Coal - Kathy Mattea

Advantages: Lovely Smell
Disadvantages: orange soap and it smells

...This is one of many soaps that now is currently in my bathroom and this once is the only one that my husband will use. Now I have spent over two hours yesterday and today trying to find out a nice little story to tell you about this family soap but infact about 30 minutes ago I managed to find out who now actually makes and owns the brand. In 1860 a family called Wrights came upon this idea of making coal tar soap. It stayed within the family industry for years and was eventually made by Smith and Nephew (by the way I still thought they made it today) but after hours of surfing the net, apparently this was one of the products that was bought by a company called Accantia. So sorry folks, my nice little family industry has turned into a multi million production line. Oh well never mind. The soap wrapping is orange in colour and has... Read review

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Advantages: A fanstatic read
Disadvantages: None

...Kathy Reichs has been described as "another Patricia Cornwall." This is unfair on Kathy Reichs because, unlike Patricia Cornwall, Kathy Reichs is a real forensic scientist. Because, after all, Patricia Cornwall only ever typed up the notes of a forensic scientist, whilst working as a secretary in a pathology laboratory. In Monday Mourning the skeletons of three young girls are found in the basement of an old building that is currently a pizza parlour. Yet a mysterious 'phone call from an old lady soon tells Tempe Brennan (the forensic anthropologist heroine of Kathy Reich's novels) that the building was not always a pizza parlour. Some years ago it was a very different type of a parlour. With a rather unsavoury reputation. Detective Luc Claudel dismisses the three skeletons as historic and of no interest to the police. But Tempe... Read review

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Advantages: Constantly poses questions to the reader...
Disadvantages: ...The ending didn't quite 'do' it for me

...To be perfectly honest Fatal Voyage - in my humble opinion at least - was Kathy Reichs worst offering thus far. I am a big fan of Kathy Reichs and believe that - usually - she leaves other similar authors, i.e. Patricia Cornwell standing. With Fatal Voyage however it might just well have been written by Patricia Cornwell, the plot and characters seem a little too 'samey' for my tastes. I wouldn't however totally discount Fatal Voyage, it does have it's gripping moments though unfortunately these were too few and far between to keep any suspense going throughout. The denoument was a complete dissapointment, it's almost as if the first 449 pages were geared for a big climax, posing quiestions throughout and causing the reader to question themselves about just what is actually happening. Then on the final page to finally 'clear... Read review

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