Tory knew nothing about her father until her mother’s death. She now lives with her workaholic marine biologist dad on a small island off Charleston, S.C. Tory recently lost her mother in a car crash. Aunt Tempe, as she’s known in “Virals,” is referenced throughout the book, providing a genealogical connection that enables Reichs not only to bridge readership between her series but also explain how Tory, a freshman in high school, has such an unusually deep knowledge of the biological sciences.Įvery bit as headstrong and intelligent as her famous aunt, Tory is only 14, but what she lacks in life experience she makes up in guts as she faces the classic collision course of corrupt government, old money and big business, all of it unwittingly. Leveraging the smarty-pants heroine at the heart of her “Bones” bestsellers - legendary forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan - “Virals” stars her niece, Tory Brennan. “Virals” is the latest incarnation of a trend that has seen dozens of literary heavy hitters applying their talents to books for younger readers, although only some of these writers have successfully translated their styles and sensibilities into plots populated with characters that resonate with tween and teen audiences. Adding science, intrigue and a dash of wolfen fantasy to the mix, “Virals,” in bookstores this Tuesday, is a thrill ride of a murder mystery that is likely to appeal to her adult fans as much as it will to kids. Reichs is a master storyteller who, with the kickoff to her new series, “Virals,” ratchets up the thrill-o-meter on the well-trodden young-adult trope of prep school outsiders negotiating the hormonal minefield of crushes and popular kids.

The niece of famed fictional forensic scientist Temperance Brennan stumbles on a mystery at prep school.Īfter 13 books that have netted her as many bestsellers and a hit TV show that is now in its fifth season, “Bones” author Kathy Reichs once again gets forensic with her latest, only this time the book is for young adults.

Kathy reichs virals series in order