Rating: 
Summary: An excellent page turner
Review: This was the second Kathy Reich's novel I've read - the first was Fatal Voyage. Although I've read these out of sequence that doesn't seem to be an issue so feel free to start whereever you like!Fatal Voyage was set purely in the Carolinas; this one is divided fairly evenly between Tempe's alta-egos - the Southern Belle and the French Canadienne ;) and is more involving for the change of scenery. Tempe starts with the exhumation of a 19th century nun, though her tale doesn't mingle much with the rest of the story. We quickly discover that not is all that it seems with the discovery and, my one major gripe, is that we're not told what it is that Tempe has found. For me mystery novels are better when we are given the information as the hero / heroine discovers it. In this case it would have added to the mystery if we had known what, exactly, was so puzzling. Anyway, Tempe quickly gets drawn into the main story - the hunt for the brutal killers of a family in Canada. Bodies are dropping everywhere and, at first, there's no indication that they are connected. Are they? Tempe seems to think so and the hunt around Quebec and the Carolinas heats up. Of course, Tempe cannot hunt this quarry without herself becoming a target herself. But is her sister a target this time too? As before, Kathy Reichs skillfully weaves these various events into one compelling story that keeps the pages turning and the mind ticking. Great!
Rating:
Summary: Predictable, but extremely readable.
Review: Kathy Reichs, Death du Jour (Arrow, 1999) Death du Jour is the first book I've read in 2003 that made me want to not put it down until I had turned the final page. It's well over twice as long as most of the novels I've read over the course of this year, and yet it took me less time than many of them to get through. It does have its problems, but readability is certainly not one of them. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who divides her time between North Carolina and Quebec, is in the latter province as the story opens, sifting through the supposed grave of a nun who is being proposed for beatification. Things don't go as planned. Not long after she gets home, she's called to the scene of a devastating house fire to check out a few more bodies. Things don't go as planned. She gets caught up in the twin mysteries of the nun and the house fire, and off we go. The best thing about the book is its compelling readability. Reichs makes her work unputdownable through throwing clues, monkeywrenches, and events at the reader nonstop from the first chapter till the last. There's never a let-up, no pause for breathing. And this in a novel that tops four hundred pages; it's like making an Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick that runs six hours. Few people are going to try, fewer still will succeed. Reichs manages it well here. The bad thing about the book, and yes, there is one, is its predictability. There are many points in the book where something happens and it's obvious to the reader how the event connects into the whole puzzle, even while it escapes the police, the main character, and everyone else in the novel. When it comes right down to it, the mystery isn't really much of a mystery; it's more a police procedural than anything else. Or it would be if it weren't trying so hard to be a mystery. Still, that's not a reason to dismiss a book that hooks a reader this quickly and this decisively. Death du Jour is the perfect way to kill a weekend, a fast-paced, easy read that will make the hours fly by as you wander through the world of Tempe Brennan. ****
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This is the first Kathy Reichs book that I read and I was not impressed. The story locations and plots kept changing constantly and there were many drawn out and boring areas to this book. Tempe Brennan though not an unlikable character does not provide a strong enough lead. I would probably attempt another Kathy Reichs novel but not one with Tempe Brennan.
Rating: 
Summary: TEMPE TANTRUM
Review: First off, I've never had the pleasure to read any of Patricia Cornwell's books, so I don't have to compare Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan to Kay Scarpetti. I found both "Death DuJour" and its predecessor, "Deja Dead," quite good. I like the second one a little better, as I feel Reichs has found her "voice" in Tempe's character.
This book is a real whirlwind of complex plotlines, and there are times when Tempe is in Carolina that you wonder how in the world will these storylines converge? I think Ms. Reichs does a fine job in showing the relationship to all the different things going on. The mystery behind Sister Elizabeth is given a big clue in one of Tempe's dreams and although it certainly isn't the focal point of the book, it's inclusion demonstrates the vast amount of research Ms. Reichs' imbues in her works.
