Customer Reviews

DEJA DEAD

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(81)
3 star:		(53)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Dr. Temperance Brennen, (Tempe for short) moves from North Carolina, leaving behind a shaky marriage and bad memories for Quebec to be the Director of Forensic Anthropology. When an unidentified female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in plastic trash bags, Tempe remembers a case that was very much like this one in North Carolina, but she cannot convince the police department so she must investigate on her own, which puts her life and some of her loved ones in danger, Can she solve the case before this happens?

This is one of the most gripping thrillers that I have ever read. I was always a big Patricia Cornwell fan, but Kathy Reichs' heroine, Dr. Tempe Brennen, has more depth and personality to her than Dr. Kay Scarpetta. When Kathy Reichs describes scenes, they are amazing in detail, especially in the forensic anthropology area. There are many surprising twists and turn throughout the book, and the ending is the real shocker.

Move over Patricia Cornwell you have been replaced by Dr. Kathy Reichs as far as I am concerned.

No wonder people have been urging me to read Kathleen Reichs! I finally caved in, began with "Deja Dead," her debut novel, and was swept away by her incredible brilliance.

This is a book that simply cannot be put down. I read it before work, I read it on the train, I snuck it in between tasks at work, I read it at lunch, I read it far into the night when my eyes were hanging on stalks. And still I had to race to the finish.

Temperance Brennan is a fortyish American forensic anthropologist from the South, who is working in French-speaking Montreal. A recovering alcoholic, she is divorced, mother of a college-age daughter, troubled--and incredibly good at what she does. In a tight story heavily interspersed with fascinating scenarios of Montreal, Temperance (called "Tempe") is called upon to autopsy a young female victim of a pathologically gruesome murder. This leads to a foray into the Dark Side as Tempe, convinced that she has seen the work of a vicious serial killer, sets out to prove it to her skeptical (and often chauvinistic) male colleagues.

The exquisitely insane nature of the killer, made all too clear by the havoc he wreaks on his victims, forces Tempe to face her own demons and she tries to stop one from real life. But he may be impossible to stop.

Perhaps "Deja Dead" is to brilliant because in real life, Reichs IS a forensic anthropologist who has lived and worked in the South and in Montreal. Whatever the cause, it is obvious that she is a born writer. I gave this book five stars because it is impossible to give ten. Needless to say, I am already on Book Two of the Temperance Brennan series, and won't be able to stop until I have read them all.

In this debut novel, the heroine, Tempe Brennan, a forensic anthropologist originally from North Carolina is working in the bilingual Montreal coroner's office. Tempe is a fictional version of the author herself who has exactly the same experience base. A forensic anthropologist is called upon to answer many questions regarding bones/corpses that arise--are the bones human, what can be said about the age, sex etc of the person... This sets up nicely the possibilities of a good murder mystery/police procedural and Reichs does a nice job here. The first case involves the discovery of a trashbag with human remains but goes on to identify 5 women whose murders follows a pattern of mutilation and control by a serial murderer with a sado-sexist bent. Tempe uncovers possible connections between the 5 women who se murders dont follow a strict MO but do have similarities. The threat comes close to home as Tempe's best friend is missing and the next potential victim and the murderer taunts her by placing evidence in her yard and threatening her and her daughter.

Tempe herself is a likable character--a divorced mother (19year old daughter lives with father) who is somewhat of a loner and a workaholic. She is not at all perfect--a struggling alcoholic who makes the decision each day not to drink and a rather pushy woman who often steps on the toes of the police investigating the murders. But she has a nice personality and her character is drawn with realistic strokes. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Montreal and the peppering of the dialogues with French phrases (always translated for non-French speakers).

I did find the novel at 532 pages for the paperback version a bit too long. I also agree with other reviewers that it seemed at time Tempe had a death wish--going out on her own to investigate clues when she knew she was a target for the murderer.

