"Fatal Voyage", by Kathy Reichs

Temperance Brennan, book4

This novel follows Ms Reichs other bestsellers by providing the reader with engaging characters, a good sense of humour, facts that give it a plausible and realistic dimension. This author is remarkably talented in describing forensic details for the layman bringing a morbid topic to light with numerous intrigues that include lots of twists and turns.

“Fatal Voyage” opens with an air disaster, a horrific plane crash in the mountains of North Carolina, illustrating clearly the drama that can result in the death of so many people. The questions of safety and cover up quickly surface in this chilling tale.

Called to help identify the victims and assist with establishing the cause of the disaster is Tempe Brennan, a forensic anthropologist and a member of DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Operational Response). Detective Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s friend, is also on the scene investigating the death of his partner and prisoner who were on the domed flight. The investigation is barely underway, when Tempe discovers a severed foot that doesn’t match anyone on the airline manifest…As Tempe probes for information, she encounters more and more road blocks …Is someone trying to sabotage the investigation?….

Ms Reichs interweaves the ongoing relationship Tempe has with her ex-husband and Andrew Ryan giving a dab of suspense and sexual tension to pique the readers’ interest without removing anything from the core of the story. She also introduces a large cast of colourful secondary characters; making it a challenge to keep track of them. The light hearted and simple narration moves at a fast pace making a very entertaining and satisfying mystery highlighting the incredible strength needed to face adversity.