The Bone Hacker

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs
Series: Temperance Brennan #22
Published by Simon and Schuster on August 1, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twenty-second high-stakes thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan who, following a series of bizarre disappearances on the islands of Turks and Caicos, enters a sinister labyrinth in which a new technology may wreak worldwide havoc.

Called in to examine what is left of a person thought to have been struck by lightning, Tempe traces an unusual tattoo to its source and is soon embroiled in a much larger case. Young men—tourists—have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos. Seven years earlier, the first victim was found in a strange location with his left hand hacked off; subsequently, two other visitors vanished without a trace. But, recently, tantalizing leads have emerged and only Tempe can unravel them.

Maddeningly, the victims seem to have nothing in common—other than the odd places where their bodies turn up, and the fact that none seems likely to have been involved in criminal activity. Do these attacks have something to do with the islands’ seething culture of gang violence? Tempe isn’t so sure. Disturbingly, she discovers evidence that what’s at stake may actually have global significance.

It isn’t long before the sound of a ticking clock grows menacingly loud. Then Tempe herself becomes a target.

I enjoyed this book. I have been a fan of this series for many years. I haven’t read all of the installments just yet but I have picked up most of them. This book takes Temperance out of town to the Turks and Caicos islands. It seems that there is a killer target young attractive men, cutting off one of their hands before disposing of the bodies. Once Tempe gets to the islands, she is drawn into another case that is equally perplexing. I found this novel to be quite the page-turner.

Tempe spent the bulk of this installment working the case of the local detectives. She does spend some time doing forensic anthropology, of course, but I felt like the bulk of the story was set away from the lab. The mysteries kept me guessing and I loved getting to know the characters on the islands. I found the pacing of the book to be well done, although I did feel that the ending seemed a bit rushed. All in all, this was an entertaining mystery.

I would recommend this book to others. This is the twenty-second novel in the long-running Temperance Brennan series but it would work well as a stand-alone since the mystery is completely contained in this book. I cannot wait to read more of this well-written series!

I received a review copy of this book from Scribner.

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