DEJA DEAD: A NOVEL CASSETTE : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A little above mediocre
Review: I felt the similarity between Cornwall's work and Reich's was too close...Reich definitely loses by comparison. The gore that was present was not terribly different from Cornwall's, just a little distasteful with references to dead infants, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Layman's terminology, please.
Review: I had a rough time with this book. The technical terminology slowed the book to a crawl and throwing in French, sometimes without interpretation, was frustrating. I found the writer's use of "as if" and "like" when giving visuals was overdone. It reminds me when someone uses "you know" so often you find yourself counting the number of times the phrase is used. I like to be able to visualize the characters when I read. This book left me with no visuals except the blood and gore. I can't believe it received such accolades from press reviews. The book moved along a little better after page 200 (could someone else have finished the book for her?), but the writer already lost me.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent First Book - Anticipating the next!!
Review: Truly a gripping story with some unusual turns. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. For readers with a weak stomach, some of the graphic descriptions may be a bit strong, but they are certainly realistic! Hardcover includes a rough map of the Montreal area to help get a feel for the locations and their relationships to each other. I enjoyed it, as did a mystery reviewer for our local paper.

Rating:
Summary: too may undeveloped characters and too much gratuitous gore
Review: It's too bad readers will pick up this book and expect somethig special, from all the hype. It's not very well written as far as characters go (too many and not well developed), nor does the author make the most of the setting - she's doesn't get the flavour of Montreal nor does she really describe its diversity. The main character's discomfort with her police colleagues is ambiguous and the plot, ridden with cliches, wanders.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not too good either
Review: Although I read the book over two days I still found it lacking. I too was put off by the gore. There seemed to be no real reason for it until the last few pages and those reasons took too many twists for my liking. Too many suspects, too many cops, too many victims, too many collegues, too many friends and family, all in all WAY too many names. At one point I thought 'Katy? Did I miss something or has this daughter just been sprung on us?' Yep, she was sprung. As Ms. Reich progresses and we become familair with her recurring characters (hopefully we will hear THEIR 'stories' and reallyget to know them) I may find the stories easier to follow. It was good for Temperance that she is bilingual since some of the characters speak not a word of English...however, I speak not a word of French and found myself skipping the italicized sentances. Gotta admit, at one point I was hoping that the bad guy would 'get her' so she'd stop playing Nancy Drew. Tempe needs to be more of a team player.

Rating:
Summary: I'm eager to read her next book
Review: I read this book with a great pleasure. I think that Kathy Reichs is a good writer and for a first novel it's very good. I was also happy to discover her picture in the book and I can say that she is a very beautiful woman. But I think that she could improve some things, for example she should talk more about relationships and emotional feelings. And the end of the story was a bite disapointing when one discover that the killer was unsane because he just had one ball. I think that she could have found something else more convincing.

Rating:
Summary: Bogged down
Review: I have to echo the sentiments of those who found the story too bogged down in technical details. I found myself skipping paragraphs at a time until I got to the part where Tempe Brennan interpreted the information in layman's terms. I thought the character development was shallow; I people prefer fleshed-out characters, I guess, not flat ones who seem to have hardly any pasts and little depth. Finally, what I found as irritating as the excessive technical jargon was all the French. A "oui" here and there would indicate that the character was of French descent (not that I cared); I didn't want the French lesson. Reichs might be proud of her bilingualism, but it was just more text for me to pass over.

Rating:
Summary: thumbs up from a coroner
Review: As a practicing pathologist and county coroner I thoroughly enjoyed Deja Dead. The characters were engaging and the plot more riveting than any Kay Scarpetta book I have read. I would not suggest reading this alone at night though, unless you like a pounding pulse! The accurate medical and forensic details reflect Dr. Reichs depth of knowledge and give the book even more appeal. I can't wait for the next one. I will be eternally grateful to the friend who gave me this book!

Rating:
Summary: Not great but shows promise......
Review: I am one of those that has become disenchanted with the Scarpetta/Cornwell books so I was looking forward to Reichs now carrying the torch for this sub-genre. Well it wasn't a clean exchange, she has room for improvement. I too found big chunks of the story to be very dry and I would like more character development. I will give Ms. Reichs another go as I feel she has the basis for interesting characters and story lines.
Ree-views

Rating:
Summary: what on earth do you expect?
Review: What a lot of carping nonsense regarding this book's similarities to Cornwell and Scarpetta. It's a first for Pete's sake. As a first it left me wanting to read the second, third etc. Let the relationship with Claudel develop. What, who and why is he? Drop the stomache contracting cliche that keeps cropping up. Forget the jeans and their effect on the backside of the head honcho and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE some more please.