Deja Dead

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

It's June in Montreal, and Dr. Temperance Brennan, who has left a shaky marriage back home in North Carolina to take on the challenging assignment of Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, looks forward to a relaxing weekend in beautiful Quebec City. First, though, she must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. The remains are probably old and only of archeological interest, but Tempe must make sure they're not a case for the police.

One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells her she'll spend the weekend in the crime lab. Something about the crime scene is familiar to Tempe: the stashing of the body parts; the meticulous dismemberment. As a pattern continues to emerge, Tempe calls upon all her forensic skills, including bone, tooth/dental, and bitemark analysis and x-ray microflourescence to convince the police that the cases are related and to try to stop the killer before he strikes again.

Told with lacerating authenticity and passion, Déjà Dead is both poignant and terrifying as it hurtles toward its breathtaking conclusion and instantly catapults Kathy Reich into the top ranks of crime authors.

©1997 Kathy Reichs (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Accomplished and chilling." ( People)

"Kathy Reichs knows how to put all [of her] exotic experience into a novel....Quebec's own Southern gal give[s] Cornwell a run for the money." (Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail)

"What makes Déjà Dead so compelling, in addition to the authoritative descriptions of how a forensic scientist 'reads' the story the bones tell, is the character of Brennan - smart, persistent, gutsy, ironic yet vulnerable." (Judy Stoffman, Toronto Star)

A great book by a great author but...

This is a really great book by one of my favorite authors but I suggest you just read it unless you can handle a narrator smacking and chewing in your ear for almost 12 hours. Her voice is fine but she seems to be sucking on candy, eating or chewing gum throughout the reading. It drove me nuts and makes me upset that I used this months credit for it.

Bones lovers NEED to read this

Would you listen to Deja Dead again? Why?

Sure, eventually. I think mysteries/thrillers are best the first time through, and this one is fun to read because I love the show "Bones" so much; I would like to read it again later and see how much I remember and if there are things to catch that I didn't the second time through. Plus, Kathy Reichs' writing style is BEAUTIFUL, so even though I know the mystery, her descriptions and snarky style (from Tempe's point of view) is enough to get me to read it again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tempe Brennan is feisty, sarcastic, tough and it's hard not to love her. Being that the narrative is from her point of view, it's easy to get inside her head and feel and think how she does; she's so cool and fun that it's hard not to love her.

Which character – as performed by Barbara Rosenblat – was your favorite?

I did like Temperance, but I also enjoyed the French-accented characters. I have very little reference for an authentic accent so it sounded good to be. Better than I could have done--and had I read it myself I wouldn't have imagined the accents or pronounced words correctly. So kudos to Barbara Rosenblat for preforming this one for me.

Great book; well narrated

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. It has been at least 20 years since I first read this book. I had forgotten most of the details, so it was a bit like reading the book for the first time.

What does Barbara Rosenblat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I didn't have the negative reaction to the narration that some people have had. I still prefer to read a book for myself, but I do enjoy listening to books during my commute to and from work. This narrator has done a fine job. I only noticed a few words that were pronounced incorrectly, and those were medical terms. Her French pronunciation is fine.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I won't give the details, because I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone. For me, it was early on when I realized/remembered that Brennan was going to face an especially difficult challenge.

Any additional comments?

I've been a fan of Kathy Reichs for around 20 years. Her books never disappoint. I look forward to purchasing more of her books on Audible in the future.

Great book!

I have watched the show Bones on reruns but never felt the need to read the books. I had to read this for a Forensic Anthropology class and actually liked it. The only problem was that the narrator had a very smackey? sound when she would talk. By the end I would feel grossed out when I would hear her, but I had to finish for class.

Narration isn't that bad!

I actually really enjoyed this book and the narrorator, I think did a good job!

Fans of "Bones" might be disappointed

This is a pretty cut and dry detective story and mystery. Those of us who have come to love the Temperance Brennan from the television series won't find her here, however. There's little resemblance to the quirky, rational forensic anthropologist we see on television and the character as she was originally penned. The Tempe from the novel is a divorced recovering alcoholic with a grown daughter when we meet her, and while she's a likeable enough protege, I was really hoping for the internal monologues of the character from the TV series, and it's simply a different person.

What a thriller!

If you could sum up Deja Dead in three words, what would they be?

suspenseful, thrilling, and spine-tingling

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the narration, as well. I've no idea what other people are complaining about! Perhaps some folks objected to the some of the more guttural French sounds. I noticed them and they reminded me of my high school French teacher's pronunciation. Perhaps her accent is more Parisian than French-Canadian. I have no clue as I'm not fluent in French.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this audio book.

Great Book

I chose it because I love Bones, this isn't anything like the show but I still enjoyed it. My only complaint is the narrator reads super slow, after I bumped it up to 1.25 it was ok.

Be fluent in French

Brush up on your French to really understand this book. Set in Montreal so the names and places and some dialogue is in French. Distracted from an otherwise great story.

A good listen as long as you can pay attention.

Definitely requires you pay attention as there are many characters but it is an intriguing story with many mysterious turns. I enjoy this narrator and the novelist. Both make. great combination.