Death du Jour

A Temperance Brennan Novel, Book 2

By: Kathy Reichs

Narrated by: Bonnie Hurren

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Assaulted by the bitter cold of a Montreal winter, the American-born Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist for the Province of Quebec, digs for a corpse where Sister Elisabeth Nicolet, dead for over a century and now a candidate for sainthood, should be lying in her grave. A strange, small coffin, buried in the recesses of a decaying church, holds the first clue to the cloistered nun's fate.

The puzzle surrounding Sister Elisabeth Nicolet's life and death provides a welcome contrast to discoveries at a burning chalet, where scorched and twisted bodies await Tempe's professional expertise. Who were these people? What brought them to this gruesome fate? And where are the children?

Homicide Detective Andrew Ryan, with whom Tempe has a combustive history, joins her in the arson investigation. From the fire scene they are drawn into the worlds of an enigmatic and controversial sociologist, a mysterious commune, and a primate colony on a Carolina island.

Featuring the kind of forensic detail that only Kathy Reichs can provide - from skeletal reconstruction to insect analysis - Death du Jour takes the listener on a riveting journey from the morgue to the lab to the crime scene, from the warmth of a barrier island to the frigid cold of a deadly ice storm. With this poignant and powerful work, Kathy Reichs confirms her status as a brilliant new crime-writing star.

©1999 Kathy Reichs (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic Reviews

"Atmospheric, suspensefully paced.... a delectable tale of corpus delicti... bone-chilling prime crime." ( People)

Disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I generally like Temperance Brennan books and have wondered why this one wasn't available. I was so happy when I saw it added to Audible's list. However, this was not one of Reich's best efforts. The story dragged and I finished it, mostly because I stubbornly wanted to listen to every book in the series.

Would you recommend Death du Jour to your friends? Why or why not?

Sure. It isn't awful and if you like Temperance, you want to know how her story develops over time.

What didn’t you like about Bonnie Hurren’s performance?

Horrible voice, horrible delivery. I hated her narration so much that it distracted me from the story. There is no consistency in this series. Many different narrators, some great, some like this one, just awful.

Was Death du Jour worth the listening time?

Yes. Only because I like the series.

Did not enjoy narration

Would you try another book from Kathy Reichs and/or Bonnie Hurren?

I would listen to another book by Kathy Reichs. I did not enjoy listening to Bonnie Hurren, so I will not be buying any future books with her as the narrator.

Has Death du Jour turned you off from other books in this genre?

I don't think I'm turned off of this genre, I think the narrator made the book unbearable to listen to. I'd love to listen (or perhaps read) more from this genre.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The accent was so strange. The character is supposed to be American living in Canada but for some reason, the narrator kept giving the character a british accent? And the character's sister had a horribly strong southern accent. It was all just too bizarre.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I didn't even finish the book. So, I can't really give any 'pros' to my 'cons'.

Any additional comments?

Please get a new narrator!

Good story, poor excution

What made the experience of listening to Death du Jour the most enjoyable?

Although I liked the story, Bonnie Hurren managed to mispronounce at least 100- words. That is always so distracting for me.

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

sometimes it kept me on the edge of my seat and at others it was a yawn and others it was all the suspense I could handle.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bonnie Hurren?

Lorelie King

Ghastly narration!

Worst ... narration ... ever. First, if the narrator is reading a book that requires correct pronunciation of French words then he/she should take the time to learn that pronunciation. Second, if the narrator is not good at accents then he/she should not do them. The priest in this story sounds Italian, the accents of the nuns vary, and Ryan (who I thought was a US citizen) sounds like a very strange combination of English or Irish. Equally awful are the various US southern accents. Tempe's younger sister sounds like an aging Texan and her daughter doesn't sound much better. Third (and finally), I think narrators should be able to enunciate clearly. Repeatedly hearing things like "reckonize" for "recognize," "sevenny" for "seventy," and dropping 'ers at the ends of words are quirks of speech that are not pleasant to listen to over the span of 12 hours.

You'll get over the Narrator Quickly

I've read some other reviews that said that the book was amazing but the narration leaves a lot to be desired, that is definitely the case for the first few chapters of this book. It was difficult to get into because the narrator sounds totally different than Kathy reichs first book, but once you get into it she really does do a great job! I thoroughly enjoyed this story I highly recommend it to anybody interested in another Bones audible story!

Performance

Of course Dr. Reichs book is marvelous. I very much preferred this narrator (Hurren) to previous and several subsequent narrators. . She reads the book and places proper emphasis without the over acting of some narrators.

Not Sure

I felt that the basic plot was pretty good.. But the story dragged when it went into a bit too much forensic detail. I like the forensics but not at the extent of the story.

Annoying narrator, exciting story

If you could sum up Death du Jour in three words, what would they be?

Unfortunately poor narration

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

The story moved along well, not knowing the outcome until the end.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She had an overall odd accent and mispronounced words in many places. Her attempt at mimicking a southern accent was atrocious.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What is the method of murder today?

Great story

I loved this book. I enjoyed it even more that Reichs' first Temperance Brennan novel. Bonnie Hurren does very good at narration for this story.

Good book, awful narration.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, I've read the book before so I know the story is really good but you really have to work past the awful narrator. I am going to skip listening to the rest of this book and reread it before getting the third book in audio.

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

Yes, Kathy Reichs is an awesome writer and the level of detail always keeps it intriguing.

What didn’t you like about Bonnie Hurren’s performance?

I had read some of the reviews before going ahead and getting this book, but I want the entire series so I ignored the many comments about Bonnie Hurren's horrible French pronunciation. What was NOT mentioned in those reviews that should have been is that her French is not the only problem, she mispronounces a LOT of the English as well (how does one get away with mispronouncing row?) and she has a very awkward voice that sounds like she is shrieking when she does a few of the characters voices. She sounds as if she is trying VERY hard to cover up a southern accent, which makes her sound like she has a stuffy nose the entire time, she would have been much better off not hiding the accent. I really wish they had gotten the woman who narrated Deja Dead again.

Was Death du Jour worth the listening time?

No, I would rather take the time to reread the book than listen to this narrator.

Any additional comments?

I honestly think the publisher should consider rerecording this with a different narrator, as this being the second book in the series it may scare off those that are listening through the series.

Another good story, but not the best narrator.

This was another good book by Kathy Reichs, solid and informative. Always a pleasure to add the stories of Temperance Brennan to the library. The only thing I personally found was that for some reason, I thought that the narrator was not as good as a lot of others.

Reichs at her gritty best

Another gritty story from Kathy Reichs. As ever the story deals with what are the real challenges which make the newspaper headlines only too often. Here we get an insight into the back stories and the job of piecing together the story based on forensic and other evidence.

Not for the faint hearted!

I have a medical friend who recommended Kathy Reichs to me with a casual reference that she is 'Quite graphic' ! That is an understatement. I am a painter and every gory detail,(and there are so many of them) appeared in techni-colour to me. The book is otherwise light hearted in places and almost a romp which sits very strangely with the forensic passages.

Reichs is a good story teller but I'm not volunteering for another one.