Deja Dead

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

It's June in Montreal, and Dr. Temperance Brennan, 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 in beautiful Quebec City. First, though, she must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. The remains are probably old and only of archeological interest, but Tempe must make sure they're not a case for the police.

One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells her she'll spend the weekend in the crime lab. Something about the crime scene is familiar to Tempe: the stashing of the body parts; the meticulous dismemberment. As a pattern continues to emerge, Tempe calls upon all her forensic skills, including bone, tooth/dental, and bitemark analysis and x-ray microflourescence to convince the police that the cases are related and to try to stop the killer before he strikes again.

Told with lacerating authenticity and passion, Déjà Dead is both poignant and terrifying as it hurtles toward its breathtaking conclusion and instantly catapults Kathy Reich into the top ranks of crime authors.

©1997 Kathy Reichs (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Accomplished and chilling." ( People)

"Kathy Reichs knows how to put all [of her] exotic experience into a novel....Quebec's own Southern gal give[s] Cornwell a run for the money." (Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail)

"What makes Déjà Dead so compelling, in addition to the authoritative descriptions of how a forensic scientist 'reads' the story the bones tell, is the character of Brennan - smart, persistent, gutsy, ironic yet vulnerable." (Judy Stoffman, Toronto Star)

I am having trouble finishing this book

The narrator is very good.
I have read the book before and usually don't mind revisiting a book multiple times. But I am not getting in to this book. Perhaps. I will try it later. My tastes and feeling for what I'm reading change.

Great first book.

I've read others in the series before. Decided to start at the beginning and can't wait to read the next one. I'll be following through the entire series.

Pop filter needed.

There are a few noises a pop filter could have prevented or slightly better editing. It sounds like a raw story told in person. Captivating, brilliantly told story otherwise.

Loved it!

Reminds me of another of my favorite authors, Patricia Cornwell. I was riveted from beginning to end. Some very nice plot twists with plenty of suspense.

Wonderful to listen to

I listened along while I read the book. I enjoy the readers voice. This is a great series!

Just one issue

I would have given this a 5 all around but there's a good ten minute segment where it's nothing but buzzing for various reasons, whether it's flies or whatever else. It almost made me rage quit while I was listening. Surely there was a less irritating way to do it.

Who Dunnit Bones?

I've only before read one Kathy Reichs book and was thoroughly impressed then, and I can safely say I am again impressed! So unlike the show based on her novels, this series thus far has captivated with the mystery and gruesome action!

Good story but...

This narrator is irritating beyond belief. Will never download another book that she narrates. Never. Ever.

READ THE REVIEWS

What did you like best about Deja Dead? What did you like least?

I was so excited to try the book series, but in this case the show is a million times better than the book. The narrator is the WORST! Her pauses, spit swallowing - it is all way too much!

What did you like best about this story?

It is a good mystery.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Barbara Rosenblat?

Anyone but Barbara Rosenblat... Listening is disgusting!

Any additional comments?

I am going to try the second book. I pray the dislike of this book is due to the narrator.

Narration Was Brutal

Enjoyed the book, but the narration left something to be desired. It would take a lot for me to listen to her again.