Kathy Reichs is one of the better 'forensic specialists' writing fiction. If you like Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, then you will probably much prefer Ms Reichs Temperance Brennan books. In my opinion the science seems much more realistic in these novels, but that may be because as an audience we have more sophisticated tastes, thanks to the popularity of such TV shows as CSI. I suggest that you read the books in order, simply because from time to time Dr Brennan does refer to events of earlier volumes, but at the same time, each novel is a complete and highly entertaining stand-alone story too.