Grave Secrets is the fifth book by Kathy Reichs featuring protagonist Tempe Brennan. Just like the author herself, Tempe is a forensic anthropologist. Normally splitting her time between the US and Canada, this novel takes her to Guatemala, where she is investigating the remains of a massacre that occurred 20 years ago. The massacre occurred under the auspices of the previous ruling government, and it quickly becomes clear that not everyone wants the truth about these killings discovered. Tempe doesn't understand the political forces going on behind the scenes, all she knows is that her progress is being blocked at every turn. When she's asked to consult on a separate case, involving 4 missing women, she starts to wonder if the cases are related, and if so, what is the connection.


Good and Bad

I like the fact that the author is obviously well acquainted with forensic anthropology, and is willing to teach us a lot throughout the book. Some people will not like the level of education imparted, but I'm fascinated by it. Tempe uses many techniques to identify the victims, and their causes of death, and we're given all of the details. It's a bit like watching an episode of CSI.

I like the character of Tempe Brennan very much. She's intelligent, hard-working, and lets nothing stop her, when in pursuit of answers. I also like that she's not a perfectly shaped twenty-something like so many mystery heroines. Given her level of education and experience in the field, she's a much more realistic forty-something. While this book on its own does not develop her character very much, if you read the other books in the series, you do get a good feel for who she is, and why she's as devoted to her work as she is.

I dislike the fact that this book, like so many mysteries, also becomes a love story. I don't understand why we can never just have an intriguing mystery, without romance clouding the way. In this case, there are two potential romances. Tempe has a long-time suitor in Canada, and now, in Guatemala, she finds herself being pursued by the agent in charge. Just to add to the drama, it seems that the suitors know each other - in fact they're old college buddies. I didn't appreciate that ridiculous coincidence, and I didn't like the predictability factor - just knowing that of course the agent in charge would develop feelings for Tempe. Simply because it seems to work that way in every mystery novel.

I also disliked the constant use of foreign language in the book. We know she's in Guatemala, and that the primary language spoken there is Spanish. But once that fact is established, you can switch to English, and we'll understand that they're really speaking in Spanish. In this case, language played no role at all in the story, yet we're given italicized Spanish phrases followed by their English translations all throughout the book. It was distracting, and served no purpose.

Finally, there were many, many subplots in this book. This is both good, and bad. In one sense, there were so many subplots, that there ended up being many minor characters, and it was a bit hard to keep track of them all. On the other hand, some of those subplots and characters did intermingle with the main story, and were necessary in order to understand what was really going on. Of course some of them had absolutely nothing to do with the story. Red herrings. I know some people get annoyed at the use of this literary device but it's really not a bad thing. For sure, it keeps us guessing, and that's what a good mystery does.

Overall

I recommend this book for those who enjoy a good murder mystery, and who want to learn a lot about forensic techniques. Basically, if you enjoy CSI, you'll enjoy this book.


Here is another Kathy Reichs/Tempe Brennan book - one that I did not like nearly as much as this one. Deadly Dècisions



Recommended: Yes