Death du Jour by: Kathy Reichs

Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
Release date: 22nd January, 2000
Media: Paperback

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Editorial Reviews

On a bitterly cold march night in Montreal, forensic anthropologiest Dr Temperance Brennan is exhuming the remains of a nun proposed for sainthood in the grounds of an old church. Just hours later, Tempe is called to the scene of a horrific arson. A young family has perished, and there seems to be no witness, no motive, no explanation.

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Rating: - Kathy Reichs - Death Du Jour

This is the second in Kathy Reichs series featuring forensic Anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan. And unfortunately it's the second time a Reichs book has failed to fully entertain me.

Here we follow Tempe Brennan as she is asked to consult on numerous cases. So many in fact that even now, only hours after finishing the book, I'm struggling to remember all of them. Firstly the book opens with Tempe lending a helping hand to a group of needy Canadian nuns trying to track down the misplaced bones of a deceased sister. This part of the story, as far as I could see, was un-interesting, un-importand and overall served to only confuse the story with characters and plot strands that ultimately served no purpose to the story. Then Brennan is sent the remains of a the victims of a house fire that is a suspected arson. When Brennan heads south to Charlotte she is met with yet another set of bones she is forced to investigate. Throw in some shoddily placed romance, an annoying sister, a mysterious cult, monkey islands, boats, lots of details of the snow, st. patricks day and the missing niece of a nun and you have the basic outlines of a story which should in the end all tie together. Except the missing bones of the nun that we read about right at the begining of the book, thats never really explained, but still manages to be dragged up throughout the book.

In the end it seems that Reichs had SO many ideas that she tried to condense into one book. And it doesn't work. All the cases Brennan's working on become hard to keep track of let alone the abundance of minor characters that are all included. The pacing at the begining is very slow and hard to get into but it does pick up about halfway through and becomes quite an enjoyable read. However it is again all let down by the ending which seems rushed, and leaves far too many plot points unfinished or not explained.

I've given this 3 stars because it is better than Kathy's first book: Deja Dead but theres still ALOT of room for improvement. Reich's just needs to trim the fat, get back to basics and I think she could present a real corker of a read.

Rating: - Get the ironing done!!

This audio book came through very quickly and in excellent condition. I like to listen when I am doing mundane tasks and can listen to a book. It is good to be able to get one at a reasonable price and in new condition.

Rating: - Death Du Bore

Striking a balance between informing a reader and preaching to them is a difficult one. I have found in the previous Kathy Reich books that I have read that she seems to preach a little too much for my liking. In `Death Du Jour' this reaches new and book ruining heights.

Dr Temperance Brennan returns and for once is not involved in recent murder and mayhem. Instead she has been asked by a group of Nuns to look in the ruins of a church for one of their long dead sisters who is to be potentially Canonised. However, as usual trouble follows Temperance and when a local house goes up in flames she is asked to identify the bodies. It seems that several people have died and that it was arson. If these two cases were not enough Brenan becomes involved in a third when two corpses are found on a wildlife sanctuary. Can Brenan juggle all three cases and her personal life which appears to be under threat by a mysterious stranger?

I found `Death Du Jour' a stagnant novel. Firstly, this was due to the fact that there were too many ongoing cases and it became confusing. The worst problem is the patronising tone that Reichs takes when describing things. One minute Dr Brennan is an expert giving in-depth details, the next she is apparently a novice and asking for them. It is too obvious that Reichs is trying to force feed the reader in-depth analysis, it all felt a little hollow to me and far too over analytical. Reichs is probably one of the pioneers of the detailed modern crime novel and as this was an early book in the series perhaps she has refined her skills. As it is this book felt very dated in its style as other authors have gone on to copy her style and improve on it.

Rating: - Mystery, Danger, Action and Suspense

Once again I was bowled over by Kathy Reichs. She manages to give her readers a wealth of information without ever talking down to them. She weaves subplots together like the master she's become, and in only two books. Though, sadly, she does at times withhold information from the readers that she shouldn't. If it's told in the first person and our heroine knows the info or clues, then we should too, however this is just a niggling and minor complaint and didn't really take away from the book at all.

The book opens with Tempe in a church graveyard. A long dead nun is being considered for sainthood and Tempe is charged with aiding the Church's investagation. The bones aren't where they're supposed to be, but Tempe can't give this her full attention, because she's quickly drawn into an arson murder case that's tied in to a university student from North Carolina who recently joined a cult, then disappeared.

Mystery, danger, action, suspense all add up to a five star winner for Kathy Reichs.

Review submitted by Katie Osborne

Rating: - Gruesome but totally absorbing

Another solid offering from Reichs. I love the way her books engage your concentration from the very first pages. Although I enjoyed the storyline less than Deja dead I think this was mainly due to the inclusion of infant victims rather than a lack in plotline or writing. Relationships between reoccurring characters were developed in an engaging manner which provided some relief between the gore of what was unravelling. I will definitely continue investing reading time in this series and look forward to a continuance of Brennan's relationships with Claudel and Ryan especially.

The one thing I am slightly dubious about however, is whether I am committing myself to another crime series which involves the main character being subjected to continual break-ins and personal attacks: this is what started to irritate me enormously with Cornwell's books and I hope Reichs isn't falling into a similar pattern. Otherwise great stuff, guaranteed to get the pulse racing.

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