Fatal Voyage - Tapa dura

Once again forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan is thrust into the centre of the action. This time set in America rather than Canada, the story focuses on a catastrophic plane crash. Caught travelling to a lecture, Tempe has to divert to the crash scene and report for business. Treading her way through the fragments of the crash site and what were once human beings, she strives to bring names to the remains to ease the victims families pain. During a respite from the traumatic findings she comes across a severed foot which she initially assumes comes from the crash. However, tests back at the morgue reveal the foot pre-dates the crash and opens up a whole can of worms for both Tempe and the people who want the matter hidden.. And so begins a story of secret societies, missing persons and forest hideaways, political intrigue and personal vendettas. Intermingled with the enquiry into the plane crash, the two stories twist and turn till the climactic ending in true Reich style. Tempe's complicated personal life simmers in the background, giving a human side to this gently self-mocking, professional woman. Reich's spine-tingling tension eventually emerges, with a tight, expert finish that will keep the reader both enthralled and in suspense till the final page. Written with Reich's personal experience of forensic pathology, the story is given the ring of veracity which makes this an even more compelling read. - Lucy Watson

When a plane crashes high in the mountains of North Carolina, Tempe Brennan is one of the first on the scene. As a forensic anthropologist for the state, she serves on the region's disaster response team. The task that confronts her is a sad and sickening one. Putting normal life on hold, she and her colleagues must painstakingly identify the victims. A chance discovery concerns her: a severed foot, well away from the main crash site. A deserted house close by is buried so deep in the woods that locals claim to know nothing of its existence. And her examination of the foot throws up more questions than it answers. Before she can make any progress, an anonymous accusation is levelled against her. Tempe must fight to save her professional standing. But she fears that, air tragedy aside, another corpse lies somewhere in the woods. Pitting herself against a conspiracy of silence, Tempe is determined to bring justice for her mystery victim...