Break No Bones

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Dorothee Berryman

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The inspiration for the hit Fox series Bones, Kathy Reichs explores another high-stakes crime from today's headlines, in a case that lands forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan in the middle of a gruesome international scheme.

Summoned to South Carolina to fill in for a negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching at a lackluster archeology field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground on the Charleston shore. But when Tempe stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among the ancient bones, her old friend Emma Rousseau, the local coroner, persuades Tempe to stay on and help with the investigation. When Emma reveals a disturbing secret, it becomes more important than ever for Tempe to help her friend close the case.

The body count begins to climb. Tempe follows the trail to a free street clinic with a belligerent staff, a suspicious doctor, and a donor who is a charismatic televangelist. Clues abound in the most unlikely places as Tempe uses her unique knowledge and skills to build her case, even as the local sheriff remains dubious and her own life is threatened.

Don't miss any of Tempe Brennan's investigations.

©2006 Temperance Brennan, L.P. All rights reserved (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"This novel confirms the series' place in the front rank of the ever-expanding forensic thriller subgenre." (Publishers Weekly)

so wonderful

I loved this story, one of my favorites so far. I love the twists and turns. I really felt for the victims and Emma in this story. wonderful narration.

Pretty good audible book.

Most the time Kathy Reichs books can be very technical but this one was not bad at all. I would recommend it to others to read.

Great book! Terrible Performance!

Another gripping story from Kathy Reichs, but the woman reading the story was terrible. The acting for each character was completely inconsistent with their personalities. Really difficult to listen to.

Recommend reading not listening to this book!

The narrator's accents are shallow (stereotypical) and her poor voice acting is distracting. The narrative is formulaic, but entertaining. Can't get past the narration though, so I would recommend reading this one the traditional way (then at least the bad accents will be your own!).

Loved the story and performance

It was a bit slow in some spots but overall a great story. in-line with Kathy’s previous novels.

I miss Michele Pawk

I've been a huge Reichs fan since her first book and have thoroughly enjoyed the transition to reading by listening. Michele Pawk (previous narrator) did a phenomenal job bringing the subtlety and humour to life and made Tempe seem complicated, yet interesting and relatable. This new reader is not suited for the book. Her French is exquisite, but her Tempe is horrible. With such a prickly character, you need a reader that udnerstands Tempe and her universe and this one seemed very wrong for it - this Tempe was peevish, irritating and fickle and the narration brought out the flaws in the story (of which there weren't many, granted, but this reader made them seem blatant). The three stars could've been more, had I not been so annoyed by the narration.

Bring back Michele Pawk!

If I could only rate the narrator with ZERO STARS

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's constant breathy production made me want to pull my hair out not even 5 minutes into the book. I can't tell you about the book. I had to stop.

Break No Bones is another Grand Slam Home Run by Dr. Kathy Reichs!

This scientifically well-grounded and wonderfully written mystery insightfully transports us into a fascinating world, where a forensic anthropologist painstakingly helps solve perplexing crime puzzles, provides identities to otherwise nameless murder victims, and collaborates with police and other dedicated professionals who protect us all from the monsters among us.

I was an Anthropology graduate student with Kathy Reichs at Northwestern University, have read ALL of her Temperance Brennan novels multiple times, and assign my students to read, thoroughly mark, and discuss Break No Bones (and Deja Dead) in my Introduction to Forensic Anthropology course. Students love to learn from these amazing books.

Good One from Reichs

I enjoyed this book as a Reichs fan. I wasn't sure what to expect since the last one wasn't that great. This one has good character dev. and good plot. It kept my attention and I was sad when it was over.

Another great story

Forensic Anthropologist Temperance Brennan, investigates the murder of a John Doe, determined to identify the victim. What she discovers is an illegal organ donation ring. A great read, although the narration could have been better, and Break No Bones tended to drag on a bit in parts. Not one of Kathy Reichs best but still an enjoyable read.