That aside, I found Reichs a refreshing and interesting author in the forensic investigation/murder mystery genre.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs deals with the work and life of Temperance "Tempe" Brennan, a transplanted southerner who works as a forensic anthropologist for the Laboratorie de Medicine Legale in Montreal. Her job entails the identification of remains and partial remains of bodies found by the authorities. It provides an intriguing look into this profession and is described in excellent detail. This book initially focuses on a number of seemingly unrelated murders where mutilated bodies are found in various locations around the city. Tempe works continually to find some connection between these and a number of unsolved murders which results in the investigation of a serial murderer who eventually focuses on Tempe. In her pursuit of this investigation, she is confronted by a male dominated organization and at times makes progress through sheer perseverance. I found the location a fresh departure from some of the more " standard locations" used in many mysteries. Some have compared Tempe Brennan to Kay Scarpetta and while there are similarities there are also enough differences to make this an unfair comparison. While there are many positives about this book, I found her continual battle with her inner demon of alcohol overdone and at time tedious which tended to interrupt the flow of the plot line. I also found some of the secondary plot lines such as her relationship with Gabby confusing since she seemed to drop in and out of the plot. Finally additional details about Temperance Brennan would have been welcome since they would have provided another dimension to this character. Overall I found the book to be well work reading and I look for more of Temperance Brennan

Why I didn't like this book (& why I can't explain its bestseller status):

1) Yes, this may be Kathy Reichs' first novel...but still, one can't get past the BAD WRITING, especially when it comes to the lack of character development. All main characters come out flat (especially Tempe, the forensic anthropologist who is the main character).

2) Something else about the bad writing: what annoyed me especially was the constant use of flowery comparisons. Also, the extremely long-winded descriptions of actions & places, which made me skip whole paragraphs at a time.

3) OK, if we get past the lack of characterization issue & the bad writing, we get to the actual plot, which of course is essential in a crime novel: "Deja Dead" has a plot that makes you want to scream "I've read this book before- many many times!" It's a book that's far from original, especially the cliche of the main heroine getting in harm's way.

4)Again, concerning the plot: there are lots of holes in the plot, such as the monkey & the biologist (I kept turning back to see if maybe I'd missed crucial points). There are also loads of characters who keep appearing & disappearing, with no apparent reason--for example, Tempe's daughter, Katy, whose existence serves no other purpose than simply for the main character to...have a daughter!

5) Tempe Brennan oversteps the limits / boundaries of her job description all the time, during the investigation described in this novel. She is a forensic anthropologist, & yet acts as a detective, showing a disturbing lack of common sense: for example, she keeps going to dangerous places alone (always at night!) & then is surprised & annoyed when the detectives whose job description says they have to solve this case are angry at her! There's no background as to why Claudel dislikes her, some reader mentioned: but how can he NOT dislike her, when she keeps stealing his job from under his nose? It's such a cliche when all the detectives are stupid & our heroine is the only intelligent one...

6) French is thrown in casually from time to time. This I didn't mind. What I did mind was that it was apparent that this was done simply to show that Montreal is where the story takes place. No other descriptions of Montreal exist, no "feeling" of Quebec comes out of this story.

7) Another point that many readers have mentioned is that the book is FULL OF technical details. These are interesting, but tend to be far too many. 5 or 6 pages full of descriptions of how saws work? Please!!

8) Tempe's relationship with Gabby is inexplicable & annoying. The crazy scenes that take place between them (especially the ones where Gabby appears in the middle of the night, out of nowhere) are hard to understand, & are never properly explained.

9) Last point: Of course "Deja Dead" is being constantly compared to Patricia Cornwell's books. Even though the Scarpetta novels keep getting worse & worse, I still find them far more original & fast paced.

I decided to read this novel after it appeared several times in my Amazon.com recommendations. I wasn't entirely sure how I would feel about a book that gave the appearance of being a Patricia Cornwell copy cat. I regret ever having had that first impression. There are indeed some similarities to Patricia Cornwell's much beloved Kay Scarpetta, however, the character of Tempe Brennan was a definite breath of fresh air with her own set of problems and dilemmas. The plot was a rather interesting one and there were many unexpected plot twists which kept me guessing. I was initially put off by Reichs' emphasis on the technical aspects regarding forensic anthropology, but it would have been a rather glaring oversight on Reichs' part to omit such an integral part of the story. Not only does it give the reader a better understanding of the plot, but it gives an even deeper understanding of the main character as well. It is unfortunate that Kathy Reichs and her alter ego Tempe Brennan will be consistently compared to Cornwell and Scarpetta. They both deserve to stand alone.

