Book Review: Deadly Decisions

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Deadly Decisions     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Kathy Reichs
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Forensics   Woman Main Character
Series: Dr. Temperance Brennan # 3
Scribner, Aug 2000, $24.95, 332 pp.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan handles the case that coroners cannot handle. She provides consulting services to the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Medecine Legale and to the North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner. She also teaches body recovery workshops at the FBI academy.

Currently, Temperance is looking at the remains of two identical twins killed in an explosion. Due to the genetic match of the siblings DNA testing cannot help her. Temperance joins a multiagency task force investigating this case. Law enforcement official arrest a biker, who in exchange for a lighter sentence leads the group to other buried members including a teenage girl. As Temperance gets closer to he truth her about the latest biker wars, her own life is placed in jeopardy from the killers who prefers to remain in the cold murdering targeted bikers.

On any reader test scale, Kelly Reichs' latest work, DEADLY DECISIONS, matches up well with the best of Cornwell. The tale centers on biker gangs that engage in criminal activities rather than the hobbyist enjoying their motorcycle. The frightening story line focuses on a fascinating depraved world that is a thrill a page as the terrific Temperance tries to solve an impossible case without becoming a coroner's next evaluation.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner