Didn’t ring true

Bones to Ashes, by Kathy Reichs (Random House, $36.99):

I’m a wee bit on the slow side sometimes when it comes to getting hooked on television programmes.

Bones, a TV series about forensic anthropologist Temperance “Bones” Brennan — which was written by and based on the life of real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs — is a prime example of that. It wasn’t until the programme was well into its second series that I took any notice of it. And, to be honest, I wasn’t a great fan to start with.

However, by the end of that series I’d changed my mind and had warmed to the characters.

I’d never actually read any of Kathy Reichs’ books but being an avid reader, I expected I’d take to one of her books much faster than the TV series. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

In this story, Dr Brennan is bogged down with more work that she should rightly be able to handle but is drawn to a case involving what are believed to be ancient bones. The skeleton is that of a young girl and the good doctor is distracted by memories of the disappearance of a childhood friend.

The components were all there: mysterious deaths, missing girls, violence, domestic dramas and more. I just couldn’t get into it.

I enjoyed the scientific explanations throughout the book but found the rest of it just a bit forced: the conversations didn’t ring true, the thought processes were just a bit too scientific and all-in-all it felt a bit cold.

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