Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs is a renowned forensic anthropologist and best-selling author, known for her contributions to both scientific and literary fields. After earning her Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology from Northwestern University in 1975 and becoming one of only one hundred forensic anthropologists certified as a Diplomate by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology in 1986, Kathy Reichs launched a celebrated literary career with her debut novel, Déjà Dead. Published in 1997, the novel immediately became a New York Times bestseller and won the prestigious Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel, establishing her as a leading voice in crime fiction.

Reichs followed this success by penning over 20 additional novels in the internationally acclaimed ‘Temperance Brennan’ series, drawing directly from her extensive real-life professional experiences. Simultaneously, her forensic anthropology career continued to evolve, seeing her consult for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina and the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. Her expertise proved critical in high-profile international and national cases, including testifying at the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1999 and assisting in the recovery of remains after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 as part of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. Her life and work served as the inspiration for the highly successful FOX television series Bones, which began airing in 2005.

She is currently a Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her dedication to the scientific community is further highlighted by her ongoing service on the board of directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, maintaining her influence and leadership in the field of forensic anthropology.