Major air disasters seem to be happening with more frequency lately. Or maybe it's my
increasing unease with just how well the airlines inspect their planes, screen passengers
and cargo, and manipulate the burgeoning numbers of flights circulating through a limited
airspace. The variables that can result in the death of so many innocent people are
endless, and the drama that unfolds in Kathy Reichs's FATAL VOYAGE illustrates that point
with stunning clarity. Yet, the airplane disaster is only the first act in the chilling
tale that readers will experience in her latest Temperance Brennan thriller.
Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist, also happens to be a member of DMORT ---
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. When a flight crashes in the mountains of
North Carolina, Tempe is called in to help identify the victims. As in any occurrence of
this type, DMORT is also responsible for assisting the various other agencies --- FBI,
NTSB, and local law enforcement --- with establishing the cause of the disaster, which
seems to have any number of possibilities, as the evidence begins to show. Her old friend,
Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, is also called in because his partner was on this
particular flight, transporting a prisoner with ties to organized crime. Attention focuses
on the theory that the prisoner was the target, and the other unfortunate passengers and
crew were collateral damage. But before the investigation is barely underway, Tempe
discovers a severed foot that doesn't match anyone listed on the airline manifest; and as
she probes for information as to where the anonymous foot could have come from, her
personal troubles begin.
Someone with heavy connections doesn't want Tempe to continue with this tangental issue,
nor do they want her sniffing around a seemingly abandoned cabin hidden deep in the forest
a short distance from the crash site. Continuing to ask questions, she soon finds herself
accused of unethical and unprofessional conduct by the state's Attorney General, removed
from the official investigation and barred from the crash site. With her reputation and
career dangling from a thread, Tempe's anger compels her to continue searching for answers
despite her bafflement over what ax the Attorney General could possibly have to grind.
Dependent on the few contacts she has left, Tempe begins to uncover a disturbing pattern
of death in the mountain community with far reaching implications. When the truth behind
these deaths is finally revealed, the tragedy of the plane crash pales in comparison.
One of the appealing aspects to a Reichs novel is her ability to create the personal story
--- Tempe's ongoing relationship with her ex-husband, her unresolved relationship with
Andrew Ryan --- with just the right amount of sexual tension and humor so as not to
undermine the basic suspense. Like Tempe, the reader is somewhat perplexed over which man,
if either, belongs in her life. And by creating a certain distance between Tempe and Ryan,
Reichs has avoided the pitfalls of some of her contemporaries by enabling this
relationship to remain speculative for as many future novels as she wishes.
In 1997 Kathy Reichs hit the bestseller list like a thunderbolt with her initial
Temperance Brennan thriller, nudging her more established peers to the sidelines. With
crisp prose and a mastery for complex plotting, FATAL VOYAGE continues the success of DEJA
DEAD, DEATH DU JOUR, and DEADLY DECISIONS by bringing readers an engaging character whose
maturity and sense of humor are refreshing. The fact that much of Tempe's professional bio
parallels Reichs's own life adds a dimension of realistic probability to the suspense; the
depth of her research provides a fascinating, richly detailed background to every novel.
Reichs has shown a remarkable talent for making forensics an intriguing topic and forging
new ground in an already saturated genre with a freshness rarely seen these days. If you
haven't picked up one of her novels as yet, make it a high priority.
--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns (BkPageWC@aol.com)
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