Rating: 
Summary: Coincidences
Review: I read the novel when living in North Carolina. Being a scientist from Montreal, I found the coincidence amusing... and that may be what kept me reading. I liked the plot, until the cliche "killer wants the cop" part, and the too many coincidences and strokes of good luck. Some, not to say most, of the characters are also rather thin and quite unidimensional. And I failed to feel any type of liking or association with Dr. Brennan, to the point where I could not care less if she did not survive the novel! I was also very disappointed by her portrayal of Montreal, which is dull, and quite off in my opinion, and by her less than accurate use of French; although since I am struggling daily with English myself I know how difficult it is to use another language. I still liked most of the book, its technical descriptions that were in part a bit gory but not unbearable (it's about a medical examiner after all), and the broad storyline. Despite what I wrote above, I could not really put the book down after I started. So I guess that all in all, it's a good one!
Rating: 
Summary: This book should be called Deja Plot
Review: Reichs is advertised as the next Patricia Cornwell. If only it were true. The title should be changed to Deja Plot. Stubborn shortsighted police cause heroine to act irresponsibly to solve crime. Yawn. It is not only completely predictible, but about two hundred pages too long, absolutely everything being described to death. It takes two pages just to walk down the street. Who cares if she buys steaks and chops at the grocery store, especially since she only eats frozen dinners or goes out. And the descriptions of lab processes go on page after endless page while nothing whatsoever happens. Most everyone is described within an inch of their life, often like an animal making you think it's science fiction, yet she doesn't describe the main character. Other mistakes include someone handing the heroine a handkerchief to stanch a wound, then pulling out his handkerchief to wipe his face. And she eats dinner at home then goes out to eat. I liked Cornwell's earlier books but this doesn't begin to compare.
Rating:
Summary: A good weekend read
Review: This is the first of Reichs books that I have read and I have enjoyed the book. I see other reviewers have compared her to Patricia Cornwall which I think is very accurate.Both the characters and the style of writing are very similar. I found Reichs descriptions of the autopsy work quite disturbing - no doubt about the accuracy there but not for the faint hearted. I got to like Brennan (inspite of her sometimes silly moves of solitary investigation) but her best friend left me wanting to scream - who in their right mind would put up with that type of abuse from a friend? This book is by no means an epic but I think Reichs is a good new author in the field of serial murders - well worth the time spent on a lazy weekend.
Rating: 
Summary: I'll have some whine with that cheese
Review: When this supposed Medical Examiner looks at the corpse of a young woman and think's "dead hair day" that's when I knew I was going to have a problem with the author. Apparently she think's this is funny...it's not. Then the entire book is about this Medical Examiner who does nothing but whine. Have fun trying to read this thing. It's really awful.
Rating: 
Summary: Forensic junkies rejoice!
Review: 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!
Rating: 
Summary: très fantastique!
Review: This is one of the most gripping, wonderful mysteries I have ever read. Even though it was a little confusing at times (I got Claudel and Charbonneau mixed up), the story was fabolous. It's a wonderful look at the province of Québec and her people. The book is also amazing in details, especially in the forensic anthrolpolgy area, and in serial murder. There are surprising twists all throughout the book, but especially in the end. Won't say anything else. It's a wonderful book and I can't wait to read Death Du Jour.
Rating:
Summary: Deja Dead by Kathy Reich
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, so-so writing
Review: I don't know whether to love or hate this book. The story was intriguing and there were actually a few times where I found myself trying to flip the pages faster than I could read because I wanted so badly to see what was about to happen. Reichs shows promise (and her 2nd novel delivers), but in this book, the writing is often choppy and occasionally clumsy. Also, Tempe's eccentric best friend was just annoying. Reichs didn't do enough to establish why I should care about her and all of her emotional baggage. Kathy Reichs is inevitably going to be compared to Patricia Cornwell. Both write in the first person about self-absorbed middle-aged divorced females with annoying sisters (Tempe's shows up in the 2nd - and better - book) that do autopsies, work out, and investigate murders. The difference is that Reichs lives what she writes about; her science has a degree of reality that exceeds Cornwell's. This can be good and bad since there are times when it's a bit much and over my head. For sheer story-telling ability, however, Cornwell beats Reichs hands-down (even considering the above-mentioned bursts of brilliance). Even when I can't stand one of Cornwell's characters for his/her stupidity in a situation, I still find myself concerned for his/her safety. With the exception of Tempe, that's not really the case with Reichs in this book. As I mentioned before, some of this changes with the next book (_Death du Jour_). So, do I recommend _Deja Dead_? Yes . . . and no. Like I said, I can't make up my mind.
Rating:
Summary: How can you get past the bad writing?
Review: I understand that many readers loved this novel and were caught up in the intrigue of the story; however, I couldn't get past the bad writing and character development (or non-development). For example, Claudel is supposed to be such an impossible person to work with, some kind of monster, yet if you re-read the first chapter, he virtually says or does nothing to confirm this. I was perplexed. Everything is over-described with visual references, as if Reichs is painting rather than writing. And yes, it's very much a copycat of Cornwell's successful character. Aside from that, I also understand that practice makes perfect. In the interest of all the rave reviews, I will now attempt Reich's second novel.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Superior to Cornwell
Review: Deja Dead is excellently written and well-paced. I didn't want it to end. Kathy Reichs is a better writer than Patricia Cornwell, who seems to use the same, tired autopsy descriptions in every book and who insists on putting Scarpetta's uninteresting niece Lucy in every plot. The only thing I didn't like, and which I particularly dislike about Cornwell's novels, is the insistence on putting the main character in harm's way. I believe an author can write a good, compelling mystery without having the lead character become a target of the killer. All in all, Deja Dead is superb and can't wait for the next Kathy Reichs book!
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