Kathy Reichs Explained

Dr Kathy J. Reichs[1]
Birth Name:Kathleen Joan Toelle
Birth Date:July 7, 1948
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genre:Crime
Spouse:Paul Reichs
Children:3
Education:American University (BA)
Northwestern University (MA, PhD)

Dr. Kathleen Joan Reichs (PhD) (née Toelle, born July 7, 1948) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is a professor emerita of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is well known for inspiring the television series Bones.[2]

Early life and education

Kathleen Joan Toelle was born in 1948 in Chicago, Illinois.[3]

She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in anthropology from American University in 1971. In 1972, she completed her Master of Arts in physical anthropology at Northwestern University, where, in 1975, she completed her PhD, also in physical anthropology.[3]

Academia and anthropology

Since 1975, Reichs has taught at Northern Illinois University, University of Pittsburgh, Concordia University, and McGill University, and currently holds a position as professor emerita of anthropology at the University 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 the United Nations's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.[6] She has assisted Clyde Snow and the Foundation for Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology in an exhumation in the area of Lake Atitlan in the highlands of southwest Guatemala. She was a member of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team assigned to assist at the World 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 the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. She is also affiliated with the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec.[4]

Fiction

In addition to technical books, as of January 2019, Reichs has written 23 novels, which have been translated into 30 languages. 20 of those novels constitute the "Temperance Brennan" series.[8] Her first novel, Déjà Dead, won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.[9]

The fictional heroine 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" and that "Some of Tempe's personality traits are also mine," but there are differences in their personal lives, such as the character's alcoholism. 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 about Déjà Dead that "Everything I describe in the book, I actually did." In the novel Grave Secrets, she uses her experience from her visit to Guatemala.

She has also co-written (with her son Brendan) the young adult novels series named Virals, 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]

Television

See main article: Bones (TV series). The 2005 Fox television series Bones 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, and is based in the Jeffersonian, a fictionalized version of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the Brennan character in the TV series moonlights as an author, 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 works as a producer on the show to "keep the science honest". 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 conducts Zack Addy's dissertation defense.[17]

Reichs wrote the season five episode, "The Witch in the Wardrobe,"[18] the season nine episode, "The Dude in the Dam," and wrote the season eleven episode, "The Stiff in the Cliff" with her daughter Kerry.[19]

Casey Anthony murder trial

See main article: Death of Caylee Anthony. In 2011, Reichs was an expert witness in the Casey 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 concluded that there was no evidence of abuse and that the child appeared to be well-nourished.[20]

Personal life

Reichs has two daughters and a son.[21]

Selected works

Academic papers

Academic books

Temperance Brennan series

No.TitlePublishedISBNsNotes
1Déjà Dead1997Paperback:
Audio CD:
New York Times Best Seller[22] Won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel

1997 Kirkus Reviews – starred review[23]

1997 Library Journal – starred review

1997 Publishers Weekly – starred review

1998 Dilys Award – Mystery Novel (Nominee)

2Death du Jour1999Paperback:
Hardcover:
Audio CD:
3Deadly Décisions2000Paperback:
Hardback:
4Fatal Voyage2001Paperback:
Audio CD:
5Grave Secrets2002Paperback:
Audio CD:
6Bare Bones2003Paperback:
7Monday Mourning2004Paperback:
8Cross Bones2005Paperback:
Hardback:
Audio CD:
9Break No Bones2006Hardback:
Paperback:
10Bones to Ashes2007Hardback:
Paperback:
2007 Publishers Weekly – starred review
11Devil Bones2008Hardback:
Paperback:
Audio CD:
12206 Bones2009Hardback:
Paperback:
13Spider Bones 2010Hardback:
Paperback:
Released as Mortal Remains in UK and Australia in hardback, reverted to Spider Bones for paperback release.
14Flash and Bones2011
15Bones are Forever2012
16Bones of the Lost2013[24]
17Bones Never Lie2014Hardback:
Paperback:
18Speaking in Bones2015Hardback: 2015 LibraryReads – starred review
19The Bone Collection2016Hardback:
Paperback:
A short story collection including First Bones (a prequel to Déjà Dead), Bones in her Pocket, Swamp Bones and Bones on Ice. These books have been numbered as 0.5, 15.5, 16.5, 17.5, respectively.[25]
20A Conspiracy of Bones2020Hardback: 2020 Booklist – starred review 2020 Publishers Weekly – starred review
21The Bone CodeJuly 2021Hardback:Paperback:2021 LibraryReads – starred review[26]
22Cold, Cold BonesJuly 2022Hardback:
23The Bone HackerAugust 2023Hardback:

Virals series

See main article: Virals. 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]

TitlePublishedISBNNotes
Virals2010
Seizure2011
Code2013
Exposure2014
Terminal2015
Trace Evidence2016a short story collection including Shock, Shift, Swipe and Spike (a new story set after the events of Terminal).