Tempe's relationship with Andrew Ryan is an interesting one, kind of like two alley cats in heat, but I hope their "courtship" evolves; I think he's good for her.
I agree with a previous reader that the addition of Harry, Tempe's wacko sister, is unnecessary; she reminds me of Marla in the Goldie (Diane Mott Davidson) series. Superflous, and not really essential. I think Harry's inclusion was to give Tempe a more personal interest in the cult aspect.
I was totally surprised by whom the culprit was in this one, and even though in some ways, it's a little bit of a let down (there's one other person I feel had more motive), but hey, she's the writer.
All in all, a book well written with some incredibly suspenseful scenes, a great knowledge of not only forensics, but cults, and religious propaganda.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Can't wait to make some "Deadly Decisions."
Rating:
Summary: I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN !
Review: I started this series with the first book, "Deja Dead", and was pleasantly surprised to find the second in the series even more difficult to put down. I find Ms. Reich's complex plots with all their twists and turns undaunting, and in fact, much more enjoyable than some of the other writers in this genre that seem to apply a cookie cutter approach to their prose. I especially like that Tempe is well rounded and that as readers, we have a better understanding of this character because of the writer's penchant for detail. Whether it be as an anthropologist, or as a woman, this character is fully drawn and very compelling. Because of this, I can forgive some of the author's unrealistic circumstances into which Tempe often falls prey. The growing relationship between her and Rayan is well developed. I doubt, however, that there is any sort of smooth ride ahead for these two. I'm about to start #3, and I can't wait!
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating plot in search of a capable writer...
Review: To the avid reader, there are few things more disappointing than a good tale poorly told. Regrettably, this is precisely what we have in _Death du Jour_: a potentially gripping plot replete with clumsy writing and more distractions than direction. Reichs has borrowed so heavily from the Patricia Cornwell formula that it is tempting to say that the two authors are indistinguishable. However, that would be to sell both authors a bit short. While it is true Reichs' character, Temperance Brennan, is indistinguishable from Cornwell's Scarpetta in all material aspects, Reichs' prose contains none of the easy, flowing grace that propels readers to the climax of a Cornwell story. This is really a shame, for Reichs has an immense talent (superior to that of Cornwell, by the way) for conceiving of a tale worth telling. The tale told here initially takes the reader down a path that reads like that of the rather dry journal of a forensic anthropologist unearthing the bones of a long-dead religious figure. This introduction, interesting only for its subject matter, reveals the art and science behind forensic recovery efforts. While this is interesting, it is hardly enough to sustain the interest of even the marginally demanding mystery reader. Thankfully, this (as it turns out, irrelevant) introductory jaunt is ended rather quickly as the real plot gets underway. With the help of Andrew Ryan, a similarly dogged and clever Canadian detective, Brennan works the Canadian crime scene of a deadly house fire that leads to a charge of arson and a need to follow clues leading back to a strange commune in the Carolinas. Brennan's seemingly odd dual citizenship becomes instrumental in the unraveling of an intricate mystery involving numerous disappearances and murders. For in the travels between the Laboratoire de Médicine Légale in Montreal and her home in the Carolinas, Temperance Brennan begins to piece together the clues surrounding the disappearance of several University students and a possible connection with a mysterious cult. Along the way, the duo uncovers colorful characters and interesting plot twists, but the mediocre writing is simply too much of a consistent and genuine distraction in the telling of this otherwise captivating tale. As the story concludes, we learn of all the details behind the murders, as if motivation and critical particulars were an afterthought for the author. This anticlimactic recitation of crucial facts is indicative of the stylistic and structural problems throughout the book. In the end, Reichs simply demands too much of a leap of faith from her readers. There is far too little pay-out for the investment that readers make in taking this ride with her at the helm. It's an investment I'm not likely to make again with this author, and that's a real shame because she does spin a good yarn.
