Fire and Bones

Ahhhh, I had been waiting for this new book for a long time! I was surprised that they released the written, electronic, AND audio versions (8 hours and 41 minutes) all at the same time.

This new Temperance Brennan story takes place in Washington DC and is a bit slow until the last two hours of the book, as usual, but I really enjoyed it anyway. Temperance is called to recover four bodies who died in a fire, and she finds a fifth body. While she tries to find out the identity of that fifth body, a second fire is set, and then a third…

I like the humorous yet serious scientific tone of these books, and I was not disappointed with this one. I had not guessed who the arsonist was, but I immediately knew who the sixth burn victim was. I was disappointed that her boyfriend wasn’t involved in this story, but since the drama took place in Washington DC and not in Montreal, it made sense. I liked the new and unusual location, and I’ll definitely have to go visit the Einstein and Bonzai museums if I ever visit that city again. (I think the last time I was there was in 2005 or 2006, for a job interview.)

The one thing that disappointed me was that we never learn what happened with her daughter and the journalist. Other than that, it was a great book, and I’m going to a reading by the author this evening in Toronto!

As audiobooks are becoming more and more popular, though, I am wondering how the « autographed book » could be reinvented. Last time, when I saw Kathy Reichs in Ottawa, I had to buy a paper copy of the audiobook I had just finished so that she could sign it. This time, I am simply going to bring a paper copy of her very first book, which I got a very long time ago (but when? That is a mystery).