Fatal Voyage is the fourth Temperance Brennan novel by Kathy Reichs. This one starts a bit differently with Brennan getting pulled in to help when a plane crashes in remote woods of the region she works in. One of the first on the scene she rapidly connects with the local sheriff and starts cataloguing the site in preparation to sift for remains. Several hours later she is working in the woods just off-site when she finds a set of remains being mauled by coyotes. With the help of another responder she drives them off and saves the remains only to discover the other responder is Andy Ryan, someone she is not currently talking to. Though working on all of the remains she is also fascinated by this particular set of remains, even more so when she realizes the factors used for identification don’t match any passengers from the downed plane. Determined to investigate the origin of the remains she goes back to the crash site and ends up finding an extremely remote cabin that seems deserted from the outside. After a failure to gain entry she heads back to work only for things to start going wrong rather quickly.
I must admit this book is just as intriguing as the previous books in the series and definitely as enjoyable. Something I have noticed is a recurring theme for this series is the non-traditional framing of the story. The character works in forensics and alongside the police but the story often falls outside of role, at least partially. In this case, the mystery of the unidentified remains is framed by the plane crash which takes up equal focus in many ways. It helps to create a pretty unique feel for the series which helps it to stand out from other similar works. Honestly, I rather enjoy this feature as it makes for a nice change for the genre. I also like the character of Temperance Brennan as she is determined and stubborn and doesn’t seem to know when to give up or give in. Considering her line of work those are probably good traits to have and are actually pretty common ones for that field. However, what I also like is her fierce determination to do what is right for the victims even if that means putting herself in danger. I feel like that helps interject some humanity back into what could otherwise be a pretty gruesome and macabre story. The plot was probably the best part because it really just kept me guessing most of the time and I definitely did not see the ending coming, at least not large parts of it anyway. The story did a great job of pacing out the clues and reveals that kept you coming back to figure out the rest. It gets four out of five stars from me.
This is a great thriller with some elements of mystery so if that is something you enjoy you might consider trying it out. I know I said that it is part of a series but in many ways the series function almost as stand-alone so you could read this one without having read the previous ones and have only minor issues. However, to get the best character background I would recommend reading them anyway. As you may have gathered this book does contain some graphic descriptions of human remains and various related things so be prepared for that going in. There is also some minor violence and it picks up towards the end so be prepared for that as well. There is not much adult content to be careful of though so older teens, probably sixteen or older, could potentially read this as well if they are prepared for the content. Overall it was an enjoyable read so if it sounds interesting consider trying it. As always, think about sharing your thoughts in the comments if you do.