★★★★★ Forensic anthropology fiction

Déjà Dead

Kathy Reichs

I discovered Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan books when a young lady I was chatting with told me she wished to become a forensic anthropologist. That seemed oddly specific, and my curiosity was aroused. It took only a little investigation to discover Tempe Brennan. I have not read the entire series, but I have read at least through #16 Bones of the Lost.

The great strength of the Tempe Brennan books is their authenticity. Tempe Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who lives and works in North Carolina and Montreal. It is obviously no coincidence that Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist who divides her time between Charlotte, NC, and Montreal. She is also on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. So, she knows this stuff cold.

It shows. The Tempe Brennan novels are very technical -- so technical that I'm surprised anyone but me reads them. If you want a detailed description of the succession of insects that consume a corpse dumped in a swamp, Reichs can indulge you. (You get that not in Déjà Dead, but one of the later novels.) Repeatedly and with startling detail and variety, Reichs tells you about the most grisly details of decomposing corpses. As a retired biologist, I'm there for it. I'm only surprised anyone else is.

The authenticity extends to investigative work. In her real life Reichs works with police and medical officers to investigate murders. She's also a professor at the University of North Carolina. When Reichs talks about University politics and investigating a murder, she knows what she's talking about, and it shows.

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