Tempe Brennan joins a task force to investigate some biker gangs in Canada after a young girl is killed in the crossfire. Her nephew, Kit, also gets involved when he stays for a visit and professes to a love of motorcycles and gets a little mixed up in the gangs themselves.

The series is really good and has enough science without being too confusing for a layman. ( )

Deadly Decisions doesn't vary much from the pattern established in Reichs' first two Temperance Brennan novels. This one (again) features one of Brennan's friends/family in peril, and (again) teaches us much more about forensics than your average episode of CSI.This time the featured forensic topic was blood spatter. Five pages worth of lecture, which I have to admit that I didn't read. I skimmed until I found the conclusion: "so this means that the victim was beaten before he was shot?" I don't think my enjoyment of the book suffered for my laziness.The villains in Deadly Decisions are OMCs, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs. Apparently there's a biker war in Montreal, and innocent bystanders are getting caught in the crossfire. Brennan volunteers for a multi-agency task force to address the problem, and as a result, she (and her readers) are treated to not one, but two lecture presentations about the history of OMCs in the U.S. and Canada. These presentations are complete with overhead and slide projectors. Like the blood spatter, the storyline would have made just as much sense even without such deep background. I realized the details were a severe distraction when I found myself putting down the book so I could construct an organization chart to keep track of all the parent clubs and puppet clubs.Maybe I'm just overly critical because this isn't my usual genre. Overall, it's a perfectly entertaining read. I just wish the surprises had been more... surprising. ( )

This is the third in the Temperance Brennan series. Good series based in Montreal - good bilingual dialogue and great insight into the workings of the forensic lab.

Back Cover Blurb:
A nine-year-old girl dies on her way to ballet class, caught in outlaw biker crossfire. Violence is spilling on to the streets of Montreal and Dr Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for the state, has to pick up the pieces.
She knows she shouldn't let emotion get in the way of her role as scientist, but when nine-year-old Emily's body is wheeled into the morgue she cannot help but react. Tempe's nephew, Kit, is mesmerized by motorcycles. Does he understand the dangers posed by the outlaw gangs?
An exhumation uncovers the bones of another innocent, hidden in a clandestine grave close to a biker headquarters. With her boss in the hospital and her sparring partner Andrew Ryan disturbingly unavailable, Tempe begins a perilous investigation into a lawless underworld of organised crime. ( )

I like the twist on Ryan in this one, even though I know how it works out  A bit bizarre to be reading about OMC warfare given the current situation in Sydney but there you have it. I’d prefer there to be a little less IMMEDIATE danger to the people that Brennan loves in here, but I guess that’s a good way to build urgency. Taking that with a grain of salt, everything else is super. ( )

This series continues to appeal to me. The explanations are never too heavy handed, and Brennen is always in the wrong place at the right time and it makes her a bit more real even in the unlikeliness of it all. I think the best part though, is I feel like the author's pacing and general story development meshes insanely well with my reading style. I can almost feel every twist as it comes and it makes the whole read far more entertaining. ( )

Another page turner in the Temperence Brennan series. Slightly more gore than in the last one, so not for the faint hearted. ( )

An excellent, excellent book. I hope this writer keeps going with Temperence Brennan and Andrew Ryan. This book takes you into the world of bikers and their wars, revenges and deaths. Temperence and her visiting nephew Kit are drawn into deadly danger while Ryan has disappeared from the scene on suspicion of being 'dirty'. And why is the reporter Lyle Crease involved? All becomes clear as the story pace increases to its climax. The aftermath of a bloodbath at a bikers funeral leaves Kit in hospital and Brennan lucky not to be with him. Monsieur Claudel once again has to acknowledge Ms Brennans contribution to the case and requests their continuing team work. This is unputdownable and superb reading. ( )

An absolutely absorbing book. I bought it when it was published, and tried to read it. I was far too young to really understand it, so gave up. Earlier this year i took it to Malawi and read it at least five times. I've tried to read Rankins (my dad is a BIG fan), and Reichs, i am finding, is just as gory. But i prefer her how-is-it-done to "who-dun-it"s.

