Déjà Dead

I've read and enjoyed a few random books in this series over the years, so I finally decided to head back to the beginning. This book was a decent opening, but I would have liked it a lot more if there had been a lot less of the "intelligent, competent woman making blindingly moronic decisions to go it alone against a killer" pattern. Gee, why NOT head out to explore a remote, unpopulated and unfamiliar area late at night, during a massive thunderstorm, no less, with a measly flashlight? D'oh! Sorry, but you deserved to get bashed on the head for that, Tempe; I felt like clocking you myself for the stupidity the author afflicted you with there! Loved the Montreal setting, the forensics, and almost everything about the main character, show more aside from this one dubious trait, though she was also a little too "superwoman-strong" emotionally throughout a seriously hair-raising time. Get real and cry, damn it, cry already! LOL show less

"i was killed by curiosity like a finely tuned cat."

that was not, actually, one of the many similes this book is drowning in, but it may as well have been. some real examples:

"In my mind’s eye I could see her standing at a pay phone, scanning her surroundings, her eyes never resting, broadcasting fear like Radio Free Europe."

or

"She was thin as soup in a homeless shelter"

or

"For the third time in as many days I saw daybreak, an event I embrace as eagerly as Joe Montana welcomes an all-out blitz."

i don't even know what that means.

not to mention such general sparklers as:

"I had enough pharmaceuticals in me to numb the Iraqi army ..."

the iraqi army is an odd choice for a book published in 1998, though i guess it takes place in 1994. still, show more odd choice for a book that takes place in 1994. unless there was some iraqi army drug scandal i'm forgetting all about. or was the iraqi army the lasting symbol of "a big group of people who it would take a lot of drugs to numb" back in 1994?

it may be that i only read this book because i've been feeling really negative about almost everything i've read recently, and my reviews have fallen on a spectrum from cranky to brutal, which may or may not be fair. might as well read something that i know i would hate, right? the sad truth is that when i was bored last winter i watched some of the t.v. show bones, which is based on these books. smart science lady who is smart and says smart science-y stuff and figures out stuff in a smart way? (i am also smart, as is evidenced by the previous sentence.) sign me up!

but the "same" character in this book says things like:

"I watched him walk away, admiring once again the way he filled his 501’s."

and constantly comments on how she can't quite figure something out, there's something she's missing, there's a piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit. all the while, i'm screaming at the book, "i can tell you what you're missing! it's fucking obvious!"

also, this book would be half the size if any of these near-interchangeable characters actually told each other anything. they're supposed to be running an investigation. together.

or maybe a decent editor would have sufficed.

the final reality is that i just didn't care about anyone in this book. well, that's not true. i really liked the lead character's cat. so maybe i finished the book to find out what happened to the cat. nothing bad happens to the cat. or maybe i finished it so i could exorcise my book crankiness and take it all out on kathy reichs.

we'll see. watch out, [b:Woman in the Dunes|9998|The Woman in the Dunes|Kōbō Abe|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361254930s/9998.jpg|58336] show less

I picked up this book in the airport. I wanted a crime thriller, and this seemed to fit the bill. I had assumed that it would be similar to the Bones TV show, and it took me a while to get into it when I realized it was nothing like Bones at all! The only thing the two have in common is the name of the main character, Temperance Brennan. But that's really where the similarities end. Once I came to terms with that, I found myself quickly sucked in to the novel, and I ended up enjoying it a great deal. The characters were vivid and well realized, and I enjoyed the setting (Montreal) more than I expected to. As a Canadian who's frequently visited Montreal, it was nice to see that Reichs has done her homework. The criminal anthropology work show more also came across as completely authentic, no doubt because Reichs is a forensic anthropologist herself. I was also pleasantly surprised by the smooth, engaging writing - not often present in a debut novel. I did have a few minor issues with the story (namely the fact that Tempe keeps making really dumb decisions and putting her life in danger in the process), but I was able to overlook those, suspend my disbelief, and thoroughly enjoy the story. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series! show less

Ok, so I like the Bones tv series, but haven't watched it in ages. I thought this would be a good way to get a different POV on that character -- my bad, this book series is not the same as the tv show at all. Despite the same character name, these books are about Fictional Temperance Brennan. The tv show is based on fictional Kathy Reichs. Fascinating, but not what I was expecting to read at all, so I'm not sure how much my reaction to the book was colored by disappointment that it wasn't what I was expecting to read.

