Fatal Voyage

Oh, Brennan. What a ridiculous book. I'm gratified to find that it's still possible to predict the moment she will do something silly and ill-advised just in time to put herself into mortal danger. Someday, I tell myself, there will come an installment where no one she knows well is dead or in danger, where events in Canada don't coincidentally involve events in North Carolina, where she's neither kidnapped, beaten, nor held at gunpoint. But what will I do then?

Every time I'm in a book slump, grabbing one of Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan books is sure to be just what I need to snap out of my reading funk. And as always, FATAL VOYAGE didn't disappoint. I particularly enjoyed seeing a softer side of Brennan in this novel as she bonded with Boyd, the loyal mutt who became her companion throughout this journey.

Reich's first-hand experience always shines through her writing, and I find myself getting swept along by her descriptions of the science and the investigative process of violent and unexplained death. But the emotional side of dealing with trauma is never glossed over, which is what I so deeply appreciate about Reich's work. She somehow manages to blend science and humanity into a richly show more layered and believable story. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. show less

There is only one thing in Kathy's books I do not like: she gets herself into a precarious situation and gets the crap beat out of her. As smart as Tempe is, one would hope she would learn. But other than that, Kathy's books are all very good. The attention to detail is great. She can take complex issues about things most of us have never contemplated and make us understand. One gets the sense that Tempe is very well known, if not famous, in her field and yet she seems always to run up against folks that don't realize what they are doing. And, yet, we like her. I hope she keeps churning out these excellent books for a long while to come.

When I had finished reading DEADLY DECISIONS, the 3rd in this series, I seriously wondered whether I would continue with it. I decided to try one more. After all, everyone is not at their stellar best all the time. This book - the 4th in the series - held my attention and further developed Temperance as a character. Ms. Reichs has convinced me to continue reading this series.

Lots of twists and suspense. I was glad to see Brennan relying more on police and those she trusted for help rather than taking off on her own and getting into perilous situations (although those still did happen). I enjoy all of the research, science, and history that goes into each book of Reichs'. It makes for a more intellectual read beyond your typical mystery.

3.5***

I have been fascinated by forensic pathology since I was in about 7th grade and read a biography of a famous French pathologist (whose name I cannot recall now). So I really want to like this series, and, basically, I do.

Dr Temperance Brennan, PhD (Tempe) is a forensic anthropologist tasked with examining remains … sometimes ancient, sometimes crime-related, sometimes just an old animal bone found by an excited hunter. This book opens with a plane crash in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee or Western North Carolina. She happens to be in the neighborhood, so she’s asked to drop everything else and go to the site to begin recovery and identification of remains. As will happen with a plane crash, the wreckage is wide-spread and show more the woods are full of scavengers – bear, coyote, raccoons, fox, hawks, vultures, etc. When she spots a coyote with a foot in his mouth she manages to get it away from him and enter it in the log as part of the remains. The only problem is that it doesn’t seem to belong to any of the passengers or crew. So whose foot is it?

Of course there are evil-doers in high places that try to thwart the investigation, and Tempe’s reputation and career are quickly on the line. Her emotions frequently are just on the verge of being out of control (her heart rate increases, her adrenaline is pumping, “hot tears line the inside of her eyelids”). But she is not without allies … and rescuers. And this is the source of my dissatisfaction. When she is clearly in danger she persists in going about without any protection, and behaving in a manner that gets her further into trouble. To her credit, she is resourceful and doesn’t rely entirely on “the big strong guy” to save her, so I didn’t really deduct much in my rating.

Borowitz does an okay job of performing this audio book. Her delivery is somewhat flat for much of it … I suppose she is trying to make Tempe sound in control, calm and deliberate. By the 3rd disc I had gotten used to it … or perhaps as the story picked up steam, she put more emotion into her performance. show less

Temperance Brennan hears the news on her car radio. An Air TransSouth flight has gone down in the mountains of western North Carolina, taking with it eighty-eight passengers and crew. As a forensic anthropologist and a member of the regional DMORT team, Tempe rushes to the scene to assist in body recovery and identification.



Tempe has seen death many times, working with the medical examiners in North Carolina and Montreal, but never has tragedy struck with such devastation. She finds a field of carnage: torsos in trees, limbs strewn among bursting suitcases and smoldering debris. Many of the dead are members of a university soccer team. Is Tempe's daughter, Katy, among them?



Frantic with worry, Tempe joins colleagues from the FBI, the show more NTSB, and other agencies to search for explanations. Was the plane brought down by a bomb, an insurance plot, a political assassination, or simple mechanical failure? And what about the prisoner on the plane who was being extradited to Canada? Did someone want him silenced forever?



Even more puzzling for Tempe is a disembodied foot found near the debris field. Tempe's microscopic analysis suggests it could not have belonged to any passenger. Whose foot is it, and where is the rest of the body? And what about the disturbing evidence Tempe discovers in the soil outside a remote mountain enclave? What secrets lie hidden there, and why are certain people eager to stop Tempe's investigation? Is she learning too much? Coming too close?



With help from Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, who has his own sad reason for being at the crash, and from a very special dog named Boyd, Tempe calls upon deep reserves of courage and upon her forensic skill to uncover a shocking, multilayered tale of deceit and depravity. show less