Rating: 
Summary: Grave Red Herrings
Review: The bulk of the story is set in Guatemala, where Temperance Brennan is helping sort out the 20-year-old remains of the massacre of a village of indigenous Aztecs. Because members of the ruling government were involved in the bloody killings of women and children, the forensic anthropologist's work is frowned upon, and gunmen attack two members of the excavation and identification team. While sorting out this ugly reminder of the past, Temperance is asked by the local police to help in the investigation of a body found in a septic tank. On thing leads to another, and soon Brennan cannot decide if she is dealing with a serial killer or someone more politically motivated.A red herring is a writing device intended to appear as if it were a clue, but which, in fact, is really just a distraction that keeps the reader from jumping to the right conclusion. When used in moderation, it is an adroit tactic that can add interest and suspense. When used to excess, it leaves the reader feeling tricked as the plot seems to dissolve away. 'Grave Secrets' is right at the limit, and perhaps somewhat beyond it. It would be giving away too much to list the herrings, but you will have to accept my assurances that there are many layers of literary subterfuge, few of which contribute materially to the story. The book isn't a failure, but it is certainly not a wholehearted success. When the story is over, and the last 'cute' trick is played, one wonders what will happen to the series from this point onwards. Reichs hints loudly that changes are coming, but I fear that another talented writer is going to fall victim to what I call Editor's Disease, where the author is gradually convinced to make become a formula writer - one dollop of blood, two dollops of sex, etc., etc. Hopefully this is a temporary aberration and not a portent of things to come.
Rating:
Summary: GRAVY GRAVE
Review: I have to admit that I found this to be one of the weakest in the five novel series, but even in that, it's worth reading if you've become a fan of Ms. Reichs. Perhaps when one stumbles upon a good author and a great series such as Temperance Brennan, we get our expectations set very high and it's disappointing when we're let down.
Perhaps the problem with this book is its preachiness. While I can certainly understand Ms. Reichs' horror at what happened in Guatemala, it tends to bog down the other mystery in the book, concerning the disappearance of four young girls and the discovery of a body in a septic tank. Now, that's ONE unnerving scene, in which Tempe goes into the septic bank to remove the body. It makes me think about what goes on in our septic systems. The addition of Bat Galiano as a possible love interest also seems unnecessary; I think Reichs has prolonged long enough the romance between Tempe and Ryan. They're obviously meant for each other, and her cute little ending about which one of the cops is Tempe running off with is really a cheap slam to her fans.
This book moves a little slower, and additonal preachiness comes in regard to stem cell research.
Write good mysteries, Kathy, as you have in the past and don't expose us to your views on world issues. Including them in the plot is one thing, but jamming them down our throats is another.
But, hey, I'll be there for #6.
RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: I am new to the Tempe Brennan series and I found "Grave Secrets" both somewhat enjoyable and somewhat frustrating. I am a big fan of the mystery/thriller genre and I believed, at the outset of the story, that this book would fit the bill. However, Ms. Reichs departed from a tale where our heroine unearths and identifies Guatemalan victims of massacres and wonders haphazardly into a story of a possible serial killer, police/government corruption, and plots to create a black market for stem cells, peppered with extended explanations of DNA and stem cell research. The story contains more characters than the reader can reasonably follow and a fair number of very dull jokes. Also, I believe that many of the scientific explanations were both long and boring and that the ending was rather implausible. Overall, the story was enjoyable but, by no means, a great work of fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Tempe is Growing Up
Review: In this latest installment of the Tempe Brennan series, Kathy Reichs begins a new transition for Tempe that will probably continue into the next installment. In this one, Tempe goes to Guatemala to donate her services as a forensic scientist when the country tries to recover from the acts of a brutal regime. There are enough gruesome scenes to get the idea of the work that Tempe does, but no overkill (pun alert!). Kathy Reichs does not want to be the Tom Clancy of forensics medicine, so there is no textbook-level detail on foresic science droning on and on, thank goodness. There was a large cast of characters that was hard to keep track of sometimes, but by the end of the book when the mystery is solved, you'll know the characters you need to know. Are the others just red herrings? Yes and no. There is a bit of a "Scooby Doo" ending where there is an explanation of all the details of the crime, but it is authentic. There's no reason to suspect that a forensic scientist would have every single detail of the solution to a murder without some explanation from the police or criminals. The real strength of this book is observing Tempe's dogged determination to move on in her life and find happiness, and Reichs' continuing development as a writer. The series is told in the first person and Tempe's usual sardonic humor is very much in evidence here, as is her fascination with Andrew Ryan, her co-worker and almost-love-interest. If you're new to this series, you could start with this book and not feel like you got invited to a party where you're the odd one out or start at the beginning with Deja Dead.