If you enjoy Patricia Cornwell's novels you will enjoy this. "Deja Dead" is a good read, but the story lacks an individual stamp. All the familiar Cornwell elements are there. Temperance Brennan is a US citizen working as a Doctor of Forensic Medicine in the City of Montreal, Canada. Like her counterpart, Dr Kay Scarpetta, she is a headstrong woman who does not take kindly to direction, especially by men. As a result she has big problems in her relationships with men and, like Scarpetta, is on the wrong side of a loving relationship which went wrong.

In her close liaison with the agencies of law enforcement she thinks of herself as a woman working in a man's world. Again she shares with Scarpetta a deep paranoia because she sees herself as undervalued by the police when she obviously knows their job better than they do, and she wants to come up with all the crucial leads.

As in all the best Cornwell stories, the heroine's impetuosity lands her in danger when she becomes the potential next victim of the serial killer around whose identity the plot revolves.

The story line is no doubt original and the tour of Montreal is interesting, but everything else is pure Cornwell.

I recently finsihed Deja Dead and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes I agree that Kathy Reichs will be compared to Patricia Cornwell but she no doubt in turn will be compared to someone else! I enjoyed the plot, the chararters and the pace of the book. The forensic details were exactly that but it certainly helped me to understand things a lot better. Overall I think that Kathy Reichs has a lot of potential as a writer and I look forward to reading more of her stuff in the future. I do have one small criticism which I wonder have other readers noticed....after finishing 'Deja Dead' i started "Death du Jour. Right now I'm about half way through it and I have noticed a few similarities with her first book. Maybe she should try and keep the plots as unique as possible.

Tempe Brennan has more lives than her cat, Birdie, it seems. If she's not getting smacked in the face, or shoved into the pavement, her day is not complete. Tempe is short for Temperance, a former alcoholic who has traded the bottle for unhealthy doses of adrenaline. Deja Dead is Kathy Reichs' first foray into the world of forensic fiction. Our heroine, Tempe, is a forensic anthropologist who splits her time between her academic career in Charlotte, N.C. and her professional career as a forensic anthropologist attached to the Laboratoire de Médec--- the Coroner's Office, in Montreal. Her job is to establish the identity of a victim from clues she gleans from its skeletal remains -- to put a face on the usually faceless corpses which are her clientele. When readers meet her, she is a recent divorcee living in Montreal with Birdie. She is well-respected by her colleagues but her intuitive abilities are at odds with the sometimes stereotypically sexist police detectives who insist on hard evidence. Tempe laments her nonexistent love-life. She appreciates a detective's tight butt silently. She perceives the sexual implications of eye-contact but demurs. What she thinks she might be compromising, we can't tell, and of course, her analyst won't talk. We want her to give in, have a good time, just sleep with the guy! And for heaven's sake, don't feel bad about it in the morning! If you've read Patricia Cornwell, the comparisons will be inevitable and natural. Kathy Reichs is a real-life forensic anthropologist; her art imitates her life. Patricia Cornwell is a journalist who observed autopsies; her art has become lifeless. Tempe is a more sympathetic and likable character than Kay Scarpetta. Tempe drinks Diet Cokes and eats frozen burritos. Kay cooks a 3 course meal and picks the perfect wine. Both women are overly critical of themselves. Must be that analytical nature. Reichs has joined the ranks of Cornwell, Grafton and Paretsky and Trocheck in creating a memorable female character. Can't wait to read Death DuJour next.

A new heroine has entered the scene, Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist. For those who are familiar with Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Kathy Reich's Brennan is ten times the forensic technobabble. Forensic junkies rejoice! Reich's, a forensic anthropologist herself in North Carolina and Quebec presents very realistic detail as only an insider can. In her debut, Brennan is on the trail of a serial killer with the help of homicide detectives, forensic dentist, autopsy technician and an FBI profiler. Reichs presents some very well-deveoped side characters of interest in the form of the very antagonistic Detective Claudel and the more dashing Detective Ryan. Other side characters are not as well developed but serve their purpose well. As the two seemingly disparate plots of her best friend's research in the lives of prostitutes collide with Brennan's search of the escalating killer, contrivance appears to be unavoidable as is common in the fiction of this genre, but Reichs knocks you for a loop and fights this coincidental link and moves into another direction. While I can't say that I am anxiously anticipating seeing some of the minor characters, I look forward to Brennan's next adventure!