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Title: Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs ISBN: 0-671-02836-7 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 26 June, 2001 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.22 (78 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Just average
Comment: I enjoyed Kathy Reichs first Tempe Brennan books Deja Dead and Death Du Jour. Tempe Brennan was a welcome change from Kay Scarpetta, a strong, well written character and warmer character, with lots of potential for growth in character and her relationships. Unfortunately that doesn't happen here. Although the forensics were interesting, there were long boring sections of lectures masquerading as conversations, particularly the 9 pages of blood splatter theory. This is a bit of overkill for the average reader like myself. I also found the motorcycle gang storyline quite confusing with names thrown out and no characters to attach them to. Tempe's character appears to be changing too. She makes one incredibly stupid decision to go to a biker bar in the middle of the night, that served as nothing more than a way to bring a character who had been absent throughout most of the book back into the storyline however briefly. And the identity of the person in her office who may be an informant is so blatant and obvious, when she finally catches on, you wonder what took her so long. Brennan is also beginning to whine a bit, in the Scarpetta mode, with everyone she works with seeming to be against her or unwilling to work with her. It is also very strange that everyone in her family seems to draw crime to them like a magnet. One of the most boring parts of the book were conversations between characters that were word for word restatments of information already relayed to the reader. Here's hoping that Fatal Voyage is better, since I had already purchased it, or the title may become a self fulfilling prophecy for me and Tempe Brennan.
Rating: 4
Summary: The biker gangs of Quebec
Comment: In "Déjà Dead" Dr. Tempe Brennan tried to solve the murders of several prostitutes that were left for dead in Montreal's red-light district. In "Death du Jour" Tempe investigated a series of bizarre murders by religious cults in Quebec and in the Carolinas. In this third installment of Kathy Reichs' series, Tempe becomes immersed into the biker circuit of Montreal. Quebec has long been a haven for biker gangs. Outside of the California Bay Area, Quebec is the North American area with the highest number of Hells Angels chapters and in the years leading to the publication of this year-2000 novel, home to the biggest biker turf war in the world. When several biker-related shooting deaths occur in the same week (including the accidental death of a nine-year old girl) Brennan and the Sûreté du Québec begin investigating and drawing leads from several biker gangs including The Rock Machine, The Heathens and The Vipers, a Hells Angels Puppet club. In the midst of these investigations Tempe receives a surprise visit from her nephew Kit, who moves in with her temporarily. But is Kit's visit really attributed to Auntie love and wanting to see Montreal sites? Or is it that Kit's undying love of the Harley Davidson has made him some questionable new friends?
The tone set by Deadly Décisions is quite different than that of its predecessors. This time Reichs is less interested in providing the viewers with hands-on academic knowledge of forensic and medical procedures instead giving us a fast-paced and action-packed mystery thriller that focuses more on its characters. The usual suspects are here; Claudel, Charbonneau and Ryan but the novel most benefits from the addition of Kit, Tempe's visiting nephew from Texas. Kit likes to indulge in the usual 19 year old pleasures like girls, drinking, partying, rock music, sony playstation, etc. but possesses a Southern charm and gentleman manners that are most endearing. It was also great to see Tempe for once finally place some of her trust in discussing her case with a personal acquaintance, and Kit being able to help due to his wealth of knowledge on motorcycles. Reich's descriptions of the structure of outlaw motorcycle clubs is highly entertaining and very well researched as she explores some of the connections between the "big four", The Hells Angels, The Outlaws, The Bandidos, The Pagans, and their many sub-clubs.
All of Deadly Décisions takes place in and around Montreal and as usual Reichs delivers a hands-on crash course of this French Canadian city's sites and culture for the unitiated. A native Montrealer, I couldn't help but marvel at the accurate portrayal of the city, especially the East-Side and Rue Hochelaga which has long been a nest of biker gangs and biker bars. However although Reichs obviously knows the city very well, it does show sometimes that she is a transplanted American and not a "pure laine" member of La Belle Province. For one, French Canadians do not say "Chien Chaud" when ordering a hot-dog. They might in France but not in Quebec. Also, any Montrealer the least bit familiar with the province's huge biker circuit will be able to tell you that there are a lot more of these clubs in neighbourhoods such as NDG or Côte-des-neiges than in St-Basile-Le-Grand. I also found it strange that Reichs failed to mention anything about Satan's Choice, who were Quebec's second largest biker gang before losing a well-publicized turf war against the Hells Angels in the later part of the 1990's.
I found Reich's third item in her series to make for truly fast and compulsive reading. I must admit to being quite surprised at the low reviewer rating this novel has and the opinion of many fans of this being the weakest entry in Reichs' series. Instead of sending the reader on a wild goose chase of improbable coincidences and links like she did in "Death Du Jour" Reichs keeps it straightforward and the results are highly entertaining.
Rating: 4
Summary: Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs
Comment: In the third visit with Temperance Brennan, the reader wanders into the world of outlaw murdercycle gangs. Reconstructing the blown up Vallancourt twins was an interesting exercise - but pointless? Does this really happen? The turf wars of rival motorcycle gangs have been taking a few innocent bystanders with them, and keeping the morgue quite busy. Tempe is on hand when a pair of decade old bodies are recovered ... and also finds a very mysterious skull. Some bizarre coincidences make this book a little hard to grasp at times. Nephew Kit makes an appearance and manages to get in with just the wrong crowd. Tempe's keeping company with the feline Birdie mostly, since something odd is up with Detective Ryan. But the scene where Tempe blunders into the Biker Bar looking for her nephew is so chillingly threatening that it should be mandatory reading for any female titillated by bikers - startlingly raw, frightening and realistic, the reader is left with no illusions on the value of women to these outlaws. While the story wanders quite a lot and the science gets pretty detailed, the setting and characters are wonderfully real.-Mamalinda
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Title: Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs ISBN: 0671011375 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs ISBN: 0671011367 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs ISBN: 0671028375 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs ISBN: 0671028383 Publisher: Pocket Star Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Bare Bones : A Novel by Kathy Reichs ISBN: 0743233468 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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