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Book Reviews of Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2)

Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2)
Death du Jour - Temperance Brennan, Bk 2
Author: Kathy Reichs
ISBN-13: 9780684841182
ISBN-10: 0684841185
Publication Date: 1999
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 128

4 stars, based on 128 ratings
Publisher: Scribner
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

56 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 132 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
scary enough to keep the lights on and the dog inside
lsmcnellis avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
These books are nothing like the TV series, although I now enjoy both. I like that there is a French connection - I get to read the French and know what it says before the translation - although there is not too much French. The mystery is great - sure there is murder and mayhem - but it is more about putting the pieces together than gore. You also get to learn about a lot science and procedure - very interesting stuff, especially when it is not in a textbook!

Although the story was very good for this one, it seems a little far fetched that she just happens to find bodies on vacation that just happen to be linked to crimes in Quebec. Still looking forward to reading the rest of the series though.
booksquirrel avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist and great author. This is the first book of hers that I've read, and I was really satisfied with it. The story is very detailed, and there are a lot of gruesome and scary parts. I couldn't read this at night, I got so scared sometimes. The story was pretty realistic.

The only thing that bothered me some were the French terms that slowed me down a bit, but it was all in keeping with the story since part of it takes place in French-speaking Canada.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Tempe and Detective Ryan. I am anxious to see how their relationship develops.

I can't wait to read more of this series.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great book!
booksquirrel avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is the first book I've read by Kathy Reichs, and I really liked it. I was kind of sickened by some of the morbid descriptions of the dead characters in the story, but all of that adds to the story's realistic vibe. I like Tempe's character, and I will probably read the rest of the series. The French was kind of annoying, but I don't think it hindered the story in any way. Great read.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Dr. Brennan is engaged to retrieve the bones of a nun, who may soon be made a saint. While on that assignment she is asked to work on identiying the remains of the victims of a house fire. Two of the victims are children. How does this fire relate to a skeleton found on a private primate reserve located off the coast of North Carolina? Excellent read.
barbsis avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 1076 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I love her TV show "Bones" which is based on these novels but the novels themselves don't really appeal to me. I don't know if it's the Canadian/French strangeness (to this American) or if its just the writing style. I guess it could just be the friendliness of the characters in my favorite forensic series - Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell. I think I'm comparing Kay's warm personality and her connection to all her investigators and even the police as opposed to Dr. Tempe Brennan's antagonistic relationship with everyone she has dealings with.

Having said all that, I must admit to enjoying this book. The convoluted mysteries really catch you up in wondering and trying to piece all the little jigsaw pieces into the correct place. IMO Andrew Ryan, the cop, is the best character in this series. Dr. Brennan is just too abrasive, know-it-all, and it-must-be-done-my-way for my tastes. I do own the entire series so I will read them since the mysteries are interesting even if the characters aren't.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was an excellent read. I am a huge Cornwell fan, and thought I may be too partial to enjoy another author, but was pleasantly surprised. Kept me guessing, and interested all the way through.I highly recommend if you are a fan of suspense.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 191 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A great mystery writer!
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 76 more book reviews
About a forensic anthropologist in Montreal who is asked to exhume the remains of a nun proposed for sainthood. She also is called to an arson. There is cult activity involved and a terrifying showdow n with a killer out of control.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 3 more book reviews
This one was just as exciting as the others--although I admit, I do enjoy the TV show more than I do her books--this is definitely worth reading.
froot avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 178 more book reviews
Temperance Brennon, forensic anthropologist, very different character from the television series. I am acutually glad that the characters are different, as well as the story.

Bodies are turning up everywhere in this girl's life. Slowly connecting the pieces together to a brain washing cult. Brennon finds she may be in deeper than expected when her sister Harry goes missing and her own life is threatened.

I loved the descrpitions of actions in this novel. Often things were so well described I felt like I was the main character. The plot unfolded in a way that surprised me but also left me dissapointed. Vague rushed tie ups in the last chapter left me saying "What?"
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 5 more book reviews
So far I have read the first two of Kath Reichs' books and have enjoyed them both. It is a whodunit with all the CSI mixed in.
ATraveler avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 193 more book reviews
As the second in her series, I enjoyed this one more than the first. Not as dark as her first. An interesting story line about cults and their recruiting habits. I didn't realize that not all cults are religous in their bases. Made me think.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 4 more book reviews
If you like the series, Bones, you'll love the book.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on
Great book. Do not start reading this book if you don't have time to finish. I read this book in two days. Excellent read.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 41 more book reviews
Not quite as good at Deja Dead but still a book that is hard to put down
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 22 more book reviews
Good follow up to the first book. I'm hooked on this series and looking forward to reading #3.
forget-me-not avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 24 more book reviews
I LOVE the 'Bones' TV show, but the books I find very dull. I've not been able to finish a single one I've started.....and I'm an avid reader. Maybe it is just me.
eadieburke avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 1638 more book reviews
Dr. Temperance Brennan uses her forensic skills to investigate a series of unrelated events - horrifying deaths in a Quebec fire & discoveries in North Carolina with a showdown in Montreal. I enjoyed the 1st book in the series more but in this book there seems to be too many plot lines. A relationship with Det. Andy Ryan seems to be starting. I look forward to the next book in order to see how this interest progresses. Recommended.
urrican avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 62 more book reviews
Series mystery about Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist for the Province of Quebec, digs for a corpse, but finds something else instead. Where is Sister Elisabeth Nicolet, dead for over a century and now a candidate for sainthood?
dogwithbooks avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 12 more book reviews
A brutal baby massacre in Quebec, a grizzly girl gutted in North Carolina: Could they be related? Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan must find the answers and catch the killers.

- From AudioFile
julia-shimwell avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on
I loved the flow of the story right up until the last 15 pages. The plot has lots of twists and turns, different places and characters that all fit together in the end. The problem is that it feels like the author got to a certain point, realized she had written enough pages and then jammed everything in to bring it all together. It should have been done in about 50 more pages.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 5 more book reviews
Disappointing. Poorly plotted and not very well written. The reader was, well, uninspired. Seemed like she was just trying to get through the task. But the whole book seemed that way. This was my first book by this author and it will be my last. Boo !
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 132 more book reviews
This was an interesting book at times it was a little hard to get because the spoke in technical terms but then they want and put it in laymen terms .i did enjot this book
joyceromoff avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 26 more book reviews
This is the second Kathy Reichs book. Not bad
booklit avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 473 more book reviews
Another page turner! Love these books!
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 10 more book reviews
Excellent forensics novel! Tempe is a great character.
glowingstar avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 28 more book reviews
Investigative mystery into secrets of the dead.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 24 more book reviews
another good one by a good author
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 24 more book reviews
This is the second book in the Temperence Brennan series.

In this book Tempe invistigates a case that has ties in both her Montreal home and her South Carolina home.
Josiejo avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 48 more book reviews
very graphic in the morgue
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 38 more book reviews
I haven't read a Brennan mystery that I didn't enjoy. Many twists and turns, suspense. Temperance Brennan is an engaging character. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 132 more book reviews
Tempe Brennen is Quebec's director of forensic anthropology and is not only digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago, she is interested in a chain of contemporary deaths and disappearances.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 380 more book reviews
In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe Brennan is digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago. Although Tempe thrives on such enigmas from the past, it's a chain of contemporary deaths and disappearances that has seized her attention and she alone is ideally placed to make a chilling connection among the seeminly unrelated events. At the crime scene, at the morgue and in the lab, Tempe probes a mystery that sweeps from a deadly Quebec fire to starting discoveries in the Carolinas, and culminates in Montreal with a terrifying showdown, a nerve shattering test of both her forsensic expertise and her skills for survival.
Dartha avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 102 more book reviews
I liked this one. Kathy Reichs is a good read. Not quite as good as Patricia Cornwell, but very close.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 108 more book reviews
SECOND book in the Temperance Brennan (Basis of the TV series "Bones)forensic anthropologist series. Great suspense and page turning story about cults gone bad. Great series.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 25 more book reviews
If you enjoy the character of Tempe Brennan on the TV series "Bones" you will be held spellbound by the book character from which the show was taken. Hold on to your seat- Kathy Reichs will take you on a wild ride!!
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 3 more book reviews
New woman forensic science mystery novel. New TV show Bones is based on this series. Very good.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 10 more book reviews
A must read.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 17 more book reviews
Kept me on the edge of my seat.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 39 more book reviews
Classic Kathy Reichs material. Viewers of the TV series BONES will recognize the skills of Temperance Brennan investigating the centuries-old secrets of the dead, and the more recent secrets that moves from the Carolinas to Texas to Canada. An absorbing read.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 11 more book reviews
Not very memorable. I read over 200 pages before realizing I'd read it before, and I don't generally have a poor memory.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 128 more book reviews
I enjoy the Temperance series. I am a huge Patricia Cornwell fan and this is absolutely just as good. Yes, it's technical at times, but I eat that up! It's a great book and a great series.
thecomet avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 125 more book reviews
Another great book. Temperance always finds the bad guy.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 211 more book reviews
All these little things when put together spell trouble

What the author does with this series: Kathy Reichs started off slow but gets better and better. This is part of the series called the Tempe Brenner â Forensic Anthropologist. This paragraph applies to all books in this series. Tempe is a anthropologist who works for medical examiners in Montreal, Quebec and Charlotte North Caroline

Even though the books are often very detailed in both location and the examination of the remains, the story often moves faster than you expect.

