Death Du Jour - Kathy Reichs

Temperance Brennan is called to a fire, where several people died. Not all of them though died in the fire, and the fire was definitely not an accident. On the other hand, Tempe has to find out the truth about a nun who lived at the time of the smallpox epidemic in Montreal.

This is Kathy Reichs: second novel featuring Temperance Brennan, and I liked this one much more than the first one. Having read this second novel, I think of the first one more of someone trying to find their pace, their style, their character in writing. And with the second one, Kathy Reichs becomes more confident in her writing. She seems to have found her pace, and her writing character.

Reichs sets a different pace with this book.And we are also interrupted by Tempe's search for the truth about Elisabeth Nicolet. Are the interruptions just for the sake of pacing the action or do they work in context? I think they work in context. We do find out more about Tempe's work, that it is not just murders, and crimes, but that it can be also for historical purposes. I did find myself in some pages of the book wanting to learn about Nicolet and who she was. The story of Elisabeth Nicolet is interesting on her own, we are shown glimpses of the past, of the society, of how people perceived certain things in that time period.

I liked the theme of the first novel, but really loved the theme of this second novel. The main theme is cults and how these can affect someone's life, how some charismatic people who think they are the new messiahs, lure desperate people into their delusion or scam. Sometimes these cult leaders are scammers, sometimes they are just delusional.

Kathy Reichs manages to show how dangerous cults are, how tehir leaders try and manipulate other people to do their bidding, even to the point of telling them who they can and cannot love. She has done her homework, extensive research into cults, before writing this novel. And this is one of the things that I love abouther books: no junk science, as far as I can tell.


And of course, I will read the next novel in the series. It already sits on my next to read book pile, ready to be opened and enjoyed.

Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs

This is the first book of the Temperance Brennan series, written by Kathy Reichs. Kathy Reichs, the writer, is a forensic anthropologist, just like the protagonist of her books; this also gives us, the readers, the opportunity to learn about forensic science, and how it is actually applied to solving crimes. I like it a lot when science is accurately portrayed in books, especially in novels like this one, that are very popular.

This is the book series, that the show Bones has been based on. But, careful, because the series and the books have very little in common. Even Temperance Brennan is a very different character in the two media; the only common denominators are the name and the occupation.
I really didn't mind it at all, and enjoyed the book.

In this first book of the series, Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for the province of Quebec, is called to examine a badly decomposed body found in the grounds of an abandoned monastery. Is this just another murder, or is there more to it than meets the eye? Tempe thinks that there is a serial killer on the loose, and must convince Detective Claudel, who heads the investigations. When she finally manages to convince him, the body count has risen, and Temperance may be in grave danger.

I liked this first contact with Brennan's world. I liked the character of Brennan herself, who is both human and professional at the same time, and is not afraid to show either of these to the reader. All the characters are well portrayed, they have their own distinct personalities, and each one has something to give to the book, even the minor characters.

Reichs depicts a very believable situation in this book. From the crime scene descriptions to the action scences,. Reichs keeps the reader not just interested, but eager to turn the page and read further. I stayed up late to finish the last couple of chapters of the book, I wanted to know how it finished before sleeping.

One of the better parts of the book, is when Tempe, trying to find her friend Gabby, looks for her among the people of the night. We see another face of Quebec, and not just Quebec, but a face that is present in every city, whether small or big, that most people either willfully ignore, or hide it. The prostitutes are for once, portrayed as the human beings they are, each one with her own particular story, with their own customs, and their own hard and cruel world.

I liked Kathy Reichs writing style. I liked the book in general, and will read more of the adventures of Temperance Brennan. As for the TV show, I like that too, and will continue to watch it.