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in this series, but I was disappointed in "Grave Secrets." The story was confusing at times with too many characters and sub-plots. The writing style was flippant with too many one-liners and the on-going romance was immature and unsatisfying. I wanted more forensic detail and flowing description which I thought was missing entirely from this book. I hope the next book gets back to the basics which previously made this series so successful and a pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING
Review: audible.com audiobooks may or may not work. may or may not take longer than reading the book. tech dept keeps banking hours and has one phone line.
Rating:
Summary: Grave Secrets
Review: Started out very well, very interesting mystery. However, all of the questions were answered in the last few pages and the reader has no way to guess all the complicated relationships. It is like the author had to unravel all the mystery in two pages! There is also a romantic angle to this and the author withholds who ends up with the heroine.
I was very disappointed in the ending in all aspects.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah for Kathy Reichs and Temperance Brennan
Review: I really enjoy the Tempe Brennan novels. I find that Ms. Reichs gives very good forensic detail, but it is made interesting, so it's not boring "textbook" stuff. I enjoyed this book as well, but found that the "stem cell" stuff got a little long. Also, I don't know why we had to shift scenes to Guatemala. Surely with Tempe's dual US/Canadian life, she can find enough to keep her busy without going further south. Don't get me wrong, the history we learned about the atrocities that happened in Guatemala was good and it was accurate, but it just didn't ring true that Tempe would be there and getting involved in crime solving. Not only that, but Ryan followed here there, and I thought this was not really explained away that well in the story. But the story is good, Tempe is just as we love her, and on the whole I really enjoyed the book.
Rating:
Summary: Where Are You, Dr. Reichs?
Review: Perhaps responding to earlier comments that her works were a tad too academic, brilliant forensic anthropologist/writer Kathy Reichs went the other way in this latest addition to her collection of novels. And the result is a mixed bag. In a complete change of tone from her earlier books, Reichs spikes this fast-moving tale with one-liners, groaners, bon mots, and some hard-bitten detective talk straight out of "The Maltese Falcon." It certainly moves the plot along, but I miss the ultra-serious, and yes, sometimes boring Tempe Brennan, the forensic-anthropologist heroine of Reichs' mysteries. In this outing, Brennan is in Guatemala to help a human-rights team unearth and account for the horribly massacred bodies in a mass grave--legacy of the last junta. That in itself is fascinating, but the plot suddenly widens to include a possible serial killer who is murdering the twenty-something daughters of the Guatemalan affluent. The Canadian ambassador to Guatemala is somehow mixed into the plot via his wayward teenaged daughter, and there are enough characters, plots, and subplots in the two parallel stories (mass graves and serial killer) to seriously confuse the reader if one is not paying close attention. Tempe's love interest, Canadian cop Andrew Ryan, has some competition in the form of sexy Special Crimes investigator Bartolome Galiano, who just happens to be a former college roommate of Ryan's. But Tempe has no time for sex, what with her nauseatingly described foray into a teeming cesspool to find human body parts, and her dangerous and probably illegal trip into Guatemala's underbelly to unearth the killer or killers. The ends all tied together nicely, but there was quite a bit of information to digest, and this reader, for one, was left in a slight muddle. No matter. The book is still worth four stars for the sheer energy and intelligence of the writing. I'm hoping the next book in the series brings back the didactic and frustrating Tempe Brennan her fans have come to know and love.
Rating:
Summary: Grave Secrets-gravely disappointing.
Review: I found this book not worthy of the wonderful and suspensful previous books by this author. I felt very let down after waiting a long while for this new book to come out. The characters in the book were not clear cut to me. I found most of the plot confusing and the end part of Temperence going off by herself after becoming so terribly ill with apparent food poisoning highly improbable and contrived. The author is capable of much finer work. Loved Fatal Voyage and ALL her other books!
|
