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In Washington, DC, in the storied neighborhood of Foggy Bottom, a century-old building has been destroyed by fire; it is believed that several people have died. Investigators ask Temperance Brennan, the noted forensic anthropologist, to help identify the bodies. With the help of television journalist Ivy Doyle—a welcome addition to the series’ ever-growing cast of supporting characters—Tempe digs into the history of the building and makes some startling and potentially deadly discoveries. This is the twenty-third Brennan novel; the first, Deja Dead, was published nearly thirty years ago. While it is certainly true that the books are somewhat formulaic, it is also true that it’s a winning formula and that Reichs keeps things lively and unpredictable by constantly introducing new characters and plot variations. And being a forensic anthropologist herself, Reichs is able to give her stories a level of realism and accuracy that a nonprofessional might struggle to achieve. It’s an excellent series, and this is an excellent entry in it.

Kirkus
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Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan gets talked into spending an endless week in the nation’s capital—though it’s not nearly as hellish for her as for the victims on whose behalf she toils. On the point of joining her lover, Det.-Lt. Andrew Ryan of the Sûreté du Quebec, for a rare holiday weekend trip to Savannah, Tempe gets a call from Dr. Jada Thacker, Washington’s interim medical examiner, begging her to come up to help identify victims from a fire in an illegal Airbnb even though it’s Memorial Day and there are no flights to D.C. and no hotel rooms to be had. Naturally Tempe agrees, driving up to the city and staying the night with Ivy Doyle, a television news reporter who was embedded with Tempe’s daughter, Katy, in Afghanistan. That one-night stay gets extended further and further as new details of the case pop up. The most pivotal of these is Tempe’s own discovery of a fifth corpse in the building’s subcellar, a space that doesn’t even appear on the building’s plans. Unlike the other four victims, this woman wasn’t killed in the fire; she’s been dead for at least five years—in fact, as it turns out, for a lot longer. Determined to get justice for a woman she can’t even identify, Tempe agrees to stay on and do whatever it takes. The roots of the case go so deep into the past that there’s room for a surprising number of guilty parties—and a remarkable number of red herrings that are blithely dismissed in the final chapter. If you think this installment isn’t up to this long-running series’ high average, just wait till next year. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Reichs’s rewarding 23rd mystery featuring Temperance Brennan (after The Bone Hacker) finds the forensic anthropologist unraveling a complicated conspiracy in Washington, D.C. Brennan’s hopes for a getaway with her PI boyfriend are dashed by an urgent request from Jada Thacker, D.C.’s interim medical examiner, who’s probing a fire at an illegal Airbnb that killed four unidentified people. The case’s key questions—who was killed and whether the blaze was arson—are complicated by evidence that the building was used as a meth lab, and by Temperance’s discovery of a fifth corpse in the sub-basement. While investigating the building’s history, Temperance learns of its involvement in a 20th-century bootlegging operation, and decides to team up with a local journalist to learn more. Soon, more bodies pile up and other fires break out across the city, indicating the resurgence of a long-dormant gang. Reichs nimbly balances developments in Temperance’s romantic life with a propulsive investigation whose copious twists never feel cheap. Not only does this work as an entry point for series newcomers, it’s sure to satisfy longtime fans. (Aug.)