Trying Reichs again

So, after tossing the non-lamented Spartans into the box of books I can't wait to give away, I returned to the other new author I experimented with, Kathy Reichs. In the last book I got, the female lead character, despite being a doctor of all sorts of cool science who had first hand knowledge of the bad things that happen to people when violent crimes are committed against them, repeatedly put herself in danger and ignored her former best friend when she was kidnapped, tortured and killed by a local madman.

I decided to give her another chance anyway. Hey, everyone gets to make one big mistake. So, here I am reading Death du Jour, the second outing for forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, and on page 169, there's this mood-killer phrase:

Later, I wondered why I hadn't seen the signs. It might have changed so much.

That was when I folded over a page and went to sleep. Because really, what's the point? I knew right then that Dr. Brennan was going to, once again, ignore, not notice or downplay the danger another woman was in, for the story purpose of putting her in danger. This time, since the best friend was already dead, we jacked up the stakes and made the target her sister.

By the way, did I already mention that each woman was given several personality traits which would tend to make a reader feel less than generous toward them? Best friend was flaky and flighty. Sister is, um...flaky and flighty. And possibly mixed up with some charismatic self-help guru.

OK, well, I gave the author a try. This is absolutely one time where I can say with complete honesty that I enjoy the TV Show the author is connected to MUCH more than her novels. I like the TV Tempe Brennan better. I like the fact that the TV Tempe actually works with a team and acts as smart as the character is created to be. And I am so over passive heroines and punished victims.

I'll still try to get through to the end of this book, though. And then both of them will hit PBS. Ah, well. Luckily, a few more books have come in recently.