gravesecrets

Forensic Anthropologist Tempe Brennan has volunteered to go to Guatemala as a temporary consultant to the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation to locate and identify remains that vanished during their Civil War. While shes there, the local police find a body in a septic tank. Since she wrote a well known paper about identifying bodies found in such a location, they turn to her for help. She identifies the remains as female, but the government takes the bones away before she can complete her observations. She discovers that this woman is the fourth missing in less than a year, leaving the authorities only a handful of clues to use to track down the others and hopefully, their kidnapper.

One of the things I found the most interesting about this book is the skillful interweaving of the plot and the forensic science. Forensic anthropology is fascinating, and Reichs uses the mechanics of it, and how they use the science to re-create crimes and piece together clues to solve the mystery. I especially liked how they rebuilt the girls skull from x-rays to give a face to the victim. Without the forensics, this book would not be able to work, since the studying of the clues is what moves the book along. Tempe certainly knows all aspects of her work, and makes for an interesting character because she is not only dedicated to her work, but she is very compassionate, caring for the families as well as the victims. She is thorough and determined, searching through eight septic tanks just in the hope of an extra tooth or some other bit of evidence, certainly an impressive feat. She also has a great sense of humor, a bit sarcastic at time. These aspects of her personality make this book a much better read.

Her sort-of boyfriend Lieutenant Detective Andrew Ryan is also a great character. A Quebec policeman, he comes down to Guatemala to help her and to be on hand if a certain diplomat who is also a suspect in the case is questioned. Hes likable, despite the fact he is a bit of a ladies' man, and Tempe isnt sure hed ever really settle down and be serious with her. He has some competition for her affections --- Sergeant Detective Bartolomé Galiano, who is in charge of the murder investigation, and is the one who asks for her help. He is dedicated to finding the truth, and hasnt yet let the pain around him jade him to the point where he no longer cares for the community he is responsible for protecting. He becomes worried about her safety when it becomes apparent that perhaps the murderer is a person in a position of power. The three characters work well together in solving the crime, and both men are so charming that I have no idea how I would have chosen which one to stay with in the end.

Filled with really interesting twists, exciting action and fascinating ways of discovering clues, this book is definitely a must read for fans of writers like Patricia Cornwell.

(Reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer for Mostly Fiction 06-26-02)