Audio By Carbonatix
Auto racing is a dangerous game: Hundreds of drivers have perished on the track, including Dale Earnhardt Senior, Blaise Alexander, and Pierre Levegh, who wiped out 86 spectators when he crashed at LeMans.
Perhaps that’s why mystery author Kathy Reichs chose NASCAR as the setting for her new novel, Flash and Bones. Part of the Temperance Brennan series that spawned the hit TV show Bones, the book follows the no-nonsense forensic anthropologist’s hunt for a killer who dumps a body in a barrel of toxic chemicals at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Reichs is a real-life forensics expert, so it’s not surprising that she has a few personality traits in common with her protagonist. For example, when she toured the track with racing enthusiast Barry Byrd, her focus wasn’t exactly on the sport. “My fascination with the adjacent landfill was, I fear, a source of some dismay,” Reichs quipped to her publisher afterwards.
Sat., Aug. 27, 5 p.m., 2011
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
