The River by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

great characters, tons of action, cool technologyby dennis_batchelder

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December 06, 2008: Michael Crichton fans will enjoy a ride on THE RIVER: like Crichton, Cheryl Tardif's suspense/near science fiction is all about what happens when you mix way-cool technology with bad people.

Biotechnologist Dr. Lawrence went missing on a northern Canadian river trip seven years before. His anthropologist daughter Del is surprised when one of his traveling companions drops two bombshells: Lawrence is still alive, and bad guys are after him. He gives Del some clues to help her find her father, and this sets her on a quest to find her father and neutralize the bad guys.

And that's the setup to the guts of the story: the quest turns into a river trip with a set of well-developed characters, all carrying their own emotional baggage and conflicts with them to this northern Canadian river. And when Del arrives, Tardif feeds us geeks with references to nanobots, time travel, and the chase to find an elixir of life. Del's romantic adventures are fun and full of conlicts, and the ethical dilemmas are presented and handled well.

I found THE RIVER to be a great mix of adventure, suspense, romance, and technology, and I can't wait to read more of Tardif's works.

Hang on for the ride of your life!by Fonsecat

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November 16, 2008: Having moved on seven years after her missing father is assumed dead, Delia Hawthorne ?Del? is visited by an aged stranger. Convinced the man is deranged, Del calls security to have him removed from her university classroom. ?Delly it?s me? he says. And though it can?t be, it is. He is professor Schroeder, a colleague gone missing with her father so many years earlier, only he is much older than he should be. Schroeder tells her that her father is still alive and hands over a coded journal just before collapsing unconscious.

At the hospital, Del learns that Schroeder is suffering from a rare form of Progeria ? a rapid aging disease. He will soon die and no one knows what has caused his condition. Jake Kerrigan, a research specialist for Bio-Tec Canada, the same company Del?s father worked for, is brought in to consult.

Convinced by Schroeder and his journal that her father is still alive, Del decides to retrace her father?s footsteps by traveling to the mysterious Canadian South Nahanni River ? a river shrouded in legend and known for the occasional headless skeletons discovered along its banks.

Del, her ex-boyfriend, Jake Kerrigan, and a cadre of others led by their Dene guide travel and sometimes battle the beautiful and treacherous Nahanni River. Taming the river while searching for her captive father is exhausting . Add to this Del?s exacerbation of her Multiple Scelorsis and the journey is emotionally and mentally taxing. This may be why I found Del?s frequent romantic and lustful thoughts regarding Jake somewhat out of place given the situation.

In the second half of the book, the team find the hidden location of Del?s father. Without giving away too many plot surprises, this section reminded me of a cross between James Bond?s ?Dr. No? and a more recent movie ?The Island?. There is the hi-tech bad-guy lair controlled by a nefarious conspiratorial organization looking to gain the ultimate control over human life.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif?s description of the Nahanni expedition is exceptional, demonstrating her considerable research and command of this remote Canadian region. ?The River? is a wonderful adventure. Readers will not be disappointed in what could be the ride of their lives.

I Also Recommend: Dr. No, The Time Cavern.