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Deja Dead
by Kathy ReichsSeries: Temperance Brennan #1
Published by Scribner on September 2, 1997
SubGenres: Thriller
Format: eBook
Pages: 533
Source: Library - Libby
Audience: 18+/Adult
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The raves are in -- from Edgar-winning authors and internationally acclaimed forensic experts: Kathy Reichs and Déjà Dead are something special.
Rarely has a debut crime novel inspired such widespread excitement. A born storyteller, Dr. Kathy Reichs walks in the steps of her heroine, Dr. Temperance Brennan. She spends her days in the autopsy suite, the courtroom, the crime lab, with cops, and at exhumation sites. Often her long days turn into harrowing nights.
It's June in Montreal, and Tempe, who has left a shaky marriage back home in North Carolina to take on the challenging assignment of director of forensic anthropology for the province of Quebec, looks forward to a relaxing weekend.
First, though, she must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells her she'll spend the weekend in the crime lab. This is homicide of the worst kind. To begin to find some answers, Tempe must first identify the victim. Who is this person with the reddish hair and a small bone structure?
I’ve been an avid Romance/Fantasy reader for years, but lately I’ve been branching into other genres for a change of pace. I’m especially enjoying thrillers. Maybe it’s age or just changing tastes, much like my recent shift in food preferences, but that’s another story.
As someone obsessed with the show Bones and having rewatched it several times (it’s one of my comfort shows, which my husband finds weird), I’ve been meaning to read the Temperance Brennan series. I researched before starting, knowing the books and the show were different, but I went in with a curious mind. I can officially say that Kathy Reichs has caught my attention, especially since I love both versions of Temperance Brennan (book & TV). I may be disappointed that Seeley Booth isn’t in the book, but some book-only characters are intriguing enough for me to pick up the second book in the series.
The novel follows Temperance Brennan, an anthropologist divorced with a college-aged daughter living in Canada. The story begins with her finding a pattern in a female corpse, leading her to investigate the killer, despite personal risk. I was fully invested in solving the mystery alongside Temperance and uncovering who the killer was.
This book had me hooked from the beginning, and I’m ready to start book two. I appreciate that the author Kathy Reichs is an anthropologist in real life, bringing authentic detail into the books. Overall, I give the first book 4-stars.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I definitely recommend this book to Crime Fiction and Thriller fans. The first book, Deja Dead, establishes the series and introduces a strong main character and interesting secondary characters.
**Knowing French from high school was a real asset for enjoying the book’s French texts.
What to Expect:
☠️Crime Thriller
☠️Murder Mystery
☠️Forensic Anthropologist Heroine
About Kathy Reichs
Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal and is a frequent expert witness in criminal trials.
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (1998): Deja Dead
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