Deadly Decisions

Nobody tells a chilling story like international bestselling author Kathy Reichs, whose "most valuable tool is her expertise...she's the real thing" (New York Newsday). Drawing on her years as a top forensic anthropologist, Reichs brings her cutting-edge scientific know-how to this poignant, terrifying new tour de force.

Nine-year-old Emily Anne Toussaint is shot dead on a Montreal street. A North Carolina teenager disappears from her home and parts of what may be her skeleton are found hundreds of miles away. For Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist in both Montreal and North Carolina, the deaths kindle deep emotions that propel her on a harrowing journey into the world of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

As a scientist, Tempe should remain dispassionate. As a caring individual, she yearns to take the killers off the streets. Emily Anne was cut down in a biker crossfire. The North Carolina victim, Savannah Osprey, was last seen hitching a ride with a transient biker. Tempe's nephew, Kit, is intrigued by motorcycles. Does he understand the difference between legitimate riders and gangs, or is he too mesmerized to comprehend that outlaw bikers are big trouble?

With her boss Pierre LaManche in the hospital, and her friend Andrew Ryan disturbingly unavailable, Tempe begins a perilous investigation into a culture where evil often wears a mask. From blood-splatter patterns and ground-penetrating radar to bone-sample analysis, Deadly Décisions triumphantly combines the authenticity of a world-class forensic professional with the narrative power of a brilliant new crime-writing star. This richly nuanced thriller is sure to catapult a uniquely gifted author to even greater heights.

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The book turns on Tempe Brennan's reactions to the accidental killing of a 9 year old girl during a motorcycle gang killing. She feels so strongly that she volunteers to be the Forensic Lab's liaison with the police team working on motorcycle gang crime, called Carcajou. As a forensic anthropologist she is asked to help with the discovery of an old gang slaying site and in doing so also turns up the skull and crossbones of another young girl. These remains lead her to gang activities back in North Carolina. Tempe is drawn into a complex, deadly game with high powered, deadly opponents.

Tempe is devastated when her lover, Detective Andrew Ryan, is arrested for complicity in the drug deals and illicit trade of the gangs. Another blow comes when her nephew Kit is also drawn into the gang lifestyle by a newscaster, Lyle Crease, who is also extremely interested in Tempe's laboratory findings. There is yet another gang-style killing which arouses the anthropologist's suspicions that all is not well. Now Tempe finds herself in conflict on all sides, with gang members, Kit, and even other members of Operation Carcajou. She finds herself in danger as well, as the action mounts towards a graveside confrontation of awesome dimensions.

I found Reichs' writing up to her usual standard; terse, yet full of the details that make the forensic genre one of the most fascinating of the police procedurals. There is also a wealth of information on the operation of motorcycle gangs in Canada and the United States. Characterization is good as well. Reichs takes the time to breathe life into characters that many other writers would leave two dimensional. It is this and the fine details that make Kathy Reichs a successful writer.

I do have some reservations, though. As other reviewers have pointed out Reichs has settled into a formula of part Montreal, part North Carolina with a dash of family involvement. This is the third such story. While it is not blatant, it becomes noticeable if her novels are read rapidly, one right after another. Another thing that irritated me a bit was Tempe's knack for doing stupid things under pressure. This makes her look weak at critical moments, and introduces plot elements that are not really necessary. Yet, even with these flaws, this is a good, eminently readable novel. One that turned out much better than I had been led to expect.

22 of 23 found the following review helpful:

Easy Decision- Read ItJul 24, 2000
By Tim Smith
In this, Kathy Reich's third book, Tempe Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, splits time between North Carolina and Montreal. She has been assigned as liaison to Operation Carcajou, a task force on criminal activities of motorcycle gangs.The setting for the story occurs mainly in the Canadian spring " when the thaw offers up the dead, hidden by the snows of a long winter". Two skeletons are found as well as the skull and leg bones of a teen whose body had been lain to rest in North Carolina in 1984. The mystery facing Tempe is to determine how the skull ended up in Montreal and what is the connection to the skeletons of the two motorcycle gang members buried with it.

To complicate her life and add depth to the story, Tempe's love interest , Andrew Ryan, has been arrested for selling drugs. Her nephew Kit, whom she treats like her own son, has come to visit and is fascinated by Harley Davidsons. As the story progresses, she becomes more concerned and worried as Kit becomes involved with intrusive slime-ball reporter Lyle Crease, who also has a love for motorcycles. She becomes afraid for Kit and feels a sense of urgency as bikers are killing each other in a power struggle for the drug trade. The decisions faced by these characters is the underlying theme of the story.

