Review: MORTAL REMAINS by Kathy Reichs

Over the past decade Kathy Reichs (herself an accomplished forensic anthropologist) and her popular heroine Tempe Brennan have leapt towards the head of the class when it comes to forensic thrillers, taking the baton from the likes of Patricia Cornwell and Kay Scarpetta. I have enjoyed several of her books over the years, such as FATAL VOYAGE, MONDAY MOURNING and DEADLY DECISIONS.

In the twelfth in the popular series, Tempe Brennan - who echoes her creator Reichs in that she regularly splits her anthropological duties between Quebec and North Carolina - finds herself following a puzzling trail to Hawaii after a body is discovered in a Canadian lake. The victim of an autoerotic effort gone wrong causes even more consternation when he’s identified as a man who apparently died in Vietnam forty years before. Bodies in Carolina and Hawaii add to the intrigue and muddy the waters, as it becomes apparent someone wants the past to stay well buried.

As well as taking the Brennan show on the road to Hawaii, MORTAL REMAINS continues the evolution of the will they-won’t they, on again-off again relationship between the heroine and Lt-Detective Ryan of the Quebec provincial police, complicated by the clash between each of their daughters. The evolution of the ongoing relationships will probably interest longtime Reichs fans, while they and those new to the author might both be a little underwhelmed by the mystery storyline, which although intriguing is rather 'one note' rather than layered.

There are some twists to the tale, some interesting medical anomalies, and some action-packed moments, but for me they didn't really add much depth, and it felt like Reichs had settled into cruise mode, much like her forensic predecessor Cornwell. The story unfolded, and was a reasonably enjoyable read, but there just didn't seem that much to it, plot or character-wise, or anything to really make it rise above the masses in the crime fiction world.

Overall I would say that MORTAL REMAINS is by no means a classic, but would still be enjoyably readable for Reichs fans.

3 STARS

Have you read MORTAL REMAINS? Do you intend to? What do you think (of the book or my review)? Comments welcome.