Review: Fatal Intent By Ryshia Kennie
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 31, 2013
My Take on this Journey:Fatal Intent takes you to the jungles of The Borneo Rain Forest.  The scenery is described as, "...Trees grew on trees, vines twisted through low-growing plants and climbed upward, seeming to cling to every living thing before reaching the tips of massive trees that grazed the sky as they formed the forest's canopy."  (EARC, 190)  As you can see, the descriptions throughout the book that, Ms. Kennie creates, are beautiful.  They put you right in the middle of the rain forest.  When I saw the cover of this book, I was drawn to the sexy passionate cover at first glance.  I was looking forward to a fiery romance.  Though it was not the main focus of the book, there was still a relationship that slowly developed into romance, and love.Garrett, the main female character in the story, has her doctorate in Entomology.  Her father is a part of the board at the university that is funding an expedition into the Borneo Rain Forest in the jungle.  She is the only woman going on this trip, (the team lead) with 4 Entomologists, all scientists that are males. They are assigned to a guide, named Malcolm, who is beheaded and thrown down the river in the beginning of the book.  This story centers on the death of Malcolm, and the investigation of who is responsible for this horrendous death.There are many suspects throughout the book, from Chinese Poachers to Headhunters. Garrett is very serious about her field work, and wants to prove she can find an unclassified farming beetle, with a colony.  To make her career a success, she must keep her expedition from failing, due to the ongoing investigation.  She worries that there may still be a murderer out there, and the murderer might be coming after them next.  This novel has a lot of twists and turns.  There is conflict, and chaos among the scientists on this long, arduos journey.Aidan is the stepson of Akan, one of the elderly tribal administrators, who make decisions about all the serious problems that occur in their domain.  Aidan is educated, and is an investigator that lives in the city, though he always returns to the rain forest, whenever possible, to find his Zen.  He is versed in all aspects of the Iban tribe, since he was a boy, and has keen senses, and intuition.  Garrett and Aidan meet in the Rain Forest, and they are constantly locking horns at the beginning.  They form an attachment, as Aidan helps her and her group to safety.  Their relationship takes on a life of its own, until the attraction is undeniable.I thought this book had a great amount of information, intrigue, interaction between characters, and insight.  I would recommend this book to readers that love a good mystery, and love story combined.  The characters were well-rounded, and there was a well developed plot.  I loved the main characters, and the secondary characters were very crucial to every aspect of the storyline.I give Fatal Intent, 4 Spear-Headed, Rapid River Riding, Zen Searching Stars!