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Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs has produced a different sort of outing for her forensic anthropologist protagonist, Temperance Brennan, in CROSS BONES. Reichs has never made a secret of the fact that her novels are inspired by real-life cases but this adventure was provoked by Dr James Tabor, a colleague writing a non-fiction book entitled THE JESUS DYNASTY. Tabor had done research on looted tombs as well as archaeological evidence from earlier digs. He offered to make his findings available to Reichs so she could plunge the (teetotal) Temperance into a fictional adventure with definite parallels to the real discoveries. Tempe and her lover, detective Andrew Ryan, are involved in investigating the death of Avram Ferris, a sometime dealer in dodgy antiquities as well as legitimate importer of religious paraphernalia. After the autopsy, which must be overseen by members of the Jewish community, a strange Jewish man pushes a photograph of an ancient skeleton into Tempe's hand and informs her that it came from Avram who prophesied it would be the cause of his death. Ryan and Brennan are despatched to Israel in order to follow up their separate, but linked, cases. Archaeologist Jake Drum is instrumental in financing Tempe's visit so that she can pursue his interests as well as her own. He has found the tomb of people he claims are the Jesus family. It is possible that the photograph of the skeleton, nicknamed by them Max, actually depicts the remains of Jesus Christ. If the tomb is that of Jesus' family, including brothers and children , and it can be proved the photo is of Christ's remains, Christianity in all its forms, will be shaken as it will effectively disprove the Virgin Birth of Christ as well as his reputed resurrection. The narrative is, typical of Reichs, action packed. There is, however, an uncharacteristic slowing of the pace as wordage is devoted to a thorough and fascinating examination of history and archaeological finds. One thing in the development of Reichs as a writer stands out. Her earlier books were gore-spattered in the extreme. How could any reader forget the macabre opening scenes of FATAL VOYAGE? Whilst blood is far from absent in this tale, Dr Reichs has saved the greatest volume of the buckets until the closing chapters, thereby increasing the dramatic effect. Unfortunately, the author has a tendency to include mini cliffhangers at the end of chapters, which are resolved, for the most part, at the beginning of the following chapter. To my mind, delaying the protagonist's discoveries by the few pages serves no purpose other than to annoy. Inevitably it must be perceived that Reichs nods, or perhaps only winks, at Da Vinci Code territory. For all that, the scholarship involved in this junket adds immense interest to the story. The novel certainly displays a pleasing growth and maturity in the author's development as a writer.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, June 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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