Grave Secrets

Grave Secrets is the fifth novel by Kathy Reichs featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. The story begins as Brennan searches for human remains in mass graves in Guatemala, when two colleagues are ambushed and shot.

Meanwhile, Sergeant-detective Bartolome "Bat" Galiano of the Guatemala National Civil Police asks for her help identifying remains found in a septic tank behind a run-down hotel in Guatemala City. Could they belong to one of four young women reported missing, one of them the daughter of the Canadian ambassador? The case thickens when the District Attorney confiscates the remains, and a possible link emerges to a recent ruling by the American President on stem cell research. Andrew Ryan, a would-be lover, becomes involved through the Canadian connection, and he and Galiano compete for Brennan's attention as she tries to learn what happened to the girls and who is trying to stop her.

Reception was divided. Publishers Weekly praised the twists and the skill with which the subplots are woven together, while Kirkus Reviews criticized a plot so crowded that it weighed the book down.