Jesse Stone
mystery
Series · mystery
Temperance Brennan
The Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs has 28 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Déjà Dead (1997).
- Books
- 25 novels + 3 novellas
- First published
- 1997
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Déjà Dead (1997) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Déjà Dead
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Déjà Dead - Book 2:
Death du Jour
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death du Jour - Book 3:
Deadly Decisions
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Deadly Decisions - Book 4:
Fatal Voyage
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fatal Voyage - Book 5:
Grave Secrets
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Grave Secrets - Book 6:
Bare Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bare Bones - Book 7:
Monday Mourning
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Monday Mourning - Book 8:
Cross Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cross Bones - Book 9:
Break No Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Break No Bones - Book 10:
Bones to Ashes
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones to Ashes - Book 11:
Devil Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Devil Bones - Book 12:
206 Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 206 Bones - Book 13:
Spider Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Spider Bones - Book 14:
Flash and Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Flash and Bones - Book 15:
Bones Are Forever
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones Are Forever - Book 16:
Bones of the Lost
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones of the Lost - Book 17:
Bones in Her Pocket
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones in Her Pocket - Book 18:
Bones Never Lie
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones Never Lie - Book 19:
Swamp Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Swamp Bones - Book 20:
Speaking in Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Speaking in Bones - Book 21:
Bones on Ice
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones on Ice - Book 22:
The Bone Collection
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bone Collection - Book 23:
A Conspiracy of Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Conspiracy of Bones - Book 24:
The Bone Code
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bone Code - Book 25:
Cold, Cold Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cold, Cold Bones - Book 26:
The Bone Hacker
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bone Hacker - Book 27:
Fire and Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fire and Bones - Book 28:
Evil Bones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Evil Bones
About the Temperance Brennan series
Dr. Temperance "Tempe" Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who splits her working life between Montreal and North Carolina, identifying the dead from skeletal remains, decomposed bodies and crime-scene fragments that ordinary detectives can't make sense of. Kathy Reichs, herself a practicing forensic anthropologist, grounds every case in real bone science and lab procedure -- how to read trauma, age and cause of death from a skeleton -- rendered with a level of technical authenticity that set the template for the modern forensic-procedural boom (and directly inspired the long-running TV series Bones, very loosely based on the character). Tempe is smart, stubborn, recovering-alcoholic-turned-teetotaler, and drawn into her cases as much by professional obsession as by her uneasy, long-running romance with Quebec homicide detective Andrew Ryan.
Across the series Reichs moves her forensic puzzles through serial killers, historical cold cases, war-crime exhumations, cults and human trafficking, while Tempe's own life -- her relationship with Ryan, her prickly bond with her daughter Katy, her rivalry with fellow anthropologist and sometime nemesis colleagues -- develops steadily book to book. Readers drawn to the CSI/Bones style of forensic mystery, but who want the science handled by someone who actually does the job, are the natural audience; the show Bones borrowed the character's name and profession but tells largely unrelated stories, so book readers and show fans are having two different experiences of Tempe Brennan.
Frequently asked questions
How many Temperance Brennan books are there?
There are 24 novels as of Evil Bones (2025), plus three linked novellas and the anthology The Bone Collection.
What order should I read the Temperance Brennan books in?
Publication order, starting with Déjà Dead (1997). Tempe's relationship with Andrew Ryan and her family life develop steadily across the series.
Is the Temperance Brennan series finished?
No new book is currently announced following Evil Bones (2025), but Kathy Reichs has published new entries almost every year for nearly three decades.
Is the TV series Bones based on these books?
Only loosely. Fox's Bones (2005-2017) borrows the character's name and forensic-anthropologist profession from Kathy Reichs's novels but tells its own largely unrelated stories.
Do I need to read the Temperance Brennan novellas?
No. Bones in Her Pocket, Swamp Bones and Bones on Ice (also collected in The Bone Collection along with the prequel story First Bones) are optional bonus cases, not required for the main novel sequence.
If you like the Temperance Brennan series
Reading order last verified .