Fiction/Thriller
2021 Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrated by Steven Weber
Finished on October 2, 2021
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.
What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.
For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.
The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.
Enjoy the flight.
To be honest, I really wasn't expecting much from this popular thriller, in spite of several rave reviews by fellow bloggers. I listened to another airline drama (Before the Fall by Noah Hawley) in 2017, which was anticlimactic and disappointing. So, going into this new release, I was prepared for another mediocre story about a possible plane crash. I was wrong. Newman is a former flight attendant (and indie bookseller) and her experience shines through as she gives her readers a glimpse into the professional side of air travel. She does have a problem with stereotypes and the outcome is predictable, but I was fully engaged and enjoyed this exciting ride, nonetheless.
Steven Weber's audio performance is well done and I've added him to my list of favorite narrators. His smooth voice and accurate pacing reminds me of Scott Brick (the excellent narrator of Justin Cronin's The Passage trilogy). I was surprised and pleased to discover that Weber is one of three readers in my current audiobook, If It Bleeds by Stephen King.
I love that header - so pretty. I borrowed Falling on audio twice already from the library and never listened to it beyond first chapter - someday.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Diane! The waves were so big that day.
DeleteFalling was very entertaining on audio, but it's not great literature.
I have to admit that although I've read some reviews praising this book, I've had some of the same concerns you mention. After reading your review, however, I may look for this one.
ReplyDeleteJenclair, if you go into it just knowing that it's a somewhat light thriller, you might not be disappointed. It's definitely not great literature, but I was entertained.
DeleteI read this for its entertainment factor and was not disappointed. I felt that Newman's inside knowledge of air travel made it seem very realistic, at least the predicament part. Not so much the resolution.
ReplyDeleteTi, it was definitely entertaining. The ending was a bit over the top, especially the part around the baseball game.
DeleteI loved this book! It will probably be my #1 favorite of 2021!
ReplyDeleteVicki, I think you enjoyed this a bit more than I did, but it may wind up on my Top Ten list of the year. It was certainly entertaining.
DeleteI really enjoyed this one and thought her experiences as a flight attendant added to the authenticity of the story.
ReplyDeleteHelen, it would be interesting to listen to an interview with the author and hear how she came up with the idea. She certainly put me in the jump seat on that flight!
DeleteReading your reviews of mysteries and thrillers makes me wish that I enjoