Flash and Bones

The discovery of an old corpse in a barrel of asphalt in landfill bordering the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., propels Reichs's solid 14th thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (after Spider Bones). Brennan feels the pressure to make a quick ID, with race week approaching and the speedway a major stop on the NASCAR circuit. Wayne Gamble, whose older sister, Cindi, an aspiring NASCAR driver, disappeared in 1998 with her right wing–leaning boyfriend, hopes Brennan can help, perhaps by identifying the barrel body as his sister. But as Brennan pokes around into the cold case, new issues crop up with the FBI claiming jurisdiction because of possible bioterrorism. Caught between two sparring cops, Erskine "Skinny" Slidell of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD and Cotton Galimore, the speedway's head of security, Brennan must tread carefully to find the long-buried truth. Reichs imbues this fusion of past and present with her signature blend of forensic know-how and deeply felt characters. (Aug.)