Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs was my first try at both forensic thriller and Reichs’ writing from which TV series ‘Bones’ arose. The thriller wounds around a ‘new millennium mafia’, the biker gangs first created in the U.S. and then branched out to Canada. Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist, who volunteers her help to the Montreal special unit created to fight the bike crime. Tempe is shocked and pushed to action after a little girl is accidentally shot to death in the rivaling biker gangs’ shootout. She swears to herself that she will get the people responsible for it behind bars. It doesn’t take long for Tempe to realize that she might have gotten more than she bargained for.
When I started reading Deadly Decisions I was really excited. I have heard a lot of good things about her novels. The reviews promised at lot of thrills and action so I really looked forward to indulging myself. However, I quickly became skeptical of the whole spin. Maybe because it’s a forensic thriller, but I did not like the dry tone the book was set in. Almost no emotions coming from any of the characters, including the main one, Tempe Brennen. Definitely too many medical and technical explanations on how the process of blood spatters or bone restructuring work, so many in fact, that whole chapters could have been taken out and the book would lose nothing of its main content. The action did pick up towards the end and there were even a couple of surprises, but it only left me wishing that the book were as interesting from the beginning. I have to say I was really disappointed with the book. I only hope that it may be due to my inexperience in forensic fiction or the fact that it was one of Ms. Reichs’ early novels. I still own one more book in the Tempe Brennan series and even though I am not quite looking forward to reading it, I am looking forward to giving it a second chance.
When I started reading Deadly Decisions I was really excited. I have heard a lot of good things about her novels. The reviews promised at lot of thrills and action so I really looked forward to indulging myself. However, I quickly became skeptical of the whole spin. Maybe because it’s a forensic thriller, but I did not like the dry tone the book was set in. Almost no emotions coming from any of the characters, including the main one, Tempe Brennen. Definitely too many medical and technical explanations on how the process of blood spatters or bone restructuring work, so many in fact, that whole chapters could have been taken out and the book would lose nothing of its main content. The action did pick up towards the end and there were even a couple of surprises, but it only left me wishing that the book were as interesting from the beginning. I have to say I was really disappointed with the book. I only hope that it may be due to my inexperience in forensic fiction or the fact that it was one of Ms. Reichs’ early novels. I still own one more book in the Tempe Brennan series and even though I am not quite looking forward to reading it, I am looking forward to giving it a second chance.
I appreciate it when an author taps into the emotions of their characters also. It just seems kind of empty to me if you don't know what is really going on.
ReplyDeleteI have read three books in the Bones series and I have to say this one I didn't like very much. But I really liked the others! I would give her another try. Deja Dead was the first book and I couldn't put it down.
ReplyDeleteI think I have read this one a couple of years ago, because I had heard so much about Kathy Reichs and usually like that kind of thing. But the fact is that I don´t remember anything about it and have never really wanted to try her again.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I hate it when the characters are just sort of there. Totally makes me wish I hadn't spent the time on the book, y'know?
ReplyDeleteGood for you on getting one more book of your TBR pile! I'm wondering if I should follow J.Kaye's example & use Mr. Linky to keep track of these? Any opinion?
I have to say that having watched Bones first before hearing about the books has made me a little leery to read them. I much prefer my characters to have a little bit of an edge to them. Right now I'm reading Threshold by Bonnie Kozek, and her main character is edgy and vulnerable at the same time, and it really makes the book a great read.
ReplyDelete