is not an alcoholic.
Reichs’ first novel in the series, Déjà Dead, was a huge success, despite the author being more
invested in her career as a Professor of Anthropology in the Carolinas and the official Forensic
Pathologist for North Carolina and Québec than pursuing a writing career when she wrote it.
While the idea for the novel and the character had been in Reichs’ mind for several years, she
did not begin to write until she realised that there was significant public interest in her line of
work. Reichs uses real career experiences in her books, and is “fastidiously conscientious
about getting the science right”2. Speaking in Bones is the 18th book in the series.
The success of the novels led to the television series Bones, also based on the character of
Temperance Brennan, which ran from 2005 to 2017. Dr. Reichs was a producer on the show,
wrote three episodes, and also made a cameo appearance in one episode. In the Bones
universe, Dr. Brennan writes successful mystery novels featuring a fictional forensic
anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.
Dr. Reichs has lent her expertise to some high-profile and international cases. She has
travelled to Rwanda to testify at the UN Tribunal on Genocide, and helped exhume a mass
grave in Guatemala. She has also aided in the identification of war dead from World War II,
Korea, and Southeast Asia, as well as assisting in the recovery of remains at the World Trade
Centre following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In 2018 she was appointed to the Order of
Canada.
Dr Reichs is married with one son, Brendan, and two daughters, Kerry and Courtney. While a
native of Chicago, she currently divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina and
Montreal, Québec.
Sources: Author website, Wikipedia
1"Meet this season's best discovery: Kathy Reichs". Alden Mudge, Bookpage, Sept 1997.
2"Kathy Reichs: The ice queen of crime". Peter Stanford. The Independent. 21 July 2006.
Bo
ok
Gro
up
s @ B
lue
Mo
un
tain
s Libra
ry
Speaking in Bones
Book Summary
Dr. Temperence Brennan finds herself drawn into a world of dark secrets
and dangerous beliefs, where good and evil blur.
Professionally, Brennan knows exactly what to do—test, analyse, identify. Her
personal life is another story. She’s at a loss, wondering how to answer police
detective Andrew Ryan’s marriage proposal. But the matter of matrimony takes a
backseat when murder rears its head.
Hazel “Lucky” Strike—a strident amateur detective who mines the Internet for cold
cases—comes to Brennan with a tape recording of an unknown girl, held prisoner and
terrorized. Strike is convinced that the voice is that of eighteen-year-old Cora Teague,
who went missing more than three years earlier. Strike is also certain that the
teenager’s remains are gathering dust in Temperance Brennan’s lab.
Brennan has doubts about working with a self-styled websleuth. But when the
evidence seems to add up, Brennan’s next stop is the treacherous backwoods where
the chilling recording (and maybe Cora Teague’s bones) were discovered. Her forensic
field trip only turns up more disturbing questions—along with gruesome proof of
more untimely deaths.
While local legends of eerie nocturnal phenomena and sinister satanic cults abound,
it’s a zealous and secretive religious sect that has Brennan spooked and struggling to
separate the saints from the sinners. But there’s nothing, including fire and
brimstone, that can distract her from digging up the truth and taking down a killer—
even as Brennan finds herself in a place where angels fear to tread, devils demand
their due, and she may be damned no matter what.
Source: Author website
Bo
ok
Gro
up
s @ B
lue
Mo
un
tain
s Libra
ry
Speaking in Bones
Discussion Questions
1. I seriously dislike reading the autopsy scenes that often pop up in crime fiction. When the
scalpel flashes and the cutting is nigh, my trembling heart cries, “Please, can’t you just bury the
poor guy?” (from a review by Patrick Anderson in The Washington Post, 21 July 2015). Do the
lengthy technical descriptions of Tempe's work enhance the novel...or do you find them
distracting, off-putting, or overly detailed?
2. Reichs uses First Person point of view. This means that the reader is privy only to the
information that the protagonist receives directly, and that information is filtered through the
protagonist’s personality and perception. Do you think this style works in a thriller? What
would have been the effect if we could have been aware of the killer’s thoughts and plans?
3. “A habit of taking things apart may explain why Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist and
successful thriller writer, seems unable to string two words together”. Will Cohu, writing in
The Telegraph in 2004, complains about the author’s habit of writing truncated sentences that
leave words out. For example, ““I have little to report. Still waiting on DNA from the bones,
trace from the concrete. A lobotomy on Slidell.” (p.187). Do you enjoy this staccato style, and
how do you think it serves the novel?
