Dr. Brennan has gotten herself stuck in Charleston overseeing a dig that a colleague renigged on. It's only May but it's already hot, sticky, and buggy. And then, on this archeological dig, a body is unearthed that definitely doesn't fall into the category of archeology. Brennan calls her close friend, Emma, who just happens to be the county ME and the two of them set out to put a name on this John Doe. Meanwhile, Pete, Tempe's estranged husband shows up in Charleston on business of his own and they are once again cohabitating, although in separate bedrooms. Tempe and Pete have an easy rapport and within minutes of Pete's arrival, they are swapping stories of their cases and brainstorming for each other. There's clue number 1 about where Reichs is going to take Brennan's found body. Throw Detective Ryan into the mix and Tempe's May just heated up a whole lot more.

I thought this book was interesting in terms of Brennan's personal life. There have been snapshots into it but in this title, it felt like the look at Brennan through a personal lens was more prevalent. I liked it. I like getting to know the professional and the personal character of a story, in this case it's Brennan.