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Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8)
Cross Bones - Temperance Brennan, Bk 8
Author: Kathy Reichs
Discovered in a closet, a week after death, the body is barely recognisable. Advanced decomposition and scavenging cats have mangled the face, and friends and family give conflicting accounts. Suicide or homicide? As Dr. Temperance Brennan attempts to interpret the wounds, a stranger slips her a photograph, claiming the skeleton pictured holds t...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780743233484
ISBN-10: 0743233484
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 368
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 216

3.9 stars, based on 216 ratings
Publisher: Scribner
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

algernon99 avatar reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 418 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I am currently working my way through the Temperance Brennan series. In general, I like the books a LOT. They are exciting, filled with interesting scientific detail about bones, and usually satisfying.

I have mixed feelings, though, about this one. The coincidences pile up alarmingly, and the really mysterious part of it -- do any of these ancient bones really have anything to do with Jesus or his family? -- is not brought to closure. We never find out the truth of the matter. Of course, you have to expect that--Reichs can't expect us to swallow a story that concludes they've found the tomb of Jesus' family or his skeleton. So she merely teases us with the possibility--on and on for many, many pages--and then leaves us hanging.

I also found the pace to be a bit off. I got very tired of Tempe asking herself long paragraphs of unanswered questions. Such as: Could these bones really be this? Or could they be that? Where was Jake? Where was Ryan? Why did so-and-so do this? Who did that? What do the cats mean?

It makes Tempe's head ache, and it made my head ache. I could do with a lot less internal questioning. It's tedious.

And then there's the matter of Tempe carting around an ancient skeleton in a hockey bag, taking it with her on wild goose chases, and in general treating it as if it were about as important as her lunchbox. Not likely.

But with those complaints registered, it's still a book worth reading, as it advances the career of Tempe Brennan and Andrew Ryan. If you read the series, you'll care about these two interesting people. Because I've read the other books, I need to know what has happened to the characters, even if the story isn't always as satisfying as I'd like it to be.
reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoy Kathy Reichs, but this was not one of my favorites.
It became "too involved", and I had trouble following it.
gsisk avatar reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 192 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Even though this book is an easy read and suspenseful enough, I was a bit disappointed about Reichs' foray into the daVinci-Code realm.

When forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan examines the body of a murdered Jew who dealt in Holy Land antiquities, someone slips her an old photograph of a skeleton which proves to be the key of not only the old Jew's death, but also to a much larger mystery.
ilovedale3 avatar reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 524 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Tempe Brennan is back in the latest Kathy Reichs novel!

In this book, a man is murdered and a stranger gives Tempe a photo, stating that the skeleton in the photo is the reason for the death. Tempe then begins a long journey searching for the identity of the skeleton (and the murderer of the victim in the morgue), ultimately leading her to Israel.

This book has lots of information to wrap your mind around. It gives several theories about Jesus and his family (like in The Da Vinci Code), but still focuses on the science of forensic archaeology. The wonderful passion between Tempe and Andrew Ryan is still very prevalent in this book as well.
reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 71 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent fun read, dealing with some of the new Da Vinci Code-esque theories on the life of Christ.
Read All 63 Book Reviews of "Cross Bones Temperance Brennan Bk 8"

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reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 128 more book reviews
I am an enormous fan. Have read every book in the series now. I have to admit, this was my least favorite. I HAD to read it of course, but it was a bit too much historical religious detail to wade through. I caught myself skimming....
reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 3 more book reviews
great as always.
reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 35 more book reviews
One of my favorite writers!
barbsis avatar reviewed Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, Bk 8) on + 1076 more book reviews
I was listening to the audiobook of this and got as far as the 7th disk of 10 - roughly page 320. I just couldn't stand it any longer - extremely religious which I am not and have no interest in at all. I guess I should have read the premise before picking this one up. It is totally outside my comfort zone and interests. It's basically about a skeleton that was found in Jerusalem in the 1960s which is purported to be of Jesus Christ. This is Tempe's journey to Israel and her encounter(s) with various people trying to kill her in order to get the skeleton for whatever reason. Lots and lots of depth into the Christian religion, (and Jerusalem as well as various Arab religions, etc) and what this discovery (if in fact it is Jesus) will do to world religions.

The only thing I liked about this book was Andrew Ryan's dry humor. His one-liners are absolute killers.

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