4. “Death Becomes Her”, reviewing the novel for CrimeFiction.com, suggests that newcomers to
this series may be disadvantaged by the minimal backstory offered in this instalment. Have
you read other books in the series? How much did you know about Tempe’s backstory before
picking up this novel, and do you think it affected your enjoyment of this book?
5. Kathy Reichs and Temperence Brennan could be compared to Patricia Cornwell and her
heroine, Dr. Kay Scarpetta. If you are familiar with Cornwell’s works, how would you say the
two writers (and their heroines) compare? Why do you think forensic professionals are such
popular protagonists?
6. One reviewer (Kylie, for athrillaweek.com) says that Tempe “seems to be reasonably intelli-
gent, but yet time and time again she does really stupid stuff”. On at least one occasion in this
story, Dr Brennan places herself in a potentially life-threatening situation, without a plan or
support. Did you find this thrilling, or irritating?
7. Just for Fun… Kathy Reich’s early novels in the series incorporate elements of French in their
titles in keeping with their Quebec setting, and she has now moved on to including the word
“Bones” in every one. What might she choose next as a title theme?
Bo
ok
Gro
up
s @ B
lue
Mo
un
tain
s Libra
ry
Speaking in Bones
Reviews
“I read Reichs for the same reason I watch CSI or Silent Witness...it's about
the intellectual challenge of trying to work it out before the detectives do “
- Lesley Mason, thebookbag.co.uk
As ever with a Kathy Reichs book, Speaking in Bones’ strengths lie in the intriguing
detail that surrounds Tempe Brennan’s work, brought vividly to life in a way that only
someone who has worked in the field they’re writing about can achieve. The forensic
detail is fascinating, and Reichs is one of the few writers I know who can get away
with frequent info dumps. Her only habit that I could happily have less of is the
frequent foreshadowing and the constant ending of chapters on minor cliff-hangers.
Foreshadowing is always annoying, and the cliff-hangers soon pall as a technique.
- Linda Wilson, crimereview.co.uk
A hallmark of Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels is how she incorporates a
solid knowledge of forensics in a way that a novice can understand the intricacies, yet
still appeal to an expert in the field. In "Speaking in Bones," Reichs uses Temperance's
work as a forensic anthropologist in an involving, complex plot that combines science,
missing persons, fanatical religion and amateur sleuths. This latest novel in the series
moves at a brisk pace, taking the reader deep into the investigation.
-Oline H. Cogdill, The Lowell Sun
Autopsies aside, “Speaking in Bones” is smart and pleasurable. […] It’s an interesting
plot, but I was equally impressed by Reichs’s characterization of Brennan. She surely
ranks with Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone among the most interesting women
protagonists in American crime fiction. Besides fighting crime, Brennan is busy dealing
with her mother, sexist colleagues in law enforcement and two men who are
candidates for her affections. […] The book has too much medical jargon, but it also
features crisp writing that’s thoughtful, tough-minded and lyrical[…] Still, the novel’s
most memorable line is Brennan’s declaration that “The Devil’s Tail bucket definitely
contained Mason Gulley’s head.” Trust me, that makes perfect sense in context. Thus
are murders solved.
- Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
Bo
ok
Gro
up
s @ B
lue
Mo
un
tain
s Libra
ry
Speaking in Bones
Reviews (continued)
[…]The faithful will not be disappointed with Speaking in Bones. If you’re coming to
the series cold, however, it is a different matter. I know that Tempe has a huge and
complicated back story and it really can’t be trotted out every time a new book is
released, but I feel Reichs has erred too far on the side of caution this time – meaning
that newcomers may feel a little left out. Probably best to start at the very beginning
and work your way through the series.
As the body parts count grows and the plot thickens, our level headed, intelligent and
highly-skilled heroine throws caution to the wind and ends up in all sorts of bother. As
usual I shake my head when she takes off on her own and blithely puts herself in
danger. I suppose she’s not going to change her modus operandi after all this time but
it can get a bit predictable.
- “DeathBecomesHer”, writing for crimefictionlover.com
The plot follows the typical Reichs’ style that is often presented throughout the series
which means that Tempe Brennan manages to get in trouble, not only once but twice,
by putting herself in harm’s way because she is too impatient to wait for backup or
doesn’t bother to carry a weapon. Typically things turn out OK in the end and Brennan
just shrugs her shoulders and admits that it was a pretty stupid move, but the
perpetrator was found and that makes it alright. Right? Wrong! Brennan is a well
educated woman who seems to be reasonably intelligent, but yet time and time again
she does really stupid stuff to the point I am really losing a lot of respect for this
character. Kathy Reichs please stop this, there are plenty of other ways to create an
exciting ending without making Brennan look really stupid.
- Vicky, writing for athrillaweek.com