Mystery

Another good mystery following a forensic anthropologist who is tracking a motorcycle gang war that is leaving more bodies than she can keep up with.

It has been a year and half since I have read previous book. Returned to see the difference that time made to me. I'm not disappointed. Temperance is all the same. Emotional isolation is still at large. But there is finally a balance between main character and the world/theme. Either this book is somewhat different in structure from the first two, or I have changed enough to like it anyway. Or... I finally learned not to care about other people stuff more than mine. Yay. On to the next. ( )

This is quickly becoming one of my favourite series. When I'm in a book slump, I know that grabbing a Kathy Reichs book will instantly snap me out of it. (My one other "sure thing" author is Janet Evanovich.) I really enjoyed getting lost in Brennan's world. From learning more about motorcycle gangs than I ever wanted to know, to getting a brief education on blood splatter analysis, I was captivated as I kept turning pages.

As always, Tempe Brennan is a fabulous character: smart, engaging, and genuinely interesting. The Montreal setting is fantastic, and Brennan's life utterly fascinating. I was a little disappointed to see Brennan act uncharacteristically at one point and put herself in a great deal of danger for no apparent reason than to move the plot along, and I wasn't quite as interested in the crimes themselves as I had been in previous novels, but I really enjoyed the reading experience overall. ( )

Kathy Reichs’s creation of Temperance Brennan appeared to be a mirror image of the author. Reichs was a forensic anthropologist for the state of North Carolina and the province of Quebec, Canada when I first read this many years ago. Deadly Decisions is the third book in this series and while it's too hit and miss overall, this one is a nice read.

Temperance is called away from Quantico when a young girl named Emily Anne becomes an innocent victim in the escalating turf war between biker gangs in Canada. It has become serious enough that a Special Operations Unit called Caracajou has been formed, and Temperance is asked to join it. Once she does, she learns in heartbreaking fashion how the sophisticated network of the new mafia uses some very old and horrifying methods to remain in control.

Reichs writes Brennan as a classy professional who has overcome a drinking problem in her past. Though widely respected in her field, she has at best a respectful relationship with the stuffy French detective named Claudel with whom she often works. Reichs weaves these details naturally into the crime story, unlike Patricia Cornwell, who eventually let all Scarpetta’s hang-ups and neuroses, and those of Lucy, ruin that series.

Deadly Decisions is a good read, and there is excellent atmosphere in this one. When the body of a second girl buried years before is discovered, Reichs is at her very best. She provides tense excitement but colors it with sadness. The portion about the careful excavation of a body so badly decomposed that only the girl’s bones, and the mystery of who killed her are left for Temperance to uncover is particularly well written.

Also within the narrative Reich's provides touching moments, such as the releasing of balloons at Emily Anne’s funeral. There is an understanding by the author in regard to violence, and how it often occurs suddenly and without time to mourn. Minor but important details such as this add depth to a genre which has increasingly become sensationalized with brutality and gore, desensitizing the reader and removing any resonance. Not the case here, I'm happy to say.

This is a classy read in a genre that has become bloated, and has very much gone astray. Author Kathy Reichs imbues Temperance Brennan with professionalism and humanity, all the while remaining focused on the crimes and the victims. She fleshes out Temperance into a real person we would want on our side in such circumstances. This is a series that found solid ground with this one, and this particular entry is well worth checking out. ( )