Reviews

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs

Only show reviews with written explanations

storybrooke13's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars, we are so back!!!!

manhattanmike's review against another edition

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1.0

This is the first Kathy Reichs Book I’ve read. I was very disappointed. I presumed that because I’d heard of her that it would be well written. The basic plot is a fine idea for a crime thriller, but her writing style renders it tedious. Many of the sentences are very short dialogue. They are about half a line long which looks distinctive on the page and distracts slightly. She wears her research heavily. Characters have conversations in unrealistic detail peppered with odd, jarring text describing the pet cat or food she is eating. Doesn’t sound odd, but somehow it is. The big action sequence half way through, set in a cave, is a change of pace but falls flat as it reads as though written by an amateur attempting a thriller. They know the elements that should be there, but can’t write properly. In the end I just couldn’t care less about the characters or the skeletons. Boring, boring, boring. Are all her books like this?

book_concierge's review against another edition

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3.0

Book on CD read by Michelle Pawk

Number 8 in the Tempe Brennen mystery series. The discovery of bones in the basement of a pizza parlor sets the forensic anthropologist on the trail of a serial kidnapper/rapist/killer. On the romantic front, she’s not sure her relationship with Ryan is going anywhere, and her best friend arrives for an extended stay as she tries to decide if she’s leaving her husband for good.

Reichs knows how to write a thriller, maintaining tension despite the fast-moving plot. She gives us enough red herrings to make figuring out the culprit challenging for the mystery enthusiast. The details of forensic analysis make for interesting reading as well. However… I think I may have reached my limit with this series. I am tired of Dr Brennan’s penchant for going into dangerous situations without reasonable caution – she doesn’t take her cell phone, she doesn’t take a gun, she doesn’t call for back-up, she doesn’t even tell the police where she is going. Not to worry, however … she is bound to be rescued by a big strong man.

Pawk does a pretty good job reading the audio book. She has good pacing and her French sounds accurate (but since I don't speak French, how would I know?).