Dr Kathy J. Reichs[1] | |
|---|---|
 Reichs in 2013 | |
| Born | Kathleen Joan Toelle (1948-07-07)July 7, 1948 (age 77) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Education | American University (BA) Northwestern University (MA,PhD) |
| Genre | Crime |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse | Paul Reichs |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Dr. Kathleen Joan Reichs (PhD) (néeToelle, born July 7, 1948) is an Americancrime writer,forensic anthropologist andacademic. She is a professor emerita ofanthropology at theUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is well known for inspiring the television seriesBones.[2]
Kathleen Joan Toelle was born in 1948 inChicago, Illinois.[3]
She earned herBachelor of Arts degree with a major inanthropology fromAmerican University in 1971. In 1972, she completed herMaster of Arts inphysical anthropology atNorthwestern University, where, in 1975, she completed herPhD, also in physical anthropology.[4][3]
Since 1975, Reichs has taught atNorthern Illinois University,University of Pittsburgh,Concordia University, andMcGill University, and currently holds a position as professor emerita of anthropology at theUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte. In the past, Kathy Reichs has consulted for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina.[4][5]
Reichs has appeared in Tanzania to testify at theUnited Nations'sInternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.[6] She has assistedClyde Snow and theFoundation for Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology in anexhumation in the area ofLake Atitlan in the highlands of southwestGuatemala. She was a member of theDisaster Mortuary Operational Response Team assigned to assist at theWorld Trade Center disaster.[4]
She is one of 100 anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology[7] and is on the board of directors of theAmerican Academy of Forensic Sciences. She is also affiliated with the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for theprovince ofQuebec.[4]
In addition totechnical books, as of January 2019, Reichs has written 23novels, which have been translated into 30 languages. 20 of those novels constitute the "Temperance Brennan" series.[8] Her first novel,Déjà Dead, won the 1997Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.[9]
The fictionalheroine in her novels,Temperance "Tempe" Brennan, is also a forensic anthropologist. Her lifestyle closely mimics that of her creator,[10][11] with Reichs stating that Brennan and she "have the same CV"[10] and that "Some of Tempe's personality traits are also mine,"[11] but there are differences in their personal lives, such as the character'salcoholism.[10] A good portion of the novels are based on real life science, and Reichs has stated that she is "fastidiously conscientious about getting the science right."[12] She has used experience from her career in her novels and said aboutDéjà Dead that "Everything I describe in the book, I actually did."[11] In the novelGrave Secrets, she uses her experience from her visit toGuatemala.[12]
She has also co-written (with her son Brendan) theyoung adult novels series namedVirals, centered on Tempe's great-niece, Tory Brennan, and a pack of her friends, Ben, Hiram, Shelton, and wolfdog Cooper.
A stand-alone novel,Two Nights, published July 11, 2017, features Sunday Night, a tough-talking, scarred heroine.[13]
The 2005Fox television seriesBones is inspired by Reichs' life and novels.[14] The series borrows the name of her books' heroine,Temperance "Bones" Brennan.[15] As in the books, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist; however, there are many differences: the television character is younger, more socially awkward,[15] and is based in the Jeffersonian, a fictionalized version of theSmithsonian Institution inWashington, D.C.[15] Additionally, the Brennan character in the TV series moonlights as an author,[14] writing about a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.[16] Aside from the character's name and occupation, there are few similarities between the TV show and the novels.
