Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

I haven’t read as much as usual over the last two months. It’s been a hectic time. First I was sick (inflamed lymph node and sinus infection) for a couple of weeks. Then I started on Boskone program, and we went to New England for a week. Since coming back, I’ve had to mostly finish Boskone program. And my daughter Leslie was in a car accident (not her fault; a group of teen agers on their way to school ran a red light). She’s fine (mostly – a broken wrist and aching arm), but we had to spend several days looking for a new car. And now I’m driving her to work every morning (probably for a couple of more weeks, until her arm is healed).

But in this time, Leslie hasn’t been able to use her computer as much, so we’ve been watching a bit more TV. She got me to watch Bones with her. It’s not a great show, but the characters are quirky and interesting and the plots entertaining. So I decided to give one of the novels that inspired the show a shot. Besides, I find that when I’m busy with lots of other things or otherwise distracted, mysteries are easier to deal with than complicated SF or fantasy novels. I’m not sure why, but I also tend to read mysteries when I travel.

Let me first say that, at least based on this one book, the only similarities between the books and the TV series are the name of the main character (Temperance Brennan) and her profession (forensic anthropologist). Beyond that, everything is different. None of the other characters are the same. The location isn’t the same. And even the main character (beyond name and profession) isn’t the same. Temperance Brennan of Bones and Temperance (often known simply as Tempe) Brennan of Deja Dead are two different people – different personalities, different interests, different life histories, different everything.

This is not to say that Deja Dead isn’t a good book. It’s actually a good police procedural. The mutilated body of a woman is discovered. She’s been dead a while, so Brennan is called in to examine the body, and begins making connections to first one earlier murder, then several. What was a gruesome find turns more dangerous when the serial killer begins following Brennan and her best friend. There are some very exciting moments mixed in with detailed procedural detail and peppered with the occasional info dump as a character has to explain how some bit of forensic science actually works.

My biggest complaint is that the character of Brennan – a smart, interesting character – in several cases does dumb things (though the type of dumb things that seem to be par for the course in this sort of thing). She knows a serial killer is out there, but several times she takes off to investigate on her own, rather than waiting for several of her colleagues, the police detectives who are able to deal with violent criminals (not Brennan, who, unlike her TV counterpart, does not seem to be a martial arts expert), takes off on her own to investigate. This makes for some very tense moments, but at the same time part of me is grumbling “this character is too smart to do that; she’s only doing that because the author wants to add more excitement here.”

Despite this, Deja Bones is an enjoyable book. I might not rush out to buy another – Reichs is no Ian Rankin or Colin Dexter – but I will certainly try another one at some point.

Other notes

If have time, I’d like to review two movies and a TV series that I’ve liked a lot. The movies are Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth. Both were great, and both will be on my Hugo ballot. The TV series is Rome. Leslie gave the first season to Laurie for Christmas; Laurie re-watched it, while Leslie and I watched for the first time. I very much enjoyed it, and I just hope that I have time to say more about it soon. But, now back to putting the final polish on Boskone program.