Kathy Reichs

Reichs earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in anthropology from American University in 1971. In 1972, she completed her Master of Arts in physical anthropology from Northwestern University, and in 1975 she completed her Ph.D. in physical anthropology from Northwestern University. Since then, Reichs has taught at Northern Illinois University, University of Pittsburgh, Concordia University, and McGill University, and is currently on leave from a position as adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In the past, Kathy Reichs has consulted for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina.[6]

Reichs has appeared in Tanzania to testify at the United Nations's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.[7] She has assisted Dr. Clyde Snow and the Foundation for Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology in an exhumation in the area of Lake Atitlan in the highlands of southwest Guatemala. She was a member of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team assigned to assist at the World Trade Center disaster.

In addition to technical books, as of January 2019 Reichs has written 21 novels, which have been translated into 30 languages. 20 of those novels constitute the 'Temperance Brennan' series.[8] Her first novel, Déjà Dead, won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.[9]

The fictional heroine in her novels, Temperance "Tempe" Brennan, is also a forensic anthropologist. Her lifestyle closely mimics that of her creator,[10][11] with Reichs stating that Brennan and she "have the same CV"[10] and that "Some of Tempe's personality traits are also mine",[11] but there are differences in their personal lives such as the character's alcoholism.[10] A good portion of the novels are based on real life science, and Reichs has stated that she is "fastidiously conscientious about getting the science right".[12] She has used experience from her career in her novels, and said about Déjà Dead that "Everything I describe in the book, I actually did".[11] In the novel Grave Secrets, she uses her experience from her visit to Guatemala.[12]

She has also written the young adult novels series named Virals centered on Tempe's great-niece, Tory Brennan, and a pack of her friends Ben, Hiram, Shelton, and wolfdog Cooper.

Her latest novel, Two Nights, published July 11, 2017, features Sunday Night, a tough-talking, scarred heroine.[13]

The 2005 Fox television series Bones is inspired by Reichs' life and writing.[17] The series borrows the name of the books' heroine, Temperance "Bones" Brennan.[18] As in the books, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist; however, there are many differences: the television character is younger, more socially awkward,[18] and is based in a fictionalized version of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.[18] Additionally, the TV-Brennan moonlights as an author,[17] writing about a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.[19] Aside from the character name and occupation, there are few tie-ins between the TV show and the books.

Reichs works as a producer on the show to "keep the science honest".[18] She appeared in the second-season episode "Judas on a Pole", playing Professor Constance Wright, a forensic anthropologist on the board conducting Zack Addy's dissertation defense.[20] She wrote the Season Five episode "The Witch in the Wardrobe"[21] and the Season Nine episode "The Dude in the Dam" and the Season Eleven episode "The Stiff in the Cliff" with her daughter Kerry.[22]

In 2011, Reichs was an expert witness in the Casey Anthony murder trial. After initially refusing to be a part of Anthony's defense, she cited biased media coverage as the reason she changed her mind. "Initially, I said no, and then I started seeing media coverage and it made me angry. This woman needed to be tried in court, not in the press."

Reichs performed a full skeletal analysis of Anthony's daughter, Caylee, but could not determine a cause of death. She concluded that there was no evidence of abuse and that the child appeared to be well-nourished.[23]

• "Reichs, Kathy", Britannica Online Encyclopedia, 2009, webpage: EBc-KReichs.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kathy Reichs.

• Official website
• Kathy Reichs at IMDb 
• Kathy Reichs: Turning a lifelong career into writing success at Jarrah Loh.com
• Kathy Reichs Interview Shots Ezine October 2012