• Spider Bones

  • A Novel
  • By: Kathy Reichs
  • Narrated by: Linda Emond
  • Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,253 ratings)

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Spider Bones  By  cover art

Spider Bones

By: Kathy Reichs
Narrated by: Linda Emond
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Publisher's summary

Kathy Reichs—number-one New York Times best-selling author and producer of the Fox television hit Bones—returns with the 13th riveting novel featuring forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan.

John Lowery was declared dead in 1968—the victim of a Huey crash in Vietnam, his body buried long ago in North Carolina. Four decades later, Temperance Brennan is called to the scene of a drowning in Hemmingford, Quebec. The victim appears to have died while in the midst of a bizarre sexual practice. The corpse is later identified as John Lowery. But how could Lowery have died twice, and how did an American soldier end up in Canada?

Tempe sets off for the answer, exhuming Lowery’s grave in North Carolina and taking the remains to Hawaii for reanalysis—to the headquarters of JPAC, the U.S. military’s Joint POW/ MIA Accounting Command, which strives to recover Americans who have died in past conflicts. In Hawaii, Tempe is joined by her colleague and ex-lover Detective Andrew Ryan (how “ex” is he?) and by her daughter, who is recovering from her own tragic loss. Soon another set of remains is located, with Lowery’s dog tags tangled among them. Three bodies—all identified as Lowery.

And then Tempe is contacted by Hadley Perry, Honolulu’s flamboyant medical examiner, who needs help identifying the remains of an adolescent boy found offshore. Was he the victim of a shark attack? Or something much more sinister?

Flesh and bones: investigate more of Temperance Brennan's forensic cases.
©2010 Temperance Brennan, LP. All rights reserved (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Reichs, a former forensic anthropologist herself, whose early books were occasionally a bit clunky (it's not a smooth transition, apparently, from deconstructing bones to constructing sentences), has developed into a solid writer. Fans of the television series Bones, based on Reich's life and career, will note plenty of differences between the show and the novels, but they will find that Brennan on the page still offers much to enjoy." ( Booklist)
"Reichs, who once again uses her own scientific knowledge to enhance a complex plot and continually developing characters, delivers a whopper of a final twist." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Spider Bones

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Another good read by Kathy Reichs

I enjoyed listening to the book. It was fun to have a different setting (and learn a little Hawaiian instead of a little French!). To correct a previous reviewer, Linda Emond has narrated most of Ms. Reich's books. There have been a few other readers, but Barbara Rosenblat was not one of them.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Sorry I downloaded this book...

I have, in the past, really enjoyed Ms. Reichs books which have been narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. The current narrator is a disappointment which, in turn, makes the book dull and uninteresting.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great Reichs/Brennan novel, odd ending

As always, I really enjoyed this latest Tempe Brennan novel which sported a fast-paced plot and good, intriguing science. The ultimate ending was a bit overly convoluted but it was well supported by the rest of the plot. I especially enjoyed the depictions of CIL-HI operations.

Readers who enjoyed Thomas Holland's One Drop of Blood will likely enjoy this and vice versa.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Couldn't see the forest for the (dry) trees

I was expecting a thrilling page-turner, but was greatly disappointed as the plot continually got bogged down by constant explanations of dry minutiae. The narrator tried hard to keep one's interest, but fought a losing battle when pitted against endless expositions on such trivia as the chain of command on reporting naval deaths in the Pacific, battles fought by various ancient Hawaiian kings, and much more. To me, it was as if Ms. Reichs worked harder to impress us with her brilliance and research abilities rather than treat us to a breathtaking ride through the pages of her novel.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Padding

As a college student I did my share of padding a paper to make it long enough. As a teacher, I have read many padded papers. Apparently Reich's didn't have enough of a plot line, so she padded the story with a lot of unnecessary information--not the forensic technical stuff, but other extraneous information The story gets bogged down with minutia.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

consistenly 'bones'

I have been a fan of the TV version of Bones for years, but this is the first novel I have read. In many ways, I found the book Temperance Brennan to be the person portrayed on TV and the character felt familiar. In this story she solves the puzzle of several bodies whose identities have been scrambled over a period of decades. She does not work with a 'team' as she does on the show but does collaborate with other antropologists. The 'Booth' character of the TV version is quite different in the book. If you are a fan of the TV series, you will likely enjoy this novel - which I recognize is backwards if you were first a long time fan of the novels.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Dissapointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Skip this narrator. After lstening to an hour, I had to archive it as the best thing I can say about the narrator is that it's a great cure for incomnia. I'll never listen to her again.

Kathy Reich is a favorite of mine, too bad it was so poorly narrated. This is the first time I've not thoroughly enjoyed an Audible book until now.

If you’ve listened to books by Kathy Reichs before, how does this one compare?

Not listened before but have read many other novels by her.She

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Linda Emond?

Whoever narrated "The Dove Keepers." She's excellent

Did Spider Bones inspire you to do anything?

Nope

Any additional comments?

Every narrator is entitled to a clunker once in awhile, but I doubt I'll try this narrator again.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not the televison Bones

This was my introduction to Kathy's books. I am addicted to the Television show. These are two different characters with two different back stories. Good listen all the same. Drive time, not sleepy time is my recommendation.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it so detailed and love the historical facts

Love all of the Temperance series . Kathy Reich is extraordinary author absolutely love every book I read of hers.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Continuing the legacy of great "bones"

I loved the depth and intricacies in this novel. She continues to build in human fallacy with compassion and meaning.

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