*sob* - Rated 
I love Kathy Reichs' usual style and held off on reading this book til I was on holiday. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement...
I don't want to know about (or can't understand, after 4 glasses of wine) the importance of aDNA or mtDNA unless it's in relation to victims I can actually care about... A skeleton that's thousands of years old just doesn't do it for me. The whole story didn't flow.
Please, please write a decent book next time...
a very disappointing recommendation - Rated 
Someone thrust this book into my hands urging me to read it without delay. I've never read Kathy Reichs and am not a big fan of crime but I relented neverthless and gave it a stab (no pun intended). It started off well enough but by the middle of the book I was just willing it to end. Eventually I skipped a huge chunk and went right to the end and I was glad I did. I found it difficult to follow and simply unbelievable. Of course its all subjective, but for me you should only need to work at a book if the prose and story truly deserve it and this didn't I'm afraid.
inaccurate and implausible portrayal of orthodox jews. - Rated
I was very upset at some of Kathy Reichs portrayal of the Chevra Kedisha. She made them out to be violent fundamentalists, when really they do the most kind and tender duties in washing the dead, and preparing them for a traditional Jewish burial. Even comparing them to the Inquisition, when 90% of those murdered by the Inquisition were Jews. A most inapt comparison,
Also the two word sentences and ridiculous turn of phrases do not reflect her obvious academic excellence.
Very ultra orthodox Jewish women DO NOT WEAR BLACK PANTS!!!
Kathy, do your research thoroughly
Jackie Vegoda
Should have stayed buried. - Rated
I am so used to reading before finally putting my head down for the night that while on holiday in France recently , having stupidly left home without anything to read, I had to resort to seeking something out. The selection Of English books was poor to say the least( but way better than a selection of French books would be over here) but my partner said Kathy Reich ,s books were worth investigating ,no pun intended ,so I bought this. Whilst i would say it was better than nothing that's not much of a recommendation but that's about the best I can do for in no way would I recommend anyone reading Cross Bones.
For a start her heroine Dr Temperance Brennan is insufferably smug and annoying whilst at the same time being one of those characters that only exist in popular culture- on this occasion a forensic anthropologist -who not only does the job she's paid to do but then cracks the case herself. It's a bit like me selling someone building materials then going and building their extension for them. She is helped by the fact that she is having a relationship with detective Andrew Ryan and boy are they one of those irritating so much in love but laid back about it couples . So much so you want one of them to lose their genitals in a freak blender accident ( the odds are it would be Ryan) just to shock them out of their self-satisfied reverie.
The plot revolves around the murder of an orthodox Jew and the ancient remains of a skeleton which could cause seismic shock waves to reverberate around the Christian world. Its an intriguing premise and for a while its actually gripping , but it quickly becomes so confusing that you cant tell the leg bone from the thigh bone . Cross Bones is essentially an attempt to mix up the secular intrigues of "The Da Vinci Code"( it even alludes to that at one point ) with a forensic pot-boiler but it ends up being a convoluted mess where neither style is partially satisfying . Certainly not the thriller which has a frustratingly lame conclusion .The book is not helped by Riechs aggravating trait of describing Brennan and Ryan's eating experiences with elaborate relish( on the side) and with such intellectual snobbery it makes you want Brennan to choke on her pizza -"I took a moment to wade thought the flavours. Tomato, onion, green peppers, olives, feta and I spice I couldn't identify" -probably old spice... or maybe ginger spice.
The essence of Cross Bones or the bare bones if you prefer is interesting and given a topical resonance but it's never properly explored and shoots off down multiple tibias of absurdity and with more red herrings than even Brennan could mange to quaff. I got to sleep far quicker reading Cross Bones , so if it's a restful read you want then this is splendid , but anyone requiring a thriller with some genuine thrills and some contemporaneous significance should dig elsewhere.
Great plot idea, but a confusing read - Rated 
This is the first Kathy Reichs novel i have read, and while i thought the basic storyline was solid, i found the narrative very confusing. I felt as though i needed a better understanding of the religions, customs, and countries involved to really appriciate this book.
I wouldn't recommend if you are looking for a light read, or have little knowledge of the settings as it will probably result in confusion and a distinct lack of enjoyment.
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