SPEAKING IN BONES

Narrator Katherine Borowitz returns to the Tempe Brennan series with a finely tuned performance. She reflects the intensity of a crime story that has Tempe collecting human bone fragments from overlooks to Ghost Mountain, while balancing Tempe’s tough personal introspection. North Carolina is the setting for Reichs’s 18th entry featuring the popular forensic anthropologist (also the star of the TV series “Bones”). Colorful characters from the backwoods give Borowitz great material for accents—from web-sleuthing “Lucky” Strike and fanatical preacher Father G. to Tempe’s nemesis, Detective Skinny Slidell. Each accent suits the character to a tee, yet Borowitz keeps the dialogue smart and often funny. She also skillfully adds a slight Canadian burr to Tempe’s Montreal boyfriend and would-be fiancé. Fans who follow the series will be delighted with this strong entry, with its gripping first chapter. Listener newcomers will be easily drawn in by Borowitz’s involving style. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2015]