Kathy Reichs

b. 1948

2 series 17 books in order

Dr. Kathleen Joan Reichs (née Toelle, born July 7, 1948) is an American crime writer, academic, and forensic anthropologist. She works for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she is a native of Chicago and received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal and serves as a frequent expert witness in criminal trials. She is known for inspiring the television series Bones. As of January 2019, she has written 23 novels, 20 of which are part of the "Temperance Brennan" series. Her first novel, Déjà Dead, won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The fictional character Temperance "Tempe" Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who mirrors aspects of Reichs' life, though there are differences in their personal experiences. Reichs has also co-written the young adult series Virals with her son Brendan. She has written a stand-alone novel titled Two Nights.

Born: 1948
Known for: Temperance Brennan, Virals

Series by Kathy Reichs

Temperance Brennan

14 books in order · 1998–2008

Déjà Dead

1998 · Kathy Reichs

In a Montreal summer, a dismembered woman's body arrives at the provincial police forensic lab. Dr. Temperance Brennan is assigned to perform the…
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Death du jour

1999 · Kathy Reichs

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan digs for a corpse in Montreal where Sister Elisabeth Nicolet, dead over a century and a candidate for…
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Fatal Voyage

2001 · Kathy Reichs

Tempe Brennan finds a shocking, multilayered tale of deceit and depravity, along with a disembodied foot that could not have been involved in the…
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Grave Secrets

2002 · Kathy Reichs
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Bones to Ashes

2007 · Kathy Reichs

Tempe Brennan discovers the skeleton of a young girl in the neighborhood of a childhood best friend who had gone missing thirty years earlier. She…
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Devil Bones

2008 · Kathy Reichs

Devil Bones is the eleventh Temperance Brennan thriller by forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, author of Break No Bones and Bones to Ashes.…
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Spider bones

Year unknown · Kathy Reichs

Dr. Temperance Brennan, who spends her life working amongst the decomposed, mutilated, and skeletal, examines a body dead only two days that holds…
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Flash and bones

Year unknown · Kathy Reichs

A body is found in a barrel of asphalt near Lowes Motor Speedway outside Charlotte as 200,000 fans arrive for race week. A NASCAR crew member tells…
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Bones never lie

Year unknown · Kathy Reichs

Called to Charlotte PD's Cold Case Unit, Dr. Temperance Brennan learns that two child murders separated by thousands of miles share the same killer:…
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Evil Bones

Year unknown · Kathy Reichs
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Virals

4 books in order · 2010–2014

Virals

2010 · Kathy Reichs

Virals is the first novel in the Virals series, written by Kathy Reichs and her son Brendan Reichs. The book is aimed at young adult readers and…
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Seizure

2011 · Kathy Reichs
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Code

2013 · Kathy Reichs

Code is the third book in the Virals series, a young adult mystery series written by Kathy Reichs and her son Brendan Reichs. The story follows Tory…
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Exposure

2014 · Kathy Reichs

Exposure is the fourth novel in the Virals series of young adult novels, written by American forensic anthropologist and crime writer Kathy Reichs…
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Frequently asked questions

How many books has Kathy Reichs written?

We list 17 books by Kathy Reichs across 2 series, published between 1998–2014 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read Kathy Reichs's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “Déjà Dead.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy Kathy Reichs's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Bibliography and reading orders compiled from verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.