“One of the authors I met at the Book Expo was Kathy Reichs. I stumbled across her books a few years ago with Fatal Voyage and have loved them since. I’ve gone back and read an older one, but there are still two that I haven’t read (or is it three? No, two). Anyway, her most recent book (out on Tuesday the 28th) is Cross Bones.
The main character is a forensic anthropologist, like Reichs herself. Put simply she studies bones, especially those that were found under suspicious circumstances. In Cross Bones, Tempe (the main character) is presented with a picture of a skeleton and told that it was the reason a man was murdered. She eventually finds the skeleton, and learns that it was taken from a archeological dig 40 years ago at Masada. Evidence, and quite a bit of specualtion, lead her to believe that the bones may have religious signifigance.
Tempe eventually travels to the Holy Land, and stumbles into a cave that an archaeologist friend believes is the “Jesus family tomb.” Tempe, while escaping from religious zealots, finds a shroud and the remains of a body tucked away in the tomb. The question she tries to answer throughout the book, “Is one of these skeletons the remains of Jesus Christ?”
The book, like the rest of Reich’s work, is based on things that have come to her in her job. While Reichs doesn’t claim to have the skeleton of Christ, she does have a colleague with an interest in biblical archaeology and especially the ossuary that was found a few years ago. In fact, the ossuary plays a small role in Cross Bones. The book is well written, and even pokes fun at itself. The mystery of who the skeletons are is wrapped up satisfactorily, and although Reichs hints at universalism at the ending, it was a very satisfying read. Like all her books, there are passages of great technological detail that tend to slow things down. But about the time your eyes start to glaze over from the detail, the action picks up again, with a brief explanaiton of what you’ve just read.
Reichs is a “secular” author, and this book will not fit into the category of “Christian Fiction,” nevertheless it is highly recommended to anyone interested in biblical archaeology, or the study of the New Testament. It’s not a “light” book, as the main character deals with some heavy “religious” issues, such as, “What does it mean if these are the bones of Christ?” etc. But for those who have studied that portion of history, or who have an interest in general, I highly recommend it. ”
