I am a huge fan of Kathy Reichs so was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest book Fire and Bones.

Fire and Bones is the latest novel to feature Temperance Brennan (the 23^rd apparently) This time Tempe as she is known is asked to attend a place called Foggy Bottom to investigate the victims of a mysterious arson attack. Her investigation soon starts to show that there might be links to the areas history and the Foggy Bottom Gang, a group of bootleggers in the 1930s. As the victims start to pile up, Tempe realises that she will have to team up with her unlikely landlady journalist Ivy Doyle if she wants to crack the case.

Fire and Bones was another great read from Kathy Reichs. The story was quite complicated with lots of different strands but these were all tied up together nicely in the end.

I was a bit frustrated by some of Tempe’s actions, especially her relationship with her on off partner who she seems to happily let down at the drop of the hat for a case that didn’t seem that urgent. However as a long term reader of this series it was perfectly in character for her to put a case first. That dogged determination is both a blessing and a curse for Tempe. The new character of Ivy Doyle was a great addition. They had a slightly rocky start but I can imagine that we haven’t seen the last of this pairing.

One of the things that I really enjoy about Kathy Reichs novels is the level of forensic detail they go into and this was no exception. The detail of the investigation and the destructive power of fire was fascinating.

Although this was the 23^rd in the series I think it can be read as a standalone. Although you would get a better feeling for the main character if you have read all the others first, this one does have the added bonus of a chinchilla!