This is a perfectly solid thriller-y sort of mystery, with a refreshingly 40-something protagonist, really interesting forensic science, and a great setting in Quebec. The plot and pacing worked well, the story is a good show more one. The reason that it has a low star rating from me is because I found the main character to be infuriating to read. At one point she goes on and on about how one of her colleagues is a misogynist who won't listen to her -- something that frustrates her a lot. She's offended that he thinks she's a loose cannon who doesn't listen to anyone and is always going her own way, even when it's bad for the investigation and for the department and for her own safety. -- all that would be fine, but then she turns around and does absolutely everything he says -- she's a loose cannon who doesn't listen to anyone and is always going her own way, even when it's bad for the investigation and for the department and for her own safety -- consistently, pigheadedly, and stupidly. It was beyond irritating, and I'm definitely not going to continue reading this series. I read for character, this character isn't for me. show less

I have long been a fan of the TV show Bones. When I found out the series was based on books, I dove right in, looking forward to getting my fix while waiting for the newest episodes to be available on Hulu.

I was rather surprised to see how much different the book was from the television show. I was absolutely floored, honestly, as there were so many drastic differences from what I was expecting. I always do this to myself. If I watch something, I have to read the book. If I read and enjoy the book, I have to watch whatever was based off of it or vise versa. I really should stop that. The two can never coincide close enough.

But overall, I really enjoyed the book. While I was disappointed in some of the differences, those differences show more also kept me interested because it was hard to know what would be coming next.

From start to finish this is a heart pounding, action packed novel that will keep you guessing and keep you on your toes. If you love a good murder mystery, you definitely want to pick this one up and give it a read. show less

Warning: The Temperence Brennan portrayed in this novel bears extremely little resemblance to the popular television character of the same name. They are both female forensic anthropologists and that is where the similarities end. This "Tempe" is much older, lives and works in Canada, is a mother, a recovering alcoholic and perhaps most strikingly much better at interacting with people and much more informed about popular culture. Also, she's more foolhardy, putting herself in dangerous situations several times in this book that I feel TV Brennan would not be apt to do (however, that does serve to make her a more realistic character than her sensational television counterpart.) Unfortunately, none of the supporting characters who bring show more so much wit, color, and dynamism to the television series are at all present in the book. As disappointed as I was that these books are not merely a collection of the extended adventures of the familiar and well-loved TV characters, I still managed to enjoy the book. This Temperence is still engaging and informative. I look forward to her developing relationship with Detective Ryan, and her alcoholism and her struggle to continue sobriety interest me as well.
I was a little confused, even well into the middle of the book, about who some of the supporting characters were, but it may be just that all the French names threw me for a bit. Also, the French phrases that pepper the text are rarely explained or revealed by context. I found myself consulting my iPhone's translation app frequently in order to fully understand the text. My husband, who studied French in High School was much less bothered by this.
Author Kathy Reichs is extremely intelligent. She is conversant in many scientific disciplines, sometimes inspiring surprising and totally non-cliche similes like "interconnecting bits of information drawn to each other like neuropeptides to receptor sites." A lesser author might have used the more common "moth to a flame" but it wouldn't have had nearly the same effect. Also, we are treated to some in-depth explanations of Brennan's processes for identification of bone characteristics and the tests she runs. On the television show, Bones glances at a skeleton and pronounces its gender, race and approximate age almost immediately, which I have always found a little sensational. It's quite interesting to be treated to a thorough explanation of things we are used to seeing take mere seconds on shows such as Bones, as well as CSI, NCIS, etc. In addition, one of the most frustrating thing about television, and even a lot of crime novels is that it takes the characters a matter of days to solve a complex serial murder. That doesn't happen in real life and it didn't happen in this book. This case dragged on for months while the police and Temperence worked on other things. We weren't told much about those other things and didn't need to be. The action picked up a few weeks later, but it was nice that the appropriate amount of time had passed for tests to be run, clues to be found and analyzed and suspects to be surveilled. These are quality crime novels with accurate scientific methods and descriptions, believable pacing, and three dimensional characters, both hero and villain. I recommend Deja Dead for fans of the genre, but would caution fans of Bones. show less

Such a good book. This leaves Bones the tv show in the dust and its really as it should be. In the show Bones is flat and not fully human for a long time, theres a lot that just doesn't effect her and shes not really allowed to show her human side unless its Booth or her scooby gang showing her how. Don't get me wrong I've loved the show and grew up with it but this is so much better, I'll definitely be continuing the series.

That being said, its graphic and detailed and thats goddamn horrifying, as death, murder, and serial killers are. Its not edited for the 7o'clock tv show slot and in family friendlyish ratings. This was a fun book and felt like there was more there than just five hours of material. It didn't pull punches and show more neither should it. show less