Review: Virals by Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan is as fascinated by bones and dead bodies as her famous aunt, acclaimed forensic anthropologist, Tempe Brennan. However living on a secluded island off Charleston in South Carolina there is not much opportunity to put her knowledge to the test. Until she and her group of technophile friends stumble across a shallow grave containing the remains of a girl who has been missing for over thirty years. With the cold-case murder suddenly hot, Tory realises that they are involved in something fatally dangerous. And when they rescue a sick dog from a laboratory on the same island, it becomes evident that somehow the two events are linked. On the run from forces they don't understand, they have only each other to fall back on. Until they succumb to a mysterious infection that heightens their senses and hones their instincts to impossible levels. Their illness seems to have changed their very biology - and suddenly it's clear that the island is home to something well beyond their comprehension. It's a secret that has driven men to kill once. And will drive them to kill again...


My mother is a massive Kathy Reichs fan and she has been bugging me to read something by her for quite a while, to which my reply has usually been "No thanks Mum, I'll stick to my young adult", so imagine her glee when she runs into my room clutching Virals, practically jumping up and down shouting "JADE YOUNG ADULT! KATHY REICHS! HAH!". I've been putting it off but yesterday decided to pick it up.


To tell the truth, I'm glad that I did.


Virals is a big step from Reich's usual work, even though it is sort of a spin off from the Temperance Bones series. In it we see Tory, Tempe's neice solving a crime while developing strange powers. In the same vein as the Bones series, Reichs uses an extremely intellegent main character as well as using a lot of scientific words, but don't let this put you off, the phasing is well explained and as a very unscientific person (despite the fact that I want to be an Earth scientist...) I really understood it.


This book focuses more on story development than it does the characters, but this doesn't actually bother me. Though I'm a person that usually like well developed characters, the story is rich enough and the characters suit being brave and funny. There is so much going on in the story and I didn't see how it would all tie in together, but in true crime writer style Reichs pulls it all off.


Don't let Reichs' usual genre put you off, while this book does has aspects of the crime genre, there's also some science-fiction, don't let that put you off either though as this book really is for every YA reader out there. This book has twists and turns that will have you gasping and on the edge of your seats!


I'm concluding this by saying; you win this time Mum. You win.

Overall rating: A

Stand alone/series: Stand-alone

UK Hardback Release: May 12th 2011

Publisher: Arrow (Young)

Pages: 320

Book obtained via: Bought (by mother)