The bodies of three murdered babies are found in a Montreal apartment. Ace forensic anthropologist Temp Brennan gets on the case, which takes her to Edmonton and Yellowknife and into a convoluted plot involving diamond mining.

Though the excitement is breathless and convincing, Reichs does some odd tricks with her dialogue. She seems to be aiming for speedy banter, something like an update of Hammett’s Nick and Nora Charles. Alas, Reichs’s ear is too tinny to pull off such sophisticated stuff.