Novellas

Reichs has released six downloadable short stories:

TitlePublishedNotes
Shift2013Set in the Virals country, but featuring both the Virals characters and Temperance Brennan.
Bones In Her Pocket2013A Temperance Brennan story giving details of a case briefly mentioned in Bones of the Lost.
Swipe2013A Virals story, also featuring Temperance Brennan, set at Comic-Con in San Diego.
Swamp Bones2014A Temperance Brennan story set in the Florida Everglades.
Shock2015A Virals story telling how they first meet.
Bones On Ice2015A Temperance Brennan story of how she gets wrapped up in the ultimate cold case: a death on Mount Everest.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Active Diplomates | the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.
  2. Web site: Kathy Reichs | About Kathy .
  3. Web site: Moredock . Janet . Kathy Reichs – Biography, Books, & Facts . Encyclopedia Britannica . 1 January 2022 . 26 July 2022.
  4. Web site: Kathy Reichs – About Kathy. kathyreichs.com.
  5. Web site: Reichs among '30 Most Innovative Women Professors'. February 1, 2016. UNC Charlotte. 2016-12-01.
  6. Web site: History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places – Smithsonian. smithsonianmagazine.com.
  7. Web site: ABFA – American Board of Forensic Anthropology . theabfa.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007074500/http://www.theabfa.org/diplomates.html . 2011-10-07 .
  8. http://www.kathyreichs.com/suppliers.htm Kathy Reichs book suppliers
  9. http://crimewriterscanada.com/cwc/pages/pastawards.html Arthur Ellis Award – list of past winners
  10. News: This much I know:Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist and writer, 60, London . Tom Templeton . The Guardian . 2008-10-26 .
  11. Web site: Meet this season's best discovery: Kathy Reichs . 2008-11-16 . Mudge . Alden . September 1997 . Bookpage . 2008-06-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080623094953/http://www.bookpage.com/9709bp/firstperson1.html . dead .
  12. News: Kathy Reichs: The ice queen of crime . Peter Stanford . The Independent . 2006-07-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081201090538/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/kathy-reichs-the-ice-queen-of-crime-408662.html . dead . December 1, 2008 .
  13. Book: Kathy, Reichs. Two nights. 9781476726458. Toronto. 960987420. 2017-07-11.
  14. http://www.fox.com/bones/showinfo/ Bones Show Info
  15. Web site: Kathy Reichs: 20 Things You Need to Know . . Yahoo! Pty Limited . https://web.archive.org/web/20080728010753/http://au.tv.yahoo.com/b/bones/549/kathy-reichs-20-things-you-need-to-know . 2008-07-28 . 2008-11-16 .
  16. Bodies in the Book . Bones . Bones (TV series) . 2007-10-14 . 2 . 15 .
  17. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0915947/ Bones episode Judas on a Pole
  18. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1613910/fullcredits Full credits for Bones episode "The Witch in the Wardrobe"
  19. Web site: BONES Recap: 'The Dude in the Dam'. givememyremote.com.
  20. News: Reichs Examines Murder Victim Caylee Anthony . https://archive.today/20130412022818/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2011-08-22/For-author-Kathy-Reichs-its-all-about-the-bones/50099182/1 . Carol. Memmott. USA Today. 12 April 2013.
  21. Book: Reichs, Kathy. Grave Secrets: A Novel. 2002. Simon & Schuster, Inc.. 978-0-671-02838-1. XII. registration.
  22. Web site: Kathy Reichs About Kathy. 2021-03-26. kathyreichs.com.
  23. Web site: Awards for Kathy Reichs – FictionDB. 2021-03-26. www.fictiondb.com.
  24. Book: June 17, 2014. Bones of the Lost: A Temperance Brennan Novel (16) Mass Market Paperback – June 17, 2014. 978-1476754741 . Reichs . Kathy . Simon and Schuster .
  25. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28952915-the-bone-collection GoodReads
  26. Web site: The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs. 2021-12-03. www.fictiondb.com. en.
  27. https://twitter.com/KathyReichs/status/803957093938167808 Twitter
  28. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/books/reading-matters-blog/article111647727.html Website