- Series
- | Authors
- | Book Release Calendar
- | Search |
- Genres
- | Newsletter
- Welcome to FictionDB, Guest
- | My Account
- | Help
Dr. Temperance Brennan — by Kathy Reichs
Dr. Temperance Brennan Series in Order: 27 books
-
Death du Jour
Book - 2
In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe Brennan is digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago. Although Tempe thrives on such enigmas from the past, it's a chain of contemporary deaths and disappearances that has seized her attention-...
-
Deadly Decisions
Book - 3
Nine-year-old Emily Anne Toussaint is fatally shot on a Montreal street. A North Carolina teenager disappears from her home, and parts of her skeleton are found hundreds of miles away. The shocking deaths propel forensic anthropolgist Tempe Brennan...
-
Fatal Voyage
Book - 4
A commercial jetliner disaster has brought Tempe Brennan to the North Carolina mountains as a member of the investigative agency DMORT. As bomb theories abound, Tempe soon discovers a jarring piece of evidence that raises dangerous questions - and ge...
-
Grave Secrets
Book - 5
Kathy Reichs takes her acclaimed heroine, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, on a harrowing excavation where she unearths a chilling history - and puts her own future on the line in a desperate investigation. They are "the disappeared...
-
Bare Bones
Book - 6
She works with the dead but she works for the living. "Down time" is not a phrase in Tempe Brennan's vocabulary. A string of disturbing cases has put her vacation plans on hold; instead, she heads to the lab to analyze charred remains from a sus...
-
Monday Mourning
Book - 7
Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for both North Carolina and Quebec, has come from Charlotte to Montreal during the bleak days of December to testify as an expert witness at a murder trial. She should be going over her notes, but instea...
-
Cross Bones
Book - 8
When an Orthodox Jewish man is found shot to death in Montreal, Temperance Brennan is called in to examine the body and to figure out the puzzling damage to the corpse. Unexpectedly, a stranger slips her a photograph of a skeleton and assures her it ...
-
Break No Bones
Book - 9
To some, the dead are a commodity. For Tempe Brennan, they hold the key to cracking a horrific crime ring. Among the ancient remains in a Native American burial ground, Tempe discovers a fresh skeleton -- and what began as an ordinary teaching sti...
-
-
Bones to Ashes
Book - 10
As a child, she was told to forget about the missing girl. But some memories don't die.... The discovery of a skeleton in Acadia, Canada, reawakens a traumatic episode for forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan: Could the young girl's remains be...
-
Devil Bones
Book - 11
The bodies tell a story of young lives cut short. The bones tell a story of pure evil. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a house under renovation becomes the site of a heated forensic investigation and unrelenting media attention when a plumber s...
-
Spider Bones
Book - 13
#1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the FOX television hit Bones KATHY REICHS ensnares Dr. Temperance Brennan in a chilling puzzle of death and identity -- in this superb addition to her "fascinating" (Entertainment Weekly) forensic ...
-
Flash and Bones
Book - 14
Kathy Reichs -- #1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the FOX television hit Bones -- returns with a riveting new novel set in Charlotte, North Carolina, featuring America's favorite forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan. ...
-
Bones Are Forever
Book - 15
Kathy Reichs, #1 "New York Times "bestselling author and producer of the FOX televison hit "Bones, "is at her brilliant best in a riveting novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan--a story of infanticide, murder, and corruption, set in t...
-
Bones in Her Pocket
Book - 15.5
A new story featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan from #1 "New York Times" bestselling author and FOX TV s "Bones" producer, Kathy Reichs. When a fly-covered canvas bag floats to the surface of North Carolina s Mountain Island Lake,...
-
Bones of the Lost
Book - 16
#1 New York Times bestselling author and producer of the Fox hit series Bones, Kathy Reichs returns with an unforgettable new novel featuring forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan, whose examination of a mysterious hit-and-run victim triggers an inve...
-
Swamp Bones
Book - 16.5
Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan returns in a chilling eBook original novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs. In the prequel to Reichs's upcoming thriller Bones Never Lie, Tempe takes a much-needed vacation -- but mu...
-
Bones Never Lie
Book - 17
The evidence is irrefutable: In sixteen New York Times bestsellers over the course of as many years, Kathy Reichs has proven herself "a genius at building suspense" (New York Daily News). In forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, Reichs has crea...
