Kathy Reichs Books in Order: Temperance Brennan Guide

Looking for the Kathy Reichs books in order? Start with the Temperance Brennan novels if you want the main series, then add the novellas, Virals books, standalone novel, and non-fiction after that.

The tricky part is that Reichs has more than one reading path. Temperance Brennan is the big one, but there are also short stories, the young adult Virals series with Brendan Reichs, the standalone thriller Two Nights, and the TV show Bones, which is connected to her work without being a straight adaptation of the books.

Jump to:

• Where Should You Start with Kathy Reichs?
• Temperance Brennan Series
• Virals Books in Order
• Kathy Reichs Standalone Book
• Kathy Reichs Nonfiction
• How Are the Kathy Reichs Books Connected to Bones?
• Who Is Kathy Reichs?

Where Should You Start with Kathy Reichs?

Most readers should start with Déjà Dead. It introduces Temperance “Tempe” Brennan and launches Reichs’s main crime series.

You don’t need to read the novellas first, even though First Bones takes place earlier in Tempe’s life. Publication order is cleaner for new readers. Chronological order works better after you already know you want the short fiction mixed in.

If you’re here because of Bones, start with the Temperance Brennan novels, not the Virals books. If you want YA mystery and science with a younger cast, then start with Virals.

Temperance Brennan Series

The Temperance Brennan series is the core Kathy Reichs reading order. Tempe is a forensic anthropologist who works with human remains, cold cases, crime scenes, and investigations where science matters as much as instinct.

For most readers, publication order is the best path. The novels are listed first, then the short stories and collections, and then the full chronological order if you want everything folded together.

Temperance Brennan Books in Publication Order

This list includes the full-length Temperance Brennan novels only. The novellas and short stories are listed separately right after this.

1. Déjà Dead (1997)
2. Death du Jour (1999)
3. Deadly Decisions (2000)
4. Fatal Voyage (2001)
5. Grave Secrets (2002)
6. Bare Bones (2003)
7. Monday Mourning (2004)
8. Cross Bones (2005)
9. Break No Bones (2006)
10. Bones to Ashes (2007)
11. Devil Bones (2008)
12. 206 Bones (2009)
13. Spider Bones (2010)
14. Flash and Bones (2011)
15. Bones Are Forever (2012)
16. Bones of the Lost (2013)
17. Bones Never Lie (2014)
18. Speaking in Bones (2015)
19. A Conspiracy of Bones (2020)
20. The Bone Code (2021)
21. Cold, Cold Bones (2022)
22. The Bone Hacker (2023)
23. Fire and Bones (2024)
24. Evil Bones (2025)

Temperance Brennan Short Stories and Collections

The Temperance Brennan short stories are optional, but they’re worth knowing about if you want the complete list. Most readers can skip them on a first read and come back later.

The easiest option is The Bone Collection, which collects four Temperance Brennan novellas in one place.

1. Bones in Her Pocket (2013)
2. Swamp Bones (2014)
3. Bones on Ice (2015)
4. The Bone Collection (2016) (Collection)
5. First Bones (Novella)
6. Faking a Murderer (2017) (Short Story with Lee Child)

Temperance Brennan Books in Chronological Order

Publication order is still the better choice for most first-time readers. But if you want the Temperance Brennan novels and short stories folded together, this is the cleaner chronological path.

The big change is that First Bones goes before Déjà Dead because it looks back at Tempe’s first case.

1. First Bones (Novella)
2. Déjà Dead
3. Death du Jour
4. Deadly Decisions
5. Fatal Voyage
6. Grave Secrets
7. Bare Bones
8. Monday Mourning
9. Cross Bones
10. Break No Bones
11. Bones to Ashes
12. Devil Bones
13. 206 Bones
14. Spider Bones
15. Flash and Bones
16. Bones Are Forever
17. Bones in Her Pocket (Novella)
18. Bones of the Lost
19. Swamp Bones (Novella)
20. Bones Never Lie
21. Bones on Ice (Novella)
22. Speaking in Bones
23. Faking a Murderer (Short Story)
24. A Conspiracy of Bones
25. The Bone Code
26. Cold, Cold Bones
27. The Bone Hacker
28. Fire and Bones
29. Evil Bones

Virals Books in Order

The Virals books are a young adult series Reichs co-wrote with her son, Brendan Reichs. They follow Tory Brennan, Tempe Brennan’s great-niece, and they’re separate from the adult Temperance Brennan crime novels.

Read the five main novels first, then add Trace Evidence if you want the short stories too.

1. Virals (2010)
2. Seizure (2011)
3. Code (2013)
4. Exposure (2014)
5. Terminal (2015)
6. Trace Evidence (2016) (Short Story Collection)

Virals Short Stories in Trace Evidence

Trace Evidence collects the Virals short stories, so that’s the easiest way to read the side material. The individual stories are:

1. Shift (2013)
2. Swipe (2013)
3. Shock (2015)
4. Spike (2016)

Kathy Reichs Standalone Book

Two Nights is Reichs’s standalone thriller. It isn’t a Temperance Brennan book, so you can read it whenever you want.

1. Two Nights (2017)

Kathy Reichs Nonfiction

Reichs is best known for fiction, but there is one short non-fiction title that completionist readers may want to know about.

1. Inside the Forensic Files of Dr. Kathy Reichs (2003)

How Are the Kathy Reichs Books Connected to Bones?

The TV series Bones is connected to Kathy Reichs, but it isn’t a direct retelling of the Temperance Brennan novels.

In the books, Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who works on cases in places like Quebec and North Carolina. In the TV show, Temperance Brennan is also a forensic anthropologist, but the character, setting, supporting cast, and tone are very different.

The show adds a fun twist: TV Brennan writes novels about a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs. So if you came to the books after watching Bones, expect the same broad forensic crime world, but not the same exact version of Brennan.

Who Is Kathy Reichs?

Kathy Reichs is a crime writer and forensic anthropologist. Her professional background is a huge reason the Temperance Brennan books feel so grounded.

Reichs has been certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, served in leadership roles with forensic science organizations, and worked with forensic labs in North Carolina and Quebec. She also served as a producer on Bones, which was inspired by her work and her novels.

Her first novel, Déjà Dead, became a bestseller and launched the Temperance Brennan series. That’s still the place I’d start if you want to read Kathy Reichs in order.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Patricia Cornwell Books in Order
• Tess Gerritsen Books in Order
• Will Trent Books in Order