Customer Reviews

Monday Mourning: A Novel

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There are some authors whose books you buy just because you've read the rest in the series and you can't help but keep buying them, as bad as they sometimes get (Cornwell's Scarpetta books are a perfect example). Reichs' Tempe Brennan series is like that for me and I'm relieved that while she didn't knock my socks off with this one, she didn't disappoint like the last couple of books either.

Tempe is back in Quebec for this installment, thank heavens. The interplay between Tempe and her Canadian colleagues always seems to sizzle, while the American connections drag and bore. The usual players are all back in action, including the oddball Chardonneau, cranky Claudel and of course, on again/off again love interest Andrew Ryan.

The story is tightly packed into what seems like not as many pages as usual. The forensic details are exquisitely presented, apart from three yawn-inducing lectures about carbon dating, among other things. While there are a whole lot of implausible plot lines I can swallow in the genre, I have a hard time believing Tempe's boss LaManche has never heard of carbon dating. The basic plot line is interesting, the crime being solved is, sadly, easy to believe happened. The solving of the crime itself moves along at a relatively believable pace, although with others, I think the decision to have Tempe and her girlfriend investigate the crime themselves a la CSI was a poor decision on Reichs' part.

Where this book fails is exactly where the past few have failed. The "romance" between Ryan and Tempe is not particularly interesting, no matter how blue Reichs wants to make his eyes. He's inattentive and secretive, she's snotty and throws tantrums. I don't know what on earth these two see in each other, unless it's all physical (Reichs makes sure we know Tempe is a gorgeous size 4 and Ryan is a tall hunk). The reason for Ryan's distraction is offered up on a silver platter right around page 120 or so, although we the readers aren't supposed to get it until the jarring end of the book.

I can easily recommend Monday Mourning to any Reichs fan and to fans who've been turned off of the Scarpetta books because she lost focus on the forensics. Reichs is well-credentialed in forensic anthropology and it shows without reading like a textbook (apart from those three preachy parts). The Ryan romance angle could be dropped and I think both characters would be better for it. If Reichs really has to have some kind of sexual tension between her leading lady and someone, I would rather see her explore the odd hate/hate relationship Tempe has with the prickly but sexy Claudel. There was a glimmer of something hinted at in the final pages of this book, one that had more heat than all the scenes between Tempe and Ryan combined.

Bare Bones, Kathy Reichs previous novel shows some signs of becoming too personally involved with Temperance Brennan's personal life to the exclusion of the real story. And the start of Monday Mourning did little to dispel this. Tempe is back in Montreal for a stint as their forensic anthropologist seemingly completely wired. Her relationship with Detective Andrew Ryan is going through a rough spot (which is mostly in her head), and the discovery of three skeletons in the cellar of a pizza parlor forces her to work with one of her least favorite detectives, Luc Claudel. And her best friend shows up on the verge of divorce. Nothing is going right.

Claudel and Tempe square off over the age of the remains. He wants to believe that they are ancient history, but Tempe has a hunch that they are more recent. When an unknown caller reveals that something had been going on in the building Tempe becomes fixated on finding the truth. Be prepared for a wave of archeological science as Tempe not only proves the age of the bones, but manages to pinpoint where they had lived. And close inspection of the remains reveals other horrific possibilities.

As Tempe's personal crises build so does the tention of the case. Something horrible lies behind the slim evidence, and it has never gone to sleep. Now threatened, a noose begins to tighten about Tempe's own neck. What awaits is subtle and merciless, and Tempe will find herself faced with true darkness even as she tries to resolve a 20 year old wrong. A whirl of tense action spins its way to a gripping ending.

For my tastes, there is a bit too much Tempe in this story. For a mature woman with a great deal of responsibility, she manages to turn herself into a nervous wreck over Andrew Ryan. There are early moments in the book that made me thing that Reichs was determined to become just another Pat Cornwell clone, and I despaired that the forensic detective genre had gone to romances every one.

But Reichs somehow pulls back from the precipice and gets down to the business of writing a strong and compelling thriller. I found the core mystery one that offered a sufficient number of subtle clues and red herrings to keep the reader guessing, while the plot marches on at great tempo. Reichs will remain on my 'buy in hardcover' list.

Although the Tempe Brennan of Monday Mourning is vaguely reminiscent of the Tempe of Deja Dead, I'm not very fond of this new one. There seems to be a trend in current best-sellers toward stream of consciousness and rather bizarre figures of speech. While Reichs writes an excellent plot, the odd conversational style and emotional unevenness of the characters in this book are distracting. For example, if my obviously distraught best friend visited me in a foreign country and disappeared, I believe I'd call out the Mounties rather than rather casually mentioning that she'd been gone for four days and making sporadic phone calls to see if she'd arrived anywhere expected. If a "love interest" started acting peculiar, I believe most modern women would find a way to find out what was going on, rather than tip-toeing around the situation, which Tempe does for most of the novel. This behavior, from a successful,well-educated professional woman, is simply not credible. What I always enjoyed about the old Tempe was the universality of her emotions and behavior in a very non-mainstream profession. This was not evident in Monday Mourning, and I missed it.

I have been a fan of Kathy Reichs since I read her first book, Deja Dead in 1997. Her stories have gotten better in the intervening years....more depth to her characters, including Tempe, more depth to her stories, great plot lines, and a steady pace that keeps the reader hanging on. I agree with other reviewers that Monday Mourning is her strongest work yet....but all of her books are worth reading.

Tempe is in Montreal to testify in a murder case (what else). While she is there, she is called to investigate three skeletons discovered in the basement of a small pizza parlor. Upon first impressions there is some thought that the bodies are "historical", and this is supported when 19th century evidence is discovered near the remains. However, Tempe isn't convinced. She carbon dates the remains and discovers that they day to the 1980's confirming her fears.

As background we discover that Tempe's love life isn't going well. Her significant other isn't giving her the attention she needs. Further, her male co-workers continue to take her and her contributions to police work lightly.

Suffice it to say that the reader is in store for another wonderful ride through fictional police work. A tight story with great characters, Monday Mourning is sure to make you a Reichs fan if you're not already there.

I have read all of Kathy Reich's books at least 4 times. Dearly love them all except for the last one, Monday Mourning.

It was flat and somewhat boring. Mainly, Tempe's unrelenting churlishness toward her love, Andrew Ryan, is tiresome and annoying. (Shut up, woman!) If I were Andrew Ryan, I would head for the door - fast.

There has also been a very subtle but noticeable trend from book to book lately of how wonderful and important Tempe is. Come on, Kathy, re-read Deja Dead and get a clue. Tempe was incredibly vulnerable but also strong throughout. Now she is just kind of a self-important, boring woman who seems to be going all out to drive a great guy away.

After Bare Bones, Monday Mourning was a disappointment.

Pat Gannon

Forest City, NC

The 7th book in the Tempe Brennan series, and to me it seems a little weaker than the others. "Bare Bones" is probably my favorite...followed closely by Grave Secrets. There are enough differences in her books that they don't seem the same. I love that Reichs chooses ONE aspect of forensic science to focus on in depth in a book so the reader isn't confused by too many technical terms. But she makes sure the science is accurate. If you haven't read the previous six books, Tempe's relationship with Andrew Ryan may seem confusing to you...but for the case and science, you don't need a backstory.

This one felt a little more rushed, and maybe not quite as together as the others. I have to wonder if that's the result of trying to pop out one book a year ~ that they become ordinary and formulaic. I did get to a talk Reichs gave at a signing and she gave us a preview of the next one ~ well, storyline-wise ~ and I'll just say that I sincerely hope this is a little hiccup because the story behind the next one sounds AMAZING!!

Overall this is a good read and one I'm glad to have on my bookshelf.

While not quite as well executed (I thought) as "Grave Secrets," "Monday Mourning" was, nevertheless, an absorbing read; and once the pace picked up, about a third way into the book, an absolutely riveting read.

Initially forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan, thought that the only big thing she would have to do this trip back to Montreal would be to testify at the trial of a murderer. But that was before she got involved with the grizzly finds in the basement of a pizza parlour. The skeletal remains of three young girls have been found, and the questions are: how old are these remains, and how did they end up in the cellar? The detective in charge of the investigation, Luc Claudel, believes that because the building is quite old, that the remains are probably from the early part of the twentieth century, and as such a problem for archaeologists and historians. But Tempe disagrees: instinct (plus a feeling of antipathy for Claudel and his quick rush to judgement, together with the deep belief that proper examinations on the skeletons should be carried out before any quick decisions are made) tells her that the remains are not all that old. And then she receives a mysterious 'phone call from an old woman who claims to know something about the skeletons. Unfortunately, a bad connection prevents Tempe from learning anything concrete from this mysterious caller. Was the call a prank, or did the woman really have valueable information? Frustrated by the lack of police interest, and prodded on by her visiting friend, Anne, Tempe begins to do some investigating of her own and finds herself face to face with evil that she's never quite experienced before...

The story was an interesting and riveting one, and I did feel compelled to finish the book in one sitting. Fortunately the prose style was smooth, if a little spartan (and if I found the lecturer-like tones whenever Tempe or another one of the forensic team was explaining some procedure a little grating, that was just me); so that in spite of the fact that I found the whole subplot involving Tempe's friend, Anne, a bit distracting (ditto the entire subplot involving Andrew Ryan), "Monday Mourning" was still an absorbing read. I did however find that some things were tied up a little too neatly and not very credibly for me anyway -- why the murderer moved one set of remains for example, and why Tempe, not the police, was perceived of as an important threat from the very beginning. But perhaps this last "niggle" has more to do with fact that I'm not all that familiar with the series, and perhaps it is a well known fact that Tempe, not the police, is a force to be reckoned with? Whatever the case, if you're looking for a somewhat swiftly paced and interesting read, than "Monday Mourning" will definitely do. It may not be the best Tempe Brennan book, but it is up that with the better installments in the series.

If you like books about supposedly intelligent women consistently doing stupid things to create tension and excitement, then this is a book for you. Otherwise, give it a miss. While I like the characters in the book very much, it seems the author loses respect for them about halfway through - having them do very stupid, nonsensical things to create tension, excitement. Because I get so annoyed at a woman, supposedly very intelligent, doing something so stupid to put not only herself, but also her friends in danger - the tension becomes artificial, and, quite frankly, a let down. And it happens over and over again. One more thing - I just don't understand how a trained forensic anthropologist who must always work with things that most of us would find upleasant, could have such an impossibly weak stomach. She got nauseous a lot over unpleasant things in this book. Come on. She should be a stronger heroine!

I am a big fan of Kathy Reichs and have read all the Tempe Brennan books as they've come out. I love her attention to forensic detail, and her descriptions of the locales. And what's not to love about Ryan? In this story, however,her standard devices start to get a little worn. How many times do her books have to end with Tempe going where she should not go and the police having to pull her out? One suspects the cops might get a little tired of saving her bacon yet again. Also, how many blows to the head can this woman sustain without some kind of brain damage? Seriously, the ER doctors and the neurologists must have warned her about this by now! She needs to let Ryan up off the mat a little bit; I kept thinking the guy had the patience of a saint throughout this book. I love these characters and the cases they work.... a little more tension deriving from Tempe and Ryan working a case together and being romantically involved but trying not to have anyone else find out would be more interesting than long-lost friends floating in and out. Overall I liked this book a lot, but would hate to see the series slide downhill without some fresher plot turns.

Fabulous. Nail-biting at the end, excellent, spooky, creepy. I guessed the twist at the end, but still absolutely incredible.