03/02/2006 9:49 PM
Posted by VeggieSteph

Dèjá Dead by Kathy Reichs

I picked up Dèjá Dead on a whim because I really love the new TV series, Bones. Kathy Reichs writes the books Bones is based on, and Dèjá Dead is the first in the Temperance Brennan series. I liked Dèjá Dead well enough to continue reading the series, however, I must admit, I do like the TV series more than this book.





In Dèjá Dead, Dr. Temperance Brennan is working as a forensic anthropologist for the Laboratoire de Medecine Legale in Montreal. She ends up working on a possible serial killer case, once she sees a possible connection between a dismembered body she just helped recover and another one with similar tool marks and circumstances. The cops don’t really want her involved, and her personal life is becoming a real mess as well. Her best friend is almost on the run, trying to stay away from a crazed stalker. Her daughter is thinking about leaving college to follow her boyfriend to Europe. Then, on top of all of that, the killer targets her. She races to find out who he is before he gets to her, her friend, or her daughter. The whole time she’s fighting against the cops who don’t want her involved and don’t really want to listen to what she has to say.

Kathy Reichs uses her real life experiences as a forensic anthropologist to write these books. The book feels a bit more real in the technicalities because of this. However, the characters are a little dry and the plot is missing a little cushion. You can tell it’s her first book, and you can tell there is real potential for the future books in the series. I have the next two already, but I think I will wait to buy more until I finish those. I want to make sure her writing improves before I invest more time and money into the series.

If you like mysteries like the Kay Scarpetta series (which these were compared), you will probably like this book. If you are looking for the dry wit and quirkiness of the TV series Bones, you won’t find it here in this book. I’m willing to keep reading and give the next ones a chance, but so far, I’m not terribly attached to them. We’ll see how it goes.