Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan Novels)
by Kathy Reichs
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kathy ReichsEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-06-28
ISBN: 0743233484
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Scribner
Book Reviews of Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan Novels)
Book Review: I am SO disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
In CROSS BONES, forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs' eighth novel featuring Dr. Temperance Brennan, our heroine is called in to determine if the death of Avram Ferris, an Orthodox Jewish man in Quebec, was murder or suicide. Her examination seems to indicate that Ferris was murdered. Her conclusion is confirmed when an acquaintance of Ferris's hands Tempe a black and white photograph of a skeleton, taken in Jerusalem in 1963, and tells her its subject is the reason Ferris was murdered.
Tempe discovers that the photo was taken during an archaeological dig of Masada, the long-ago site of the Jews' last stand against the Romans. Along with her lover Detective Andrew Ryan, who is investigating Ferris's murder, and biblical archaeologist Jake Drum, Tempe travels to Israel to investigate the origins of the photographed skeleton (which they crudely nickname "Masada Max"), and to explore ancient burial caves in and around Jerusalem. While in the city, she makes a startling discovery that could raise radical questions about the beliefs of millions of people around the world. Is it possible that Jesus survived his crucifixion on the cross and, rather than being resurrected as Christians believe, lived to the ripe old age of 80, and was buried with the rest of his family in a tomb deep in the Hinnon Valley? In CROSS BONES, Tempe takes on the most controversial and dangerous case of her career--and the stakes have never been higher.
Kudos to Reichs for being brave enough to write such a controversial book. But that's about all she gets kudos for with this one. Shame on you, Kathy, for feeling like you needed to buy into the "DAVINCI CODE knockoff" trend. And yes, I'm going to compare the two: If Reichs is going to mention that novel in CROSS BONES (which she does, more than once), you can be sure I'm going to make the comparison. The premise of CROSS BONES is the same: The main character discovers a secret that could have earth-shattering results for Christianity. You're better than that, Dr. Reichs, as your previous seven books have proven.
And while I can put up with the fact that the plot is similar to THE DAVINCI CODE, what I can't accept is that the writing is so similar. I mean, I love Dan Brown as much as the next person, but c'mon, folks, he's not the best writer, is he? Sadly, Reichs' writing also suffers greatly in this book. Her sentences are short and choppy, her dialogue is stilted, her prose is juvenile, her humor falls flat. And I've had just about enough of those heavy-handed cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. And don't you think she's told us enough that Ryan's eyes are blue? Sapphire blue, Viking blue, ocean blue, baby blue...it's all blue, Kathy, we get it.
I have read all of the Tempe Brennan novels, and I've loved them all--that is, until I read CROSS BONES. I found absolutely nothing redeeming in this novel. All of the forensic science I've always found so interesting in Reichs' novels is dry and textbook-boring in this offering. Her character development is nonexistent in CROSS BONES; she focuses totally on the plot rather than on the characters involved. While her descriptions of Montreal and North Carolina in previous novels have been vivid, her portrait of Israel is dry and detached. Although she mentions in her Epilogue that she flew to Jerusalem to do research for this novel, her depiction of the city is lifeless, and it reads as though she picked her descriptions of Israel straight from a travelogue.
Perhaps one of the reasons I had such a strong negative reaction to this novel is that its subject made me very uncomfortable. I am a Christian myself, and even reading this novel made me feel sacreligious. I think what bothered me was Reichs' flippant writing; Tempe, Jake, and Ryan, are constantly making some snide, sarcastic comment about the life of Jesus. I think Reichs could have taken more care not to be offensive. Yes, THE DAVINCI CODE tackled similar subject matter, but at least Dan Brown wrote with a little more respect. Aside from that, it is clear Reichs has disdain for organized religion of all kinds. In CROSS BONES, Christians are fanatics, Jews are radicals, Muslims are fundamentalists. You'll never hear any of them referred to in the pages of this novel without those tags.
But despite all this, I stuck with the novel, hoping for one of those trademark cleverly-crafted Reichs endings. Sadly, even in this I was disappointed. The ending is totally anticlimactic. Reichs takes the easy way out and gives her readers no answers, no explanations, not even some hypotheses to chew on. Just a rehashing of all the historical facts and some more not-so-witty-banter between Tempe and Ryan.
As a Reichs fan, I just can't tell you how disappointed I was with CROSS BONES. In fact, I'm not sure I'll be reading Tempe's ninth adventure--not unless Reichs steps back into the formula that's been working so well for her so far.
So I guess there's one major difference between THE DAVINCI CODE and CROSS BONES, after all: Brown, at least, tackled his biblical enigma with successful results.
Summary of Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan Novels)
A gripping and explosive new thriller from internationally acclaimed forensic anthropologist and New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs, featuring Temperance Brennan and Detective Andrew Ryan on the trail of a modern murder and an ancient biblical mystery...When an Orthodox Jewish man is found shot to death in Montreal, Temperance Brennan is called in to examine the body and to figure out the puzzling damage to the corpse. Unexpectedly, a stranger slips her a photograph of a skeleton and assures her it is the key to the victim's death. Before she knows it, Tempe is involved in an international mystery as old as Jesus, and one that could lead to the rewriting of two thousand years of religious history.
As Tempe investigates, she learns that the stranger's picture shows bones uncovered during an archaeological dig. She discovers the Montreal shooting victim ran an import business that just might have been a front for the trading of black market antiquities. Along with Detective Andrew Ryan and biblical archaeologist Jake Drum, Tempe travels to Israel to probe the origins of the skeleton and the ancient crypt in which it was found. Together they make a startling discovery that raises radical questions about Christ's death and places them squarely in the middle of a swirling controversy. Could one of the tombs really be Christ's last resting place? Are the bones in the ancient ossuary the last remnants of James, the brother of Jesus, as the inscription claims? Or has someone concocted an elaborate hoax?
Using her skills as a forensic scientist, Tempe plunges into the most controversial case of her career. The stakes have never been higher -- the more she learns, the greater the danger. And though Ryan is sexier and more engaging than ever, he may not be able to protect Tempe in this place where there seem to be so many foes.
Cross Bones, with its lightning pace, intricately plotted story, riveting and state-of-the-art forensic detail, is Kathy Reichs's most compelling and dramatic novel yet.
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