There's been a horrible plane crash in the mountains of western North Carolina. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, is assisting in body recovery and identification. She is soon to find out that one retrieved foot does not belong to a crash victim. It belongs to a murder victim discovered near the crash sight. The discovery of this victim puts Brennan in harms way, as the murderer tries to stop her from digging around. Brennan's attentions are divided between the plane crash inquiry and the murder investigation. When Tempe discovers the eighth murder victim, she fights for her life not to become number nine.
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The review of this Book prepared by Tracey Ray
Scribner, Jul 2001, 25.00, 363 pp.
ISBN: 0684859726
The plane crash in the back wooded mountains of Swain County North Carolina is brutal as body parts are severed and tossed everywhere and with all eighty-eight people on board dead. The first non-sheriff department person to arrive at the grisly scene is Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist working for the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. Tempe has worked several nasty scenarios, but this one may be the worst yet as the nightmare turns potentially personal. She learns that the TransSouth Air plane carried the University of Georgia men and women soccer teams and some fans, which could include her daughter visiting a player. However, she soon finds out that her daughter is not on the deceased list.
As Tempe works along with other Feds, state and local officials, she finds a leg that does not belong at the site. She begins to investigate the extra body part, but soon is fired for “officiously” showing her interest in the limb. Desiring to regain her reputation shattered by the spin-doctors, Tempe continues her investigation in spite of pressures from high officials in the state and threats to her life.
FATAL VOYAGE, the fourth Brennan tale, is a powerful thriller that brings to life the grisly side of forensics at a disastrous crash site without allowing the details to overwhelm a strong plot. The story line is exciting, but the tale belongs to the heroine whose feelings run the gamut of human emotion during the novel. Kathy Reichs has written a terrific novel that will send the audience seeking the previous Brennan stories that are also well written, but not quite as great as this one is.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner