DEJA DEAD: A NOVEL CASSETTE : A Novel

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Summary: You've read this book before
Review: Deja Dead tells the story of a forensic anthrolpologist. Set in Montrewal, Temperence Brennan is the only one who notices a connection between several murders. Inevitably, she is drawn in and becomes a target of the killer because she gets too close. Heard this before? The tale is spiced up by seemingly authentic details about forensics.

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Summary: Love the details!
Review: The details and the real life drama of a coroner is what gives this book its life. This was a super book!

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Summary: WOW! A thriller from beginning to end
Review: Well-written, this book covers many areas about forensics about which a "lay" person has no clue. I loved it!!!

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Summary: A good read, but too gruesome.
Review: I have to admit I had trouble putting down this book. This was due in part because I wanted to find out who the killer was and not have such gory details lingering in my subconscious. I like a good mystery especially by a female author, but the descriptions of what had been done to the victims was a bit gratuitous. However, from a scientific point of view it was interesting to find out how autopsies are conducted.

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Summary: Kept me going from cover to cover
Review: The description of the murder scenes were so good they could almost be classified as gory. The intensity at which Temperance Brennan's feelings and thoughts were portrayed kept me coming back to the book from beginning to end.

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Summary: I loved it ...beaucoup!
Review: What amazed me is the way Kathy Reichs plays with french and english throughout her book. She found a unique way to express the two cultures that makes Montreal so unique. Very interesting. The story is excellent and keeps you on the edge every minute. The french vocabulary and the location are accurate which makes it even more enjoyable. I can't wait to read her next novel.

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Summary: Maybe a little toooo much information
Review: Reichs got only 4 instead of 5 stars because she just got a little toooo technical with her medical technology. I found myself skipping over a few pages at a time (which I never do) I enjoyed the characters, the plot, but Cornwell doesn't seem to go on and on for pages with all those technoligical terms. I felt that this book could have better been condensed into about 350 pages instead of 530. I will, however, read her next.

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Summary: Fascinating technical detail, almost lifeless as a novel
Review: The bookjacket has rave reviews from medical examiners' offices and one (generous) from Margaret Maron. The central character, an American female forensic anthropologist working in Montreal, sets up situation and place that are promising. The detail, bones and cutting, and what can be pieced together from them, is fascinating. The novel clearly seems aimed at the Patricia Cornwell market. Unfortunately, the author doesn't seem able to make the transition out of the lab. She has no idea of how to create characters: they remain names without depth or subtlety. The main character, clearly designed to be sophisticated and interesting is neither; she is dull and unrealized. Furthermore, she takes actions that the police probably would not tolerate. The cosmopolitan setting is not used very effectively. At a time when mysteries are getting into great psychological depth of detectives and criminals, this novel just doesn't have it. I was reminded (apart from the lab stuff) of Velda Johnston. What a shame!

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Summary: A Very Entertaining Thriller!
Review: I bought this book because it was a People Magazine's page turner of the week. I thought it was excellent. Kathy Reichs does an exceptional job for a first time author. The story was suspensful, right up to the very end. I can't wait till her next book. I reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent First Novel
Review: I found this book hard to put down. I love reading about forensic anthropology anyway, so this book was really a treat. I enjoyed the character, but hope that Kathy Reichs will feel more comfortable in her next novel (I hope there will be more--I know she had to work very odd hours to write this one with her overwhelming schedule) developing Tempe's personal relationships. The only things that bothered me about the book was that she never developed any background as to why the detective, Claudel, had such an extreme dislike for her. She also went into a little too much detail for me about things not pertinent to the action (like describing routes and buildings). The forensic detail was necessary and fascinating.

Well done, Kathy!