-
-
Bones on Ice
Book - 17.5
Featuring a preview of the highly anticipated new thriller Speaking in Bones, this eBook original novella showcases #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs at the peak of her powers. In Bones on Ice, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brenn...
-
Speaking in Bones
Book - 18
No one speaks the language of suspense more brilliantly than Kathy Reichs, author of the acclaimed Temperance Brennan series. In "Speaking in Bones," the forensic anthropologist finds herself drawn into a world of dark secrets and dangerous beliefs, ...
-
A Conspiracy of Bones
Book - 19
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs ratchets up the suspense as forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan fights to crack her most chilling case yet. Temperance Brennan is stressed. Following her boyfriend's marriage proposal, she'...
-
The Bone Code
Book - 20
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twentieth gripping novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, whose examinations of unidentified bodies ignite a terrifying series of events. On the way to hurrica...
-
Cold, Cold Bones
Book - 21
#1 New York Times bestselling thriller writer Kathy Reichs returns with her twenty-first novel of suspense featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan who, after receiving a box containing a human eyeball, uncovers a series of gruesome killi...
-
The Bone Hacker
Book - 22
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs's twenty-second high-stakes thriller! In this "attention-grabbing" (Booklist) narrative, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan follows a series of bizarre disappearances on the islands of Turks a...
-
Fire and Bones
Book - 23
"There's a reason Kathy Reichs is the doyenne of forensic fiction -- because her MO is to keep the reader guessing till the last paragraph." -- Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name#1 New York Times bestselling auth...
-
Evil Bones
Book - 24
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, magnetic thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself enmeshed in a series of grisly animal killings that escalate into something far more si...
Series Premise
The Dr. Temperance Brennan series focuses on forensic anthropology and criminal investigation. Brennan studies bones, trauma patterns, and decomposition to identify victims and determine cause of death. Cases involve lab analysis, autopsies, and field recovery at crime scenes. Scientific detail drives how each mystery is solved.
Dr. Temperance Brennan Series Reading Order
🔄 Best Read in Order · Start with Book 1: Deja Dead
Standalone stories, but characters and relationships develop across the series.
The Dr. Temperance Brennan books can be read in any order, but are best read in publication order. Each novel presents a self-contained forensic case involving skeletal analysis, lab work, and field investigation, with a clear resolution. However, Brennan's career changes, personal life, and relationships with recurring characters develop meaningfully across the series. This continuity enhances the reading experience without being required to follow individual plots. Readers starting mid-series will understand the case but miss character depth and evolving dynamics.
Explanation of reading order types
Dr. Temperance Brennan Series Characters
Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist working with law enforcement to analyze human remains. Andrew Ryan is a detective and recurring collaborator with a complex relationship with Brennan. Katy Brennan, her daughter, appears in her personal life. Medical examiners and investigators recur depending on the case.
Setting of the Dr. Temperance Brennan Series
The series moves between Montreal, Quebec, and North Carolina, with scenes in forensic labs, morgues, and crime sites. Some cases extend to international locations. The environments reflect both scientific work and field recovery. Setting often influences how evidence is discovered and interpreted.
Tone & Themes of the Dr. Temperance Brennan Series
The tone is analytical, grounded, and detail-driven. Themes include forensic science, mortality, justice, and professional ethics. The series emphasizes how physical evidence reveals hidden stories. It balances scientific explanation with investigative tension.
Is the Dr. Temperance Brennan Series Worth Reading?
The Dr. Temperance Brennan series suits readers interested in forensic science and procedural detail. Each book offers a complete investigation supported by technical insight. Ongoing character development adds depth across the series. It works for both flexible and sequential reading.
Content Warnings and Heat Level
The series includes descriptions of skeletal remains, autopsies, and forensic procedures. Violence is present and often clinical in detail. Themes may involve death, trauma, and crime. Romantic elements are limited and not explicit.
The Dr. Temperance Brennan series combines self-contained cases with meaningful character continuity. Reading the books in order provides greater context for Brennan's evolving life and work. It is a strong choice for readers who enjoy forensic-driven crime fiction.
Books in this series fall into the following genres
Genres
Sub-Genres
People / Creatures
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Top Series in Law Enforcement