I am now a fan of Reichs.

http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/20... ( )

first and last of reichs books that i've read. it was written well but the so called heroine was an dumb noodle! i wanted to kick her into reallity! i got so angry i swore to myself i will never read another book of hers. and so far i haven't but am willing to give her another try, i love forensics and crime mystyeries. i am open for suggestions. ( )

Dr. Temperance Brennan is called back to Quebec from FBI headquarters after a biker war starts and two foot soldiers have blown themselves up. When the body of a nine-year-old girl is wheeled into the morgue--slain in biker crossfire--Tempe vows to lend her skills to fight this evil, and enters the dark underworld of the bikers.

The story drags a little because Reichs records every minute detail of Tempe's day to day life, but it's an interesting story, especially the parts about the forensics. ( )

Listened to the CD version. Good story, as always for Kathy Reichs, with characters both new and interesting, and gripping details of forensic anthropology - but I fell asleep for about 20 minutes and didn't seem to have missed anything when I woke up. ( )

Deadly Decisions - Kathy Reichs (7/10)
Another good, solid entry in Reichs' series, atlhough bikers aren't my totally favourite subject. ( )

Good enough for a Saturday afternoon read... ( )

Library 8/29/07

9 years-old Emilie-Anne Toussaint is Fatally shot on a Montreal Street. A north Carolina teenager disappears from her home, and parts of her skeleton are found hundreds of miles away. The shocking deaths propel forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan from north to south, and deep into a shattering investigation inside the bizarre culture of Outlaw motorcycle gangs - where one misstep could bring disaster for herself or someone she loves. ( )

I like the show better. But the series is ok, I cannot put my finger on what I do not like. ( )

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4... ( )

Setting: Montreal, Quebec and Charlotte, North Carolina

Protagonists:
Temperance "Tempe" Brennan - forensic anthropologist who splits her time between Montreal and Charlotte
Pierre LaManche, Tempe's boss in Quebec, the only one who calls her Temperance
Luc Claudel, brusque Sergeant-Detective in Quebec, who makes Tempe "furious"
Martin Quickwater, Quebec Constable who investigates outlaw motorcycle gangs
Kate Brophy, State Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh, old college friend of Tempe and fellow investigator
Andrew Ryan - Canadian Police Detective to whom Tempe is attracted ("he looked like a cross between Cal Ripkin and Indiana Jones"), accused of being a "dirty" cop
Kit, Tempe's 19-yr-old nephew from Texas who comes to visit, whose interest in bikers was only surpassed by "his ardor for bikes."
Lyle Crease, suspicious investigative reporter who befriends Kit
The Vipers - Outlaw Motorcycle Gang in Quebec whose party clubhouse grounds turn out to be a graveyard

First Line:
"Her name was Emily Anne."

Main Theme: Going to a biker party can be a "deadly decision."

Subtheme: Kit's passion for bikes gets him involved with the bad guys. As if Tempe didn't have enough to worry about...

Main Action: Rival biker gangs (Vipers, Predators and Angels, inter alia) are killing each other over control of the drug trade, and innocent people get caught in the cross-fire. A body in Quebec turns out to be a missing person from Charlotte. Talk about your coincidences!

(JAF)

Synopsis from Amazon:
"Violence is escalating, and spilling onto the streets of Montreal. A nine-year-old girl is killed in crossfire on her way to ballet class. The body of a teenager killed in North Carolina is found hundreds of miles away. Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan has to pick up the pieces: she knows she shouldn't let emotion get in the way, but when nine-year-old Emily's body is wheeled into the morgue she cannot help but react. An exhumation uncovers the bones of another innocent in a clandestine grave close to a biker gang headquarters. With her boss in hospital and sparring partner, Detective Andrew Ryan mysteriously unavailable, Tempe alone begins a perilous investigation into the lawless underworld of organised crime..."

The hero, Tempe Brennan, is a forensic anthropologist. Hence lots of bones and murders that involve all sorts of decomposed, decapitated and otherwise incomplete bodies. Well written, I liked Tempe a lot and there is just the right amount of humour in it.
I might actually have read this particular one in German, the cover art looks very unfamiliar. But I can't remember. ( )

typical of the series, very readable but you want to thunk Tempe over the head - missing obvious clues and throwing herself blithely into danger. I will keep reading this series.

Didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two.

I quickly lost interest in the 'biker' theme and towards the end of the book I had lost track of the nicknames of the various biker groups and who was supposed to be shooting who.

Ryan was missing for all but a tiny mention in the book, and I found that very disappointing.

I hope the next one in the series has Kathy Reichs returning to her old form. ( )

Really good once you get into it, it was a little predictable however. ( )