Rating: 
Summary: GREAT MYSTERY / SUSPENSE NOVEL!!!
Review: This is the second Tempe Brennan novel that I've read, and I was not disappointed. In this tale, the heroine is sent on a goodwill mission to Guatemala, to aid in the recovery and identification of the remains of the victims of a massacre that took place many years ago. Amidst the drama at Chupen Ya, Tempe also becomes involved in the disappearances of several young girls that appear to be linked....is a serial killer on the loose?
While identifying the innocent victims of Chupen Ya, the search for the present day killer brings Tempe in close contact with the handsome Galiano, the local detective who is determined to bring both past and present day killers to justice.
Though the story was certainly engaging and enlightening, I did at times find the dialogue somewhat difficult to follow (who's speaking now??).....and most readers will long for more interaction with the obviously handsome Galiano; or even Ryan, the returning Quebec-based detective with whom Tempe already has a history. The ending was a treat, leaving readers looking for the next novel in the series to find out with whom Ms. Brennan may be finding romance this time around.....
This one is a difficult one to put down.
DYB
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not as solid as first four Tempe stories
Review: We eagerly dived into this fifth book about forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, having thoroughly enjoyed the earlier four stories about her crime solving from a rather different perspective. From the study of bones, sometimes long buried skeletons, Tempe, as in real life does author Dr. Kathy Reichs, is usually able to determine age, race, and gender of the victim; often the means and manner of death; and sometimes even enough clues to pursue the perpetrator. While reminiscent of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, the Montreal, North Carolina, and sometimes other settings, coupled with supporting characters in each location, plus the somewhat unique challenges of the analysis involved, lead to entertaining stories and characters we have come to enjoy.In Grave Secrets, Tempe is stationed on assignment in Guatemala, where much of the book is devoted to first her unearthing, then her aiding in the identifying, of two dozen remains of executions of women and children from during the long, 34-year Guatemalan civil war. The atrocities described to us during that period darkened the whole book; presuming this is mostly if not completely fact based, surely a depressing recounting of human cruelty and suffering. Meanwhile, two other stories compete for Tempe's (and our) attention: the case of a skeleton found in a septic tank, and all the interesting technical feats involved in ID'ing the victim; and the disappearance of four missing young women. Pursuing and resolving these cases involved the participation of two leading men in the story - detective Galiano, whom Tempe comes to like, of the Guatemalen PD; and long-time Canadian associate and romantic interest Andrew Ryan, who just "happens" to be old buddies with Galiano and is apparently free to run back and forth to Canada with little restraint. That one of the missing women is the Canadian ambassador's daughter opens the rationale for much of the goings-on as well as much of the suspense. The book concludes with a bedtime cliffhanger in the style of Janet Evanovich, which we weren't sure we really appreciated, but will certainly help sell Book 6! To get to the point, we're not as enthused about this fifth book as Reich's earlier work. We felt much of the chasing around had little or nothing to do with Tempe's skills (let alone her job per se); and too many sub-plots required too many (relatively shallowly developed) characters to populate them adequately. Each successive story element only seemed to subtract from the strength of the novel; and when we were all done, we wound up with a living room dusted and vacuumed, but still cluttered beyond good taste. While Reichs credits her publishers with helping making her book compelling, to us the editors should have carved much of the detail at several points, simplified the story lines, axed some situations that did nothing for the cause, and in general tightened up the whole convoluted tale. We think her other books are better, and urge a little more caution for her next outing, which still we will no doubt anxiously await.
Rating: 
Summary: AN A-ONE READING OF REICHS
Review: With numerous film, television and stage appearances to her credit veteran actress Katherine Borowitz knows how to deliver - and deliver she does in her reading of
Kathy Reichs's fifth novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. This time out we find Tempe in Guatemala where she is assisting in exhuming a mass grave, the final resting place of women and children who were raped and slain by soldiers during a 1982 attack on their village. No one knows for certain who is in the grave; no records were kept. To the families of those missing their loved ones have simply disappeared. Meanwhile, in Guatemala City, where four young women have been reported missing recently, remains are found in a septic tank. Could those remains be the Canadian Ambassador's daughter? Tempe is asked for help by the Guatemalan police. But as she investigates further she finds herself almost trapped in a web of crime and coverup. As always, Reichs, who is a forensic anthropologist herself, laces her suspenseful tale with authentic medical description. The author's expertise simply makes her stories more shudderingly real. Reichs tops the list in her genre. - Gail Cooke
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