Spider Bones

In Spider Bones (#37), Kathy Reichs presents another intriguing mystery which highlights the work done by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command or JPAC.  When a body in a pond in Quebec is identified by fingerprints as a marine who died in Vietnam forrty years previously,  Dr. Brennan is sent back to her home turf in North Carolina to find out who is actually buried in the marine's grave.  The action moves to Hawaii where identification of missing and recovered military personnel is done.  This is familiar territory for Ms. Reichs who has served as a consultant to JPAC herself.

To flesh out this story, Temperance Brennan has brought her grieving daughter with her to recover from the loss of a close friend in Afghanistan.  When Detective Ryan calls from Quebec to check on the progress of his drowning case, Temperance learns that her ex-lover is having problems of his own with his newly clean drug addicted daughter.  What else can she do but invite them both to Hawaii to share their house?  In the meantime, the flamboyant Medical Examiner in Honolulu refuses to take "no" for an answer on a case she has asked Temperance to consult on.  A dangerous case, as it turns out, for all involved.  With Ryan's help, Temperance manages to finally put all the pieces together and bring closure to several families. 

This is a satisfying read that opens a small window on the work of some of the dedicated professionals involved in recovering and identifying missing personnel from WWII, Korea, the Cold War and Vietnam - "Until They Are Home".