Swamp Bones: A Novella

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Katherine Borowitz

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan returns in a chilling original short story from number-one New York Times best-selling author Kathy Reichs. In the prequel to Reichs’s upcoming thriller Bones Never Lie, Tempe takes a much-needed vacation - but murder follows wherever she goes.

Although a trip to Florida is supposed to be about rest and relaxation, there’s no such thing as a day off for Dr. Temperance Brennan. She has come to visit her friend, a dedicated ornithologist who’s researching the threat that intrusive Burmese pythons pose to indigenous bird species in the Everglades. While sorting through the stomach of an eighteen-foot specimen, they make a disturbing discovery: bones that are unmistakably human. And when Tempe spots the telltale signs of murder by a very different kind of predator, she’s drawn into a case with its roots in the darkest depths of the swamp.

©2014 Kathy Reichs (P)2014 Random House Audio

loved it!

If you could sum up Swamp Bones: A Novella in three words, what would they be?

suspenseful well written

What other book might you compare Swamp Bones: A Novella to and why?

it is hard to compare another book to this story but maybe Reichs "Break No Bones" is close.

Any additional comments?

this was a great read. I really liked the humor in this one..

Meh

What did you like best about Swamp Bones: A Novella? What did you like least?

Loved the premise, but I spotted the perps as soon as they were introduced. Very disappointing.

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

First one I've listened to but I've read lots of her books. This was not up to her usual standards.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Less drama in the voice.

Did Swamp Bones: A Novella inspire you to do anything?

The other novella has gone to the bottom of my reading list.

Compelling

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Good story. Wish it had been longer.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Swamp Bones: A Novella?

The chase scene toward the end.

Which character – as performed by Katherine Borowitz – was your favorite?

All of them.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

GOOD FOR A SHORT

This was good for a short. It had just enough to keep me interested for my drive.

Miss these stories.

Was grateful to find a few Novellas I'd not read yet! Good, informative and educational story.

Not Bad

Welcome to installment 16.5 of the Tempe Brennan series and Reich's second novella.

In Swamp Bones, Forensic Anthropologist Tempe Brennan heads to the Florida Everglades where she meets up with her Ornithologist friend Dr. Lisa Robbins. Invariably work seems to follow Tempe so it is not surprising when human remains are recovered from the belly of a python.

Having read many of the Tempe books - including the Bones on Ice novella - I thought I would pick up a copy from Audible as it was inexpensive.

After listening to the book I can state that while this was a satisfactory story I felt that the writing wasn't up to Reich's usual snuff. I felt that the plot itself was set-up for a full-length book, yet it was condensed into a 98 page novella/3 hour audio book; it lost some finesse along the way.

Nevertheless, I still appreciated this novella. As usual I felt that I walked away from this story having learned a few new tidbits of information. In this case, readers learned a bit about Pythons and the Everglades. Ultimately, its purpose was served which was to whet the appetite for the next full-length novel.

Moreover, this short story was great in the sense that it provided a quick and entertaining read/listen for a 'one-afternoon' reading session. I would likely recommend this book to fans of the series. However, one must be aware that this is a novella; henceforth the quality is not the same as the novels.

boring

did not find this book very entertaining. I guess maybe I compare to the tv show bones. I know I have read some Kathryn Reich books I like

Like the story but not the narrator

The narrator was mostly gruff and unpolished and it was not required by the story.

Enjoyed the Story but Narrator not my Favorite

I enjoyed the short audible and really, that was all the time the story required in order to be told. The narrator (Borowitz) was NOT my favorite. She seemed to portray all the men as having dumb swamp-men stereotype voices. duh-uh. I found this odd and annoying. For me, it lessened my interest in the story/ mystery, which in essence takes away from the author's actual ability. This is my first listen by this narrator so maybe it was just the title of the book which was the reason she did it and another selection will not yield the same 'results'.

short but enjoyable

I listened to the "bones" series in order. this was not the best but was enjoyable and entertaining