Do you need to read this series in order: YES or you miss out on too much of the back stories.

Triggers: This is a book about medical examiners at its core, so lots of references to dead bodies, some are described in strong detail (in a forensic way).Our anthropologist ends up in some life threatening situations and on a couple of occasions in the series, animals are killed, sometimes gratuitously. Relatives of Tempe often in up wounded as the bad persons try to get to her through her family.

This book had a very different setting, which made it great.

Forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs exploded onto bestseller lists worldwide with her phenomenal debut novel Déjà Dead -- and introduced "[a] brilliant heroine" (Glamour) in league with Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta. Dr. Temperance Brennan, Quebec's director of forensic anthropology, now returns in a thrilling new investigation into the secrets of the dead. In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe Brennan is digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago. Although Tempe thrives on such enigmas from the past, it's a chain of contemporary deaths and disappearances that has seized her attention -- and she alone is ideally placed to make a chilling connection among the seemingly unrelated events. At the crime scene, at the morgue, and in the lab, Tempe probes a mystery that sweeps from a deadly Quebec fire to startling discoveries in the Carolinas, and culminates in Montreal with a terrifying showdown -- a nerve-shattering test of both her forensic expertise and her skills for survival.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 167 more book reviews
In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe Brennan is digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago. Although Tempe thrives on such enigmas from the past, it is achain of contemporary deaths and disappearances that has siezed her attetntion and she alone is ideally 0placed to make a chilling connection among the seemingly unrealtred events.

At the crime scene, at the morgue and in the lab, Tempe probes a mystery that sweeps from a deadly Quebec fire to startling deiscoveries in the Carolins and culminates in Monteal with a terrifying showdown, a nerve shattering test of both her forensic expertise and her skills for survival.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 588 more book reviews
excellent
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 65 more book reviews
My daughter loves this author and has all them. says they are great.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 459 more book reviews
Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan searching for the facts about a corpse buried more than a century ago. It's the contemporary murders and disappearance that are making her life "interesting".
katy0118 avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 151 more book reviews
is good if you like this series.
katydid13 avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 55 more book reviews
From the back of the book:
In the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, Tempe Brennan is digging for a corpse buried more than a century ago. But it's a chain of contemporary deaths and disappearances that has seized her attention-- and she alone is ideally placed to make a chilling connection among the semingly unrelated events. At the crime scene, at the morgue, and in the lab, Tempe probes a mystery that sweeps from a dealy Quebec fire to startling discoversies in the Carolinas, and culminates in Montreal with a terrifying showdown-- a nerve-shattering test of her affinities for both science and survival.
sealady avatar reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 657 more book reviews
From Publishers Weekly: "Forensic anthropologist Temperance "Tempe" Brennan of the Laboratoire de M'dicine L'gale in Montreal makes a triumphant second appearance in Reichs's powerful followup to her bestselling debut, Deja Dead. The novel opens atmospherically in a frigid church graveyard as Tempe labors to exhume the century-old remains of a nun so that the Church can posthumously declare her a saint. But the bones aren't where they're supposed to be according to the graveyard map, and there's something suspicious about them when they do turn up. Tempe's caseload multiplies as a house fire proves to be a horrific instance of arson and a university teaching assistant who's recently joined a cult goes missing. The three seemingly individual events begin to braid together, as the doings with the doomsday cult draw Tempe to North Carolina. As in Deja Dead, Reichs, herself a forensic anthropologist, renders comprehensively and believably the cool, tense intelligence of her heroine. A North Carolina native who consults in Montreal only a few months of the year, Tempe still hasn't acclimated to the bone-chilling Northern cold, and if she's come to expect the misogynist attitudes of some of the Canadian officials, she still bristles at them. Also well presented are Tempe's refreshing compassion in the face of relentless autopsies, her ability to describe a corpse with judiciously graphic detail and her penchant for revealing the art behind the science on such matters as the preservation of a corpse's teeth. Reichs's first novel, which won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel of 1997, was compared justifiably to the Kay Scarpetta novels of Patricia Cornwell. Soon, Cornwell's novels may be compared to Reichs's." Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 52 more book reviews
Another great Tempe Brennan crime novel.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 336 more book reviews
This is the 4th iin her series.. a little more indepth then a cozy mystery.
reviewed Death du Jour (Temperance Brennan, Bk 2) on + 46 more book reviews
Typical Kathy Reichs, a very good book!