FATAL VOYAGE

This plane-crash whodunit written by a forensic anthropologist is chock full of information about blood samples, DNA-matching, bone fragments, and conversations revolving around expensive scientific equipment. Some of it works, but most of it doesn't. Narrator Kate Harper gets off to an abysmally slow start with pacing, characterization, and, at times, basic reading. She improves as the book progresses but never reaches a point where she grabs us and makes us want to learn more. To be fair, Harper has mediocre material to work with, and her husky voice has great emotional range and a fine sense of humor. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 03]