DEATH du JOUR by Kathy Reichs

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

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. Tempe is overwhelmed by the case, confused by her mounting attraction to Ryan, and plagued by worries about her sister Harry's search for spiritual awakening.

RATING:

I loved DEJA DEAD, Kathy Reichs' first novel featuring Dr. Tempe Brennan but the follow-up turned out to be a huge disappointment. What started out as two intriguing storylines soon became so disjointed with multiple other subplots (including Tempe's hayseed sister who should have been named Daisy Mae instead of Harry from the way she was written). Reichs still skillfully handles details & Tempe's compassion (especially in the murders of twin infant boys) is outstanding but as a whole, DEATH du JOUR is a definite miss.