Bare Bones is the sixth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan.

In the Charlotte summer heat, Brennan is hoping to get away for a few days at the beach with her would-be lover, Detective Andrew Ryan.

A picnic at Cowans Ford with Brennan's daughter Katy turns sour when her estranged husband's dog Boyd discovers mixed animal and human bones in a derelict outhouse.

Is the headless body found in South Carolina linked, and who is sending Brennan e-mails telling her to back-off ?

Brennan, helped by Ryan and Detective "Skinny" Slidell, must try and piece together these seemingly random events and discover who is behind the racket.