The Bone Code is the 20th book in the ‘Temperance Brennan’ series, which follows forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan as she helps solve some of the most intriguing, horrific and somewhat complicated crimes.

After a hurricane hits South Carolina, a medical waste container washes up in Charleston. Inside the container are two bodies, plastic sheeting and electrical wire. But what is most interesting is the eerie similarities between this case and one Brennan worked on 15 years ago in Quebec. Despite Brennan’s investigative skills, the two victims in the Quebec container were never identified. Will genetic sequencing, old-fashioned detective work, new scientific developments, and a new detective on the scene, Vislosky, mean both the new and old case can be solved?

Simultaneously an outbreak of Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a flesh-eating bacterium, has hit South Carolina. As the bacteria continues to jump from dogs to humans and with the trauma of COVID-19 still raw, full-blown panic erupts. Things become more complicated as Brennan discovers connections to the cold case and the new case victims and the disease outbreak.

The Bone Code is a classic Kathy Reichs – easy to read, intelligent writing and hard to put down. It’s a slightly terrifying reflection on our current environment. It clearly takes inspiration from COVID-19, the recent focus on vaccinations and the general interest society now has in science. An essential read for those new to Reichs, as well as her legion of fans.

Reviewed by Amber Sawyer