Fatal Voyage

Rating:
Summary: Boyd
Review: I am so glad Boyd was okay! I just knew Kathy would weave Boyd's survival in at the end. Obviously an animal lover!

Rating:
Summary: Tempe is terrific
Review: Kathy Reichs has created a wonderful character in Temperance Brennan, known by her friends as Tempe, a forensic anthropolgist who is brilliant, tough, and compassionate. In "Fatal Voyage," she joins a team investigating the tragic crash of an airplane in the mountains of North Carolina.

Joining the team is Andy Ryan, a Montreal detective for whom Tempe has had feelings in the past. He has a vested interest in the investigation, since his former partner, Jean Bertrand, may have died in the crash while escorting a prisoner. The investigators try to figure out what brought the plane down. Was it sabotage, an assassination, an insurance scam, a mechanical failure or something else?

Complicating Tempe's life further is her discovery of a decomposed foot near the crash site. When Tempe looks into her discovery, she suspects that it has nothing to do with the crash; she believes that it is a separate mystery that needs investigating. Suddenly, Tempe is unfairly accused of tampering with evidence and of illegally removing remains from the crash site. She is ordered off the investigation. It appears that powerful people want to discredit Tempe professionally. Later, when a mysterious man tries to run Tempe down with his car, she begins to realize that her life may be in danger, as well.

In "Fatal Voyage," Reichs has created a large and colorful cast of characters, such as Ruby McCready, the bible toting owner of a bed and breakfast where Tempe stays, and Lucy Crowe, the local sheriff who is every bit as tough and tenacious as Tempe. The dialogue sparkles and the narrative moves quickly, although you will need a scorecard to follow the many twists and turns in the plot. The ending is a little weak--too melodramatic and unrealistic, considering the excellence of the writing up to that point.

Why does Tempe spend her life poring over the remains of dead people? In this poignant passage, Tempe explains why she does such "unpleasant" work:

"It is for these victims and the mourners that I tease posthumous tales from bones. The dead will remain dead, whatever my efforts, but there have to be answers and accountability. We cannot live in a world that accepts the destruction of life with no explanations and no consequences." That is good writing and Tempe is a terrific character.

Rating:
Summary: Back On Track
Review: Kathy Reichs is back in the game with this exciting forensic thriller, a fast-paced mystery that echoes the brilliance of the first two books in this series.

This time, the venue is North Carolina, and the action begins quickly as Tempe Brennan is called to the scene of a gruesome commercial plane crash. The gritty realism of the crash site, combined with Reichs' usual unflinching descriptions of the victims' remains, forms the backdrop for a mystery that begins when Brennan finds a human foot she suspects is not part of the accident.

Suddenly, Brennan is yanked from the case, her name smeared across the press, and her professional reputation put in serious jeopardy as she is accused of "tampering with a crash site." Of course she has done no such thing--as followers of this series know, Brennan is a straight-arrow forensic anthropologist whose work ethic is scrupulous. So what's going on? That question forms the rest of the story, as Brennan struggles to solve the mystery of the foot and to save her good name. She has some powerful enemies bent on stopping her, not the least of whom is the state's attorney general.

There are some satisfying plot twists to this story as well: Brennan's cop friend Ryan is part of the investigation. Ryan's long-time partner was a passenger on the doomed airliner, and his remains cannot be found. The partner was escorting a well-known prisoner back to Canada for trial. Did the crash have something to do with freeing the criminal? Was he even on the plane? What caused the plane to go down? The theories are rife, and Brennan is itching to get back on the scene. Dogged by the press, in danger of losing her job at the university, humiliated and angry, she throws herself into the parallel mystery of the foot--and uncovers more than she bargained for.

"Fatal Voyage" is a strong and satisfying mystery, and Tempe Brennan is back in form as the strong, no-nonsense, and likeable woman we came to know in "Deja Dead." Yes, she is vulnerable, especially in the scenes with her ex-husband Pete, whom she still loves, and in her acerbic courtship dance with Ryan, to whom she is deeply attracted. It's good to see Reich finally get control of Brennan's personal side, describing her interactions with the two men in her life in a sympathetic and believeable manner. Brennan's incredible strength in the face of professional adversity, her dogged determination to do right by the victims whose remains she must identify, and her tenacity in solving the mystery that is somehow connected with her banishment from the crash scene juxtapose nicely with her vulnerable side. And her interactions with a brand-new character, an irrascible dog who has become her simultaneous bane and companion, adds some much-needed humor to this very grim tale.

It's good to see Reichs AND Brennan back in form. If the rest of the series is as strong and well-written as "Fatal Voyage," Reichs will definitely remain a formidable contender in the forensic mystery genre.

Rating:
Summary: Head and Hands above the Rest
Review: Tempe Brennan hears on the radio while driving through North Carolina that a plane has gone down. She rushes to the scene, saves a decomposed foot from a pack of coyotes, finds out foot didn't belong on the plane, was from a much older death. What was it doing there? Why is she suddenly thrown off the team investigating the crash?

And that's just the start of this fast paced, true to life, mystery thriller that will have you up all night, reading with your pulse pounding as you race through the pages.

This five star book is heads and hands above "Deadly Decisions." It's so much better that it's hard to believe the same woman authored them both. It's as if Kathy Reichs knew she let her fans down a little with the last one and wanted to make up for it. Well she did, in spades. "Fatal Voyage" is one fine piece of work. I can't wait to start her next one.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

Rating:
Summary: A RIVETING READING OF THE NEW REICHS
Review: Versatile is the word for accomplished actress Katharine Borowitz who brings a wealth of film, TV, and stage experience to her book readings. She gives pitch perfect voice to the telling of this spellbinder.

Reprising Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, Kathy Reichs presents her fourth riveting thriller. Once again her story is grounded in authenticity which only serves to validate this shocking tale.

When Tempe Brennan hears on her car radio that a plane with 88 passengers is down in the North Carolina mountains, she heads for the scene. That in itself is tragedy enough but missing body parts and cannibalism make Reichs's plot boil.

As Tempe sifts through the grisly debris she comes upon a foot that doesn't seem to belong to any of the dead. She pursues this conundrum only to find herself ousted from her job by a conniving politico who has much to hide. To save herself and her reputation Tempe has a major life endangering mystery to solve.