Déjà Dead question

I read a lot of these, because a friend was reading them and she kept giving them to me. I think she also watched the TV series.

I finally hit a point where the formula she uses for her stories (over and over and over) was so glaring--and the detailed, lengthy science lessons dropped into the plots like a commercial break--that I said, No more. Keep 'em, give 'em to a friend at work or something. She is extremely well qualified to be a forensic anthropologist. Though I know she has many, many fans, I don't consider her all that qualified to write novels.

In only ONE of about nine novels I read did she not resort to the cheap trick of having someone she cared about threatened by a killer (and sometimes she had to make up new loved ones expressly for this purpose). Then would come the nostalgia passage that goes something like this (my parody):

Memories come flooding back. Poindexter with his sticky fingers on my keyboard. Poindexter eating a cheese danish by the river with loose toenail clippings on the beach towel. Poindexter picking the neighbor's roses and giving them to me as a gift because he was too cheap to buy them himself. How could I have put Poindexter at risk this way?

Oy. Going back to good literature now!

Just one caveat, Angel.

Temperance Brennan is a character who a writer friend of mine would call "To Dumb To Live." For such an educated, intelligent person, she does the dumbest things sometimes.

And that is the only thing I dislike about the series. Other than that, I echo the other posts urging you to read them.

I have read a few of Reichs books and I thought they were good. They are also out of my comfort zone so you are not alone. I say give it a shot and go from there.
Enjoy!

The books I have read by this author have been good. Why not try one and see how you feel about them after that?

I have enjoyed everything I have read by Kathy Reichs also.She is extremely qualified.

I love Kathy Reichs and I've read all of her books. What I particularly like about them is the detailed scientific explanations of how she analyzes victims for clues to the killer. Reichs actually is a forensic anthropologist, so you're getting the real deal on what happens in the lab.

I really like her books. There is more to the story than just gore and crime. I would definitely try at least one of hers. Her latest is pretty good and has a sub-plot that is not really crime related.

Angel wrote: "you see i have been recommended this book by a mate of mine and i read over the summary but i am still unsure if i should to read it or not. normally i don't like crime & thriller books but this se..."

Hi Angel, I'm Ann,
I'm not sure if you got your question answered about reading Kathy Reichs books in order or not. I am responding to your question kind of late, but I do have the answer to your question. I am a huge fan of Kathy Reichs books and have probably read at least 10 in the series and have another 10 to go! The answer is yes, definitely, read them in order. The characters are really good and the series is based a lot on who & what happens to them. Temperance Brennan, the main character in the series, is forensic anthropologist who helps to solve some of the most grisly crimes by "reading" the bones of the victims. She figures out how old the person is by measuring growth plates in the bones and she con determine how a victim died by the condition of the bone, tool marks from a possible murder weapon, etc. See, Kathy Reichs IS a forensic anthropologist in real life so her books are based on real life events and forensic details she sees in her line of work. Sorry for the long explanation, but I just love this series featuring a TRUE heroine in Tempe Brennan. So again, yes, read the books in order, starting with the first oneDéjà Dead. If you like the first book, you will probably really enjoy the rest of the series. Just in case you devour the first book like I did, you will absolutely want to read the next one which is Death du Jour There is a book that has the 1st and 2nd books in the seriesDeja Dead / Death Du Jour. Hope this helps. Happy Reading!

I'm going to weight-in. In my opinion: Kathy Reichs' books were the first books that I started to read and did not enjoy. I kept reading and after I started book 5 or 6, I caught myself feeling like I was in high school and being forced to read her books, wishing I didn't have to. So I stopped reading them. This was a first for me! I started Kathy Reichs' series because I dearly love the Bones TV show, I must say the book character and the TV character are nothing alike. These books were too dry, with the exciting bits few and far between, for me.

Got hooked on the "Bones" television series doing cardio machines at the gym. I am on book 3 now, and am hoping sometime to find a bit of connection with what I have seen on the show. Like the books so far. It's true Quillracer.. "the dumbest things".

I read the first book she published and didn't care for it, then gave her another try on Deja Dead and that one wasn't any better. Prefer Tami Hoag, & Pat Cornwall.

Personally I love Kathy Reichs, but her books can be hit and miss. I watched the T.V. show before reading the books and so have a fondness for Tempe, and the concept as a whole. I love crime thrillers. Though I have watched/read many of them and so I now find it ALL predictable, not just these books. I will say that although 'Mortal Remains' bored me, 'Deja Dead' is one of my favourite books ever. I found it really exciting, edge of your seat reading. I think if it's not a genre you usually choose to read then the formula wont bother you, especially if its the first one you read. If you can bare with the science (books are meant to educate) and the french street names, (set in Canada) then I say give it a try. If you don't like it, simply put it down and pick up something else!

I like the serious of books BUT they are not an in depth read for me. They are plane/bus/train reads or by the pool. The pace is very fast so I can power through a book in about 12 hours (dependent on interruptions).
While the "too dumb to live" guy has a point, it is worth pointing out that smart people are also the dumbest. They miss social clues, or are shit at dating, or are lost in their work and don't see what is happening around them. Nobody is perfect.
The science is sound, the victims and villeins real and Reichs does romanticise the victims or the killers.

I was hooked on medical thrillers for decades: Robin Cook, Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Palmer... and although her novels are very interesting (I always was fascinated by science and medicine, but never could get past the first chapter of Pre-Algebra) I could only read about it, but not make it a reality in my life. Hence, this vicarious fascination with all things scientific and medical and those who make it so fascinating to read! Admittedly I found the televised character of Temperance Brennan excessively "NERDY" and (unrealistically) socially inept; nothing like the character Kathy Reichs describes in her novels. I stopped reading her novels because she testified in the real-life Casey Anthony trial, and Reichs seemed to side with defending the mother's neglect, abuse, and the death of her adorable child Kaylee. That pretty much changed my attitude for good about her "medical expertise."

I didn't mind the first book in the series. I was a big fan of the tv show so thought I would try the books the character of Temperance was based on. It flowed at a nice pace until the science over explanation part that sort of broke the flow of the book. I will try the others in the series for sure as the story was interesting.