Temperance Daessee Brennan is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradit ...

character created by author

Kathy Reichs Kathleen Joan Reichs (née Toelle, born 1950) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Early life and education Kathleen ...

, and is the hero of her crime novel series (which are usually referred to as the Temperance Brennan novels). She was introduced in Reichs'

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, '' Déjà Dead'', which was published in 1997. All the novels are written in the first person, from Brennan's viewpoint. Like her creator, Brennan is a

forensic anthropologist Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification o ...

. In a number of novels it is indicated that Brennan's background lies in physical anthropology, rather than medicine, and throughout the novels she stresses the importance of correct crime scene process.

Character history

Dr. Temperance "Tempe" Brennan is a forensic anthropologist, who investigates human remains at crime scenes where the flesh is too degraded for a coroner to obtain evidence (victims of arson, mutilation, advanced decomposition, etc.). Brennan is a native of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

who grew up in the

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nor ...

and one of only fifty board-certified forensic anthropologists in North America. As the series unfolds the reader learns more about her past and her family connections. Before the first novel, Brennan left her husband, Janis "Pete" Peterson, and overcame a lifelong struggle with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

; as a result she usually drinks only

Diet Coke Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a sugar-free and low-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on ...

, or an occasional

Perrier Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of th ...

water. She then accepted a job at the for the province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. She divides her time between teaching at the University of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

and advising on crime scenes, and spends about half of the year in each country. Brennan has a daughter, Katy, who initially is in college. Brennan's younger sister Harriet (known as Harry) has a son named Kit. All three have featured in significant roles in the novels. Kit's daughter Tory Brennan features in the ''

Virals ''Virals'' is a series of novels for young adults written by the American forensic anthropologist and crime writer, Kathy Reichs and her son Brendan Reichs, featuring Tory Brennan, great-niece of Temperance Brennan. Series The series was the ...

'' series of novels written by Kathy with her son Brendan Reichs. Brennan's cat, Birdie, usually accompanies her on her journeys between Montreal and Charlotte. She and her sometime lover Detective Andrew Ryan share a cockatiel named Charlie who remains in Montreal, while her husband's Chow cross dog Boyd is often left with her in Charlotte.

The Temperance Brennan novels

There are currently twenty one books in the series. Temperance Brennan also makes cameo appearances in

Jasper Fforde Jasper Fforde (born 11 January 1961) is an English novelist, whose first novel, '' The Eyre Affair'', was published in 2001. He is known mainly for his '' Thursday Next'' novels, but has published two books in the loosely connected '' Nursery Cr ...

's 2007 novel ''

First Among Sequels ''First Among Sequels'' is an alternate history, comic fantasy novel by the British author Jasper Fforde. It is the fifth Thursday Next novel, first published on 5 July 2007 in the United Kingdom, and on 24 July 2007 in the United States. The no ...

'' and in Reichs'

series of novels. #'' Déjà Dead'' (1997) #''

Death du Jour ''Death du Jour'' is the second novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Plot On a bitterly cold March night in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Brennan is exhuming the remains of a nun proposed for sainth ...

'' (1999) #'' Deadly Decisions'' (2000) #''

Fatal Voyage ''Fatal Voyage'' is the fourth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Plot A plane crash in the mountains of North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, ...

'' (2001) #''

Grave Secrets ''Grave Secrets'' is the fifth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Plot Brennan is searching for human remains in mass graves in Guatemala when two colleagues are ambushed and shot. Meanwhile, Sergeant-d ...

'' (2002) #'' Bare Bones'' (2003) #''

Monday Mourning ''Monday Mourning'' is the seventh novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan. Kathy Reichs herself is a forensic anthropologist who works for Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and f ...

'' (2004) #''

Cross Bones Cross Bones is a disused post-medieval burial ground on Redcross Way in Southwark, south London. Up to 15,000 people are believed to have been buried there. It was closed in 1853. Cross Bones is thought to have been established originally as ...

'' (2005) #'' Break No Bones'' (2006) #''

Bones to Ashes ''Bones to Ashes'' is the tenth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. The plot begins with Brennan receiving a box of old bones, and brings up an unsolved mystery from her childhood when one of her friends va ...

'' (2007) #''

Devil Bones A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of th ...

'' (2008) #''

206 Bones ''206 Bones'' is the twelfth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Plot The book opens with Brennan imprisoned in an enclosed space, unable to remember where she is and how she got there.Spider Bones ''Spider Bones'' is the thirteenth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Alternate Title It was released under the title ''Mortal Remains'' in Australia and the United Kingdom. Plot Brennan is called to exa ...

'' (2010) (Also published as ''Mortal Remains'') #'' Flash and Bones'' (2011) #''

Bones are Forever ''Bones are Forever'' is the fifteenth novel by Kathy Reichs starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. The book was the 48th most borrowed from libraries in the United Kingdom in 2012–2013. Plot The discovery of three dead new-born b ...

'' (2012) #'' Bones of the Lost'' (2013) #'' Bones Never Lie'' (2014) #'' Speaking in Bones'' (2015) #'' The Bone Collection'' (2016) - A short story collection including First Bones (#0.5, a prequel to Déjà Dead), Bones in her Pocket (#15.5), Swamp Bones (#16.5) and Bones on Ice (#17.5). #'' A Conspiracy of Bones'' (2020) #''The Bone Code'' (2021) #''Cold, Cold bones'' (2022) Temperance Brennan also features in three downloadable short stories.

Appearances in other media

The character shares the same name with the protagonist of the American

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

'', whose character was not based on Reichs' books or the Brennan of her books but rather on the author herself. In the TV series, Temperance Brennan is played by

Emily Deschanel Emily Erin Deschanel (; born October 11, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in the Fox crime procedural series '' Bones'' (2005–2017). Early life Deschanel was born in Los Angeles, California, to c ...

. Reichs herself has stated that she sees the Temperance of the television series as a younger version of the novel Temperance. Reichs is an executive producer of the show, and oversees the forensic science aspect of the series. She also wrote the fifth season episode "The Witch in the Wardrobe", which shared some plot elements with her novel ''Devil Bones''. On the show Temperance "Bones" Brennan writes crime novels with a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs as the protagonist. Temperance Brennan also appears in the 2007

novel ''

''. Temperance Brennan also appears very briefly in the 2011 book ''Seizure'' by

. The story Faking a Murderer in the 2017 anthology '' MatchUp'' has Temperance Brennan appear in a crossover story featuring her and

Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the US Army's military police. Having left the Army at age 36, Reacher roams the United States, tak ...

from

Lee Child James Dover Grant (born 29 October 1954), primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his ''Jack Reacher'' novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former American ...

's novels. The story was written as a collaboration between Kathy Reichs and Lee Child.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Temperance Fictional physicians Fictional anthropologists North Carolina in fiction Montreal in fiction Characters in mystery novel series Crime novel series Mystery novels by series American detective novels American mystery novels by series