Reichs worked as a producer on the show to "keep the science honest.”[15]She appeared in the second-season episode "Judas on a Pole", playing Professor Constance Wright, a forensic anthropologist on the Jeffersonian's board of trustees who conductsZack Addy'sdissertation defense.[17]
Reichs wrote theseason five episode, "The Witch in the Wardrobe,"[18] theseason nine episode, "The Dude in the Dam," and wrote theseason eleven episode, "The Stiff in the Cliff" with her daughter Kerry.[19]
In 2011, Reichs was an expert witness in theCasey Anthony murder trial. Reichs was reluctant to get involved, but later agreed and performed a full skeletal analysis of Anthony's daughter, Caylee, but could not determine a cause of death. She was, however, able to conclude that there was no evidence of abuse and that the child appeared to be well-nourished.[20]
Reichs has two daughters and a son.[21]
| No. | Title | Published | ISBNs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Déjà Dead | 1997 | Paperback:0-09-925518-9 Audio CD:1-449-83348-9 | New York Times Best Seller[22] Won the 1997Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel[22] 1997 Kirkus Reviews –starred review[23] 1997 Library Journal – starred review[23] 1997 Publishers Weekly – starred review[23] 1998 Dilys Award – Mystery Novel (Nominee)[23] |
| 2 | Death du Jour | 1999 | Paperback:0-09-925519-7 Hardcover:0-684-84118-5 Audio CD:0-754-05330-X | |
| 3 | Deadly Décisions | 2000 | Paperback:0-09-930710-3 Hardback:0-434-00820-6 | |
| 4 | Fatal Voyage | 2001 | Paperback:0-09-930720-0 Audio CD:1-85686-927-X | |
| 5 | Grave Secrets | 2002 | Paperback:0-09-930730-8 Audio CD:1-85686-928-8 | |
| 6 | Bare Bones | 2003 | Paperback:0-09-944147-0 | |
| 7 | Monday Mourning | 2004 | Paperback:0-09-944148-9 | |
| 8 | Cross Bones | 2005 | Paperback:0-09-944149-7 Hardback:0-434-01040-5 Audio CD:1-85686-985-7 | |
| 9 | Break No Bones | 2006 | Hardback:0-434-01042-1 Paperback:0-434-01544-X | |
| 10 | Bones to Ashes | 2007 | Hardback:978-0434014620 Paperback:978-1416525653 | 2007 Publishers Weekly – starred review[23] |
| 11 | Devil Bones | 2008 | Hardback:978-0743294386 Paperback:978-1-4391-5440-3 Audio CD:978-1846571336 | |
| 12 | 206 Bones | 2009 | Hardback:978-0743294393 Paperback:978-0-4340-2005-8 | |
| 13 | Spider Bones | 2010 | Hardback:978-1439102398 Paperback:978-0-0995-5686-2 | Released asMortal Remains in UK and Australia in hardback, reverted toSpider Bones for paperback release. |
| 14 | Flash and Bones | 2011 | 978-1439102411 | |
| 15 | Bones are Forever | 2012 | 978-0434021130 | |
| 16 | Bones of the Lost | 2013 | 978-1476754741[24] | |
| 17 | Bones Never Lie | 2014 | Hardback:978-0345544018 Paperback:978-0804194471 | |
| 18 | Speaking in Bones | 2015 | Hardback:978-0434021192 | 2015 LibraryReads – starred review[23] |
| 19 | The Bone Collection | 2016 | Hardback:9780606394642 Paperback:9780399593222 | A short story collection includingFirst Bones (a prequel toDéjà Dead),Bones in her Pocket,Swamp Bones andBones on Ice. These books have been numbered as 0.5, 15.5, 16.5, 17.5, respectively.[25] |
| 20 | A Conspiracy of Bones | 2020 | Hardback:9781785151187 | 2020 Booklist – starred review 2020 Publishers Weekly – starred review[23] |
| 21 | The Bone Code | July 2021 | Hardback: ISBN 9781982139964Paperback:ISBN 9781982139971 | 2021 LibraryReads – starred review[26] |
| 22 | Cold, Cold Bones | July 2022 | Hardback: | |
| 23 | The Bone Hacker | August 2023 | Hardback: | |
| 24 | Fire and Bones | August 2024 | Hardback: | |
| 25 | Evil Bones | November 2025 | Hardback: |
| No. | Title | Published | ISBNs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two Nights | 2017 | Hardback:978-0434021116 Paperback:978-1524755577 | Stand-alone, "off-series" novel with new characters.[27][28] |
This series was co-authored by Reich's son, Brendan Reichs. Tory Brennan, the great niece of Temperance Brennan, is the titular character of this series.[22]
| Title | Published | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virals | 2010 | 978-0099543947 | |
| Seizure | 2011 | 978-1595143945 | |
| Code | 2013 | 978-0099543855 | |
| Exposure | 2014 | 978-1595145307 | |
| Terminal | 2015 | 978-1595145284 | |
| Trace Evidence | 2016 | 978-1784752392 | a short story collection includingShock,Shift,Swipe andSpike (a new story set after the events ofTerminal). |
Reichs has released six downloadable short stories:
| Title | Published | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shift | 2013 | Set in theVirals country, but featuring both the Virals characters and Temperance Brennan. |
| Bones In Her Pocket | 2013 | A Temperance Brennan story giving details of a case briefly mentioned inBones of the Lost. |
| Swipe | 2013 | AVirals story, also featuring Temperance Brennan, set at Comic-Con in San Diego. |
| Swamp Bones | 2014 | A Temperance Brennan story set in the Florida Everglades. |
| Shock | 2015 | AVirals story telling how they first meet. |
| Bones On Ice | 2015 | A Temperance Brennan story of how she gets wrapped up in the ultimate cold case: a death on Mount Everest. |
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