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SOLE SURVIVOR begins with an anguished Joe Carpenter, mourning the loss of his wife and two daughters who have perished in a plane crash. One year after the crash of Flight 353, driven by grief to the brink of suicide, Joe meets a mysterious woman at the cemetery who gives him hope that his daughter Nina is alive.
Joe, a former crime reporter, delves into this woman's past and meets other victims' families. He travels from California to Colorado to seek out the mystery woman he is convinced is Dr. Rose Tucker, a geneticist, and also a passenger on Flight 353.
Right there, I had a problem: I found it difficult to fathom that anyone could survive a crash that mowed a crater into a meadow. The story seemed a bit farfetched, and explanations weren't solid enough to make me believe that Rose Tucker survived a crash that killed 330 passengers. Or make that 329.
I was reminded of Dean Koontz's WATCHERS as I read SOLE SURVIVOR. The pattern is very much the same: Government secrets and good vs. evil. We are once again given a story that is based upon genetics, narrow escapes and a secret unknown power.
Although the book didn't keep me up all night reading, it did deal with issues and themes that I believe to be important. It was primarily a venture in self-exploration, trust and hope. Joe Carpenter was forced to look inward, as he didn't have the power to do since the deaths of his wife and children. He was forced to trust those he did not know in order to achieve peace of mind. And Koontz, like Joe, leaves us with hope in its purest and innocent form --- from a child.
--- Reviewed by Marlene Taylor
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