Deja Dead

Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs

532 pages

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Blurb:
In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Tempe detects an alarming pattern -- and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her -- her best friend and her own daughter -- in mortal danger...

My Thoughts:

Perhaps I am a little slow on the uptake, as this book already has a tenth anniversary edition, but I don't care.  Maybe there are others like me who are slow in the trending world and have yet to find out about this amazing series.

I recently got into the TV show Bones.  After I finished nursing school, I found I could not enjoy my once-oh-so-loved medical dramas because they were so unrealistic (and the medical flaws really bug me).  So I went in search of other types of TV shows to watch.  It was then that I found crime TV.  Again, a little slow on the trend, but I have to admit that I love crime TV series.  So far, Bones and Criminal Minds are my favorites, but I'm trying out The Mentalist and others.  I love watching the mysteries, the clues, and figuring out the way these people think.  So, when I heard that Bones was inspired by a book series, I instantly had to get my hands on those books.  I was not disappointed.

Let me preface this by saying that the TV show is inspired by but not based on the books.  Once you realize that it will not all be the same, you will enjoy it so much more.  I learned to love Tempe and her crazy ways just as much as I love Brennan and Booth.  To me, the only thread that ties the two is their common jobs.  Other than that, the characters are very different.

I loved this book.  So much so that I am putting off picking my next book to read because I feel that it is sure to be a let down.  I enjoyed reading about the forensics behind the murders and the different ways they followed clues.  I also enjoyed the writing of the character Temperance Brennan.  The book is written in first person (which is not my favorite), but it really worked for this novel.  I especially loved the way the author would write about Tempe's thoughts, not in an it's-all-written-in-italics-way, but in a way that I could imagine her journal writings would be.  She provides insight in the right places, and the character even gets on to herself at some points.  I enjoyed that because it reminds me of me and the way I think.  The writing seemed realistic in first person, because it was written almost in the pattern of natural thoughts (or at least my natural thoughts).  I really enjoyed it.

The plot of the novel was great.  Though I foretold part of it, the mystery stays present in that you do not know who the killer is until the end.  Reichs takes small details, and she brings them into play as Tempe investigates them.  Then all the small details are combined at the end when the killer is caught.  Because the novel is told in first person, you are alongside the ride of Tempe as she knows something is wrong but cannot quite figure it out.  It was quite an enjoyable mystery.

I gave this novel a 4/5 simply because at times I felt that it was a tad too detailed.  I got lost at some points when Reichs was describing the processes to get the evidence and the landmarks around the city.  I have only been to Canada once, so the descriptions of Montreal were completely lost on me.  And I did not want to take time away from reading to try and navigate the map in the front of the novel to figure out where she was going.

Ultimately, this novel is a great read for anyone who loves mysteries and thrillers.  I would not recommend it for the light-hearted, as it deals with serial killer-stuff and dead bodies.  But those who love crime TV shows and Bones will greatly enjoy fresh plots and good mysteries.  I hope to get the next book in the series very soon!