Tempe is presented as a three- dimensional, increasingly complex and sensitive woman expressing her beliefs, fears, attitudes, and feelings. The book is written in the first person so we are privy to Tempe's innermost thoughts. She is a serious and dedicated scientist but we also learn of her feelings toward victims, perpetrators, co-workers, family, and herself. From the beginning, she describes how she feels about children and how she respects victims of violence. She has vowed to use her talent of interpreting evidence and "reading bones" to identify and convict the perps of violent crime especially against children.

As Kathy Reich continues to write, she creates plots and characters with depth while using creative techniques that add to the suspense. For example, I found myself looking forward to the end of most chapters. They usually contained a surprise or made a point that moved the story, making it difficult to "put down the book ". She ties the story together brilliantly at the conclusion while leaving an openning and running a common thread to the next book if she wants to use it.

Highly Recommended!

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:

Tempe and the Biker WarOct 17, 2000
By Momo
When a nine-year-old girl ends up dead in Montreal as the latest victim of an ongoing biker war, forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan vows to help to find the killer. She joins a task force and with her we learn a lot about the groups involved. Vipers, Angels, Bandits, Heathens and so on. We learn who is affiliated with whom and who the warring factions are. Maybe this is a correct rendering of what's going on in Quebec, but in my opinion less would have been more here. It was simply impossible to remember all this information and put it to use throughout the book.

Apart from that I found the story to be an interesting insight into a culture I know next to nothing about. A bombing gone bad leads to the discovery of two long dead bikers and skull and leg bones of a teenage girl with links to Tempe's second home, North Carolina. Kit, Tempe's nephew becomes increasingly fascinated with the biker culture and boyfriend Andrew Ryan is out of the picture as he's suspected of selling drugs.

The story is a bit predictable but it's still fun to read. As with the first two books ("Deja Dead" and "Death Du Jour") coincidences keep piling up and, again, Ms Reichs cannot resist to lecture us about forensic details. This time it's blood splatters and while I usually enjoy reading about forensic science, she lost me pretty quick on this one.

I liked the first two books better, but this one is still good enough for a rainy Sunday afternoon. If you're not desperate to read it though, I'd recommend to wait for the paperback.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

No Easy Riders AllowedJul 30, 2001
By sweetmolly
Ms. Reichs' opinions on bikers range from A to B: Achingly Awful to Bloody Beastly. That being said, don't expect any handsome, sensitive Hell's Angels riding through this book. Their powers of evil are limitless and are international in scope.

Forensic anthropologist, Tempe Brennan has an emergency call to Montreal. She is given the grisly task of identifying the bits and pieces of identical twin bikers who were blown up while carrying a bomb. I was baffled by the "emergency" nature of separating the remains of the two who had identical DNA. I agree it would be of professional interest, but couldn't make the leap of believing such niceties would make it critical to the investigation.

Most of the action is in Montreal, and the tie-in to Charlotte, N.C. is tenuous. I was disappointed in this book and feel it is the weakest of the three Tempe Brennan novels. The commute between NC and Quebec is beginning to box in the series. There are just so many logical connections between Quebec and North Carolina, and I think Tempe has used them all.

There are some excellent descriptive passages, particularly of Montreal and some sharp fast character takes. However, there are too many characters to keep track off, and most of them no one you would want to know or care what happens to them. I was uneasy with Cornwell-clone aspects (an unruly nephew who worries Tempe to distraction-shades of Lucy!) and I hope this will not increase.

I enjoyed Ms. Reichs' two previous novels, and have by no means given up on her. I look forward to Tempe's next excursion and wish for an intriguing investigation.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

It's O.K.Aug 10, 2001
By M. Navikas "SebagoLake"
I read Ms. Reich's first two novels, Deja Dead and Death DuJour. I was interested to learn about forensic anthropologists, found the stories exciting, and thought the personal relationship development between the characters of Tempe Brennan and Andrew Ryan, was well done. However, this third novel left me a little disappointed.

Ms. Reich did a good job of introducing all of the returning characters for those new to her books and without overkill for those familiar with them. However, for the third time to have a mystery connected to her roots in the Carolinas was unbelievable and for the third time to have her best friend or a family member directly involved with the crime and/or danger was unbelievable. So many recounts of Tempe returning phone calls, exercising, fixing dinner, and French geographical references became tedious. The developments (or lack thereof) with Tempe and Andrew were o.k., but left me hanging and annoyed at the end.

I'll probably read book #4, but mostly to find out what happens with Andrew Ryan and with hope that the next story will get back to more anthropology details. I like Ms. Reich's characters and the plots are varied and interesting. I hope she keeps writing.

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