Rating:
Summary: Dull
Review: This is my second book by Kathleen Reichs after Deadly Decisions. I could not enjoy any of them because the author cannot focus on a single subject. It is difficult to establish what she intends to do when she writes, first Temperance unearths a nun corpse while paying a service to a church, then she suddenly switches and is summoned to investigate the bodies of an old lady and two babies found murdered in a house located in a frosted area of northern Canada, then she flies down to an island full of wild animals in North Carolina and another dead body appears, finally she brushes with a cult. Reichs opens many roads she does not travel at all, and the main idea seems to make a contrived connection between the bodies found in Canada and North Carolina, besides no interesting characters appear On the other hand, 'Death du Jour' features a neat prose and very interesting is the way Temperance Brennan through the author forensic experience proceeds to survey the corpses in order to establish their gender and age based on findings in the shapes and scars of the bones, these sections of the book will delight science fans, but that is all that is worth of merit
Rating:
Summary: No deja vu here
Review: Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is back in Kathy Reichs's second novel. While working on a special project in Montreal, Dr. Brennan is asked for her help at an arson investigation to try to identify the remains of the deceased. Tempe will see a gruesome scene that is only going to get worse. She will be facing an apocalyptic cult that might have a hold on her sister, Harry. There is not much to say for this novel. The author relies heavily on coincidences as well as plot conveniences to tell the story. Every single body that this doctor investigates in the book will be related to the Montreal arson investigation. The author makes sure that Tempe meets all the principals in the case so that she can solve the crime. If one wanted something this simplified, they would just watch MURDER, SHE WROTE. This book was disappointing after a strong start with DEJA DEAD.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly chilling thriller
Review: Deja Dead, i dont think, was quite the thriller everyone made it out to be. It was good, yeah, probably meriting about four stars, but it was not THAT good. It wasn't as good as debut as Boston Teran's, Minette Walters', Patricia Cornwell's. However, with this second novel, she really packs a punch. The chill of the canadian weather really pervades the story, working its way into the writing and feeling of the story. It is brilliantly evoked, and works well with the nature of the book itself. Being a huge Cornwell fan, i have to say that i do believe Tempe to be better company. She is less driven (some would not take this as a plus) she is more well rounded, and she is a bit more interesting. Her relationship with Ryan develops well and interestingly. The plot is a cracker. Which is something Reichs is excellent at. All of her books from here on in have absolutely fantastic plots. Deadly Decisions has a great plot, but is still a weak book, but Fatal Voyage has an absolute stunner of a plot. Grave Secrets, her next, looks to have one as well. While this plot is not quite as good as that of Fatal Voyage, it nearly is. It is intriguing, exciting, haunting, complex. If anything, too complex. (That is the thing Deadly Decisions suffered from.) The conclusion is great. A cast of great characters, some great writing, a great atmopshere, great forensic detail, and a brilliant plot make this book well worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: Great forensic anthropology, too much coincidence
Review: Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is finally doing something she loves--helping determine the evidence for a prospective saint buried near Quebec. Despite the cold, she loves what she'd doing. Soon, however, far more recent death enters her world. For a time it seems that every place she turns, whether in Quebec, or home in North Carolina, she turns up another corpse--another murder. When the evidence begins to point to a link between the deaths and a strange cult that just might have caught her sister in its grip, Tempe feels helpless to do anything to prevent a new death wave that could make the current death of the day seem small. Author Kathy Reichs is completely convincing in her descriptions of forensic anthropology. The segments of DEATH DU JOUR dealing with the recovery of the prospective Saint, including both the science and Reichs' descriptions of the bitter cold of Quebec in winter ring painfully true. She adds page-turning suspense and the risks of both emotional and physical danger to Tempe to make the novel even more compelling. The amount of coincidence involved in the story, put me off to some extent. While a cult might well have branches in multiple cities, the odds that one forensic anthropologist would accidentally get involved in the activities of this cult in three separate areas stretches the reader's credibility. Fortunately, Reich moves DEATH DU JOUR along at a fast enough pace that you aren't given enough time to consider the improbability of some of Reich's plot elements.
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