UNC-Charlotte Professor Emerita of Anthropology Kathy Reichs, whose written works are the inspiration behind the popular television show Bones is set to release the latest novel in her Temperance Brennan novel series, titled Fire & Bones.
Set in the Washington, DC neighborhood of Foggy Bottom, the novel’s main character, Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist and kinesiologist who investigates human remains at crime scenes, is summoned to DC to investigate the victims of an arson attack which is shrouded in mystery. Brennan also enlists the help of tele-journalist Ivy Doyle to analyze the identity of the victims. The team quickly puts the pieces of the puzzle together when they research the history of the building, learning that during the 1930s through the 50s, a bootlegging and racketeering group known as the Foggy Bottom Gang used the house as their meeting site. The plot of the novel thickens when a pattern of arsons starts emerging in Foggy Bottom.
“There’s a fire, and our heroine is called to help recover, because there were four people who were known to be in the building,” Reichs noted when discussing the plot of the novel to Carolina Journal. “Those victims are found in a sub-cellar, which isn’t even on any of the diagrams of this old house. A fifth victim, a very tiny woman is found down there. So, Tempe really gets caught up by that vulnerability of this small little woman and what she is doing in that house and how she was buried in that subcellar. That’s one of the story lines. There was also a group of bootleggers from the 30s into the 50s called the Foggy Bottom Gang. So, some of the history of that neighborhood and the history of prohibition and post prohibition along with the Foggy Bottom Gang also figures into the story.”
Reichs said the plot for the new novel is not connected to the previous novels in the series.
“Each book is a standalone,” she told CJ. “It’s not truly connected other than through the central cast of characters. I do have the same continuing core – protagonist, etc., but I do introduce new people in each of the books. I try to take her (Brennan) into different arenas, as we would call them in the writer’s room. I try to bring in a different aspect of forensic science in each of the books. Nobody just wants to read about bones and bones and more bones. In this one, we learn a little bit about fire and arson investigations, how they are analyzed, and what one could determine by looking at the aftermath of a fire.”
When asked why she chose Foggy Bottom as the site for the story, Reichs said she has a personal connection to the area, and due to her interest in the name, it almost appeared in the novel’s title.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the name Foggy Bottom,” Reichs said. “It’s a neighborhood near Georgetown. I actually wanted to call the book, Foggy Bottom Bones but my publisher said ‘No, we’re not doing that (with a laugh).’ This is the first Temperance Brennan novel I have set in our nation’s capital. I went to school there. I graduated from American University and my daughter now lives there. So, I know the district pretty well. I thought it would be a good setting, one I had not used before.”
Doyle was brought into the novel because Reichs thought a younger character would benefit the storyline.
“I just felt like we needed a new character, maybe a younger character,” she said. “Tempe is not interested in interacting with journalists at all. Especially if she’s working on a case. She really doesn’t want to interact with the media. Ivy is quite persistent and I just thought she would make an interesting character and maybe a character who could be explored in future books.”
In terms of her writing, it takes Reichs a year to write a novel, and she had a bit of the late start with this latest venture.
“I do one book a year,” said Reichs. “Sometimes it’s more leisurely and I can get an early start. Sometimes I get a late start and I have to do a really intensive burst. As I look back, I realize that’s how this one was and I got a little bit of a late start. So, I did some very intensive writing to catch up, but I usually turn the book in after the first of the year and then it takes a lot of time. The marketing, the cover art, editing, and all of that to turn it around for an August release.”
Reichs doesn’t really involve herself with reader feedback on her Temperance Brennan Novels, only those which seem to be very positive or very negative.
“I don’t really read them anymore,” she said. “But I guess it would be the really negative ones and the really positive ones, saying ‘I really hated this’ or ‘I really loved this.’ I might read some if I’m on Amazon as well.”
Overall, Reichs’ series of Temperance Brennan novels have been well received by the public, so much that they were adapted into the television series, Bones which aired from 2005-2017. Reichs served as one of the producers of the show. In the show, the Temperance Brennan character was optioned by Reichs and portrayed by actress Emily Deschanel.
“I optioned the character,” Reichs told CJ regarding the making of the show. “In the TV show, it’s set in Washington DC. I knew they would change some aspects of the stories, but the central premise is a strong, woman protagonist and forensic anthropologist who solves crimes and identifies people by the bones.”
Fire & Bones (A Temperance Brennan Novel) is set for release on August 6, 2024.