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Kathy Reichs
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Book
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Publisher | William Heinemann | ||
ISBN | 9780434015344 | ||
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Reviewer
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Selina
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Synopsis
In the run up to the biggest NASCAR race week of the year, Dr Temperance Brennan is called to a landfill site backing onto the Charlotte speedway track in North Carolina. Someone has discovered a barrel of hardened asphalt with a human hand poking through the top. With the country's press trained on Charlotte, it is up to Tempe to try to release and identify the body in the barrel. But there is more than one potential victim: the brother of a girl who went missing with her boyfriend ten years before comes forward, and the trail he sets in motion leads Tempe to one of America's largest fascist organisations. But before she can discover anything, the FBI confiscate the body and destroy it. What terrible secret could they be hiding? As tension at the speedway mounts, Tempe tries to unravel the conspiracy of lies surrounding the missing couple, the body in the barrel, and the horrific death at the track of yet another victim...
Review
Another great Tempe Brennan novel, this time set in Reichs' hometown of Charlotte, and based around the world of NASCAR racing. Brennan is called to the landfill behind the racing track when a body is discovered in a barrel. Before she knows whats' happening, the FBI are involved and the body suddenly disappears from the morgue and is 'accidently' cremated before it can be identified.
Throw in two missing teenagers, a disgraced cop, and her ex's wedding, and Tempe has her hands full as usual.
Although i enjoy Reichs' way of combining scientific detail, police work and humour, i was surprised by the lack of forensics in this novel. There has been speculation that forensic writers are 'dumbing down' their books for joe public, and although i disagree with this, there did seem more emphasis on police work in this story.
Reichs has obviously done her homework, and paints a vivid picture of the NASCAR scene for her readers. Since Tempe is pretty clueless about NASCAR herself, its nice for the reader to be able to learn as they go along, rather than be bombarded with information that they don't understand.
In the author interview at the end of the book, Reichs answers some questions about the plot, how she writes the storylines, and about writing scripts for the tv series Bones, which is based on her books. This is a nice way for the reader to develop a bit more insight into her creative process.
I did enjoy this book, and i think the way Reichs writes Brennans' thoughts as if she were the character, will always set her apart from others writers of her genre. I do hope there is more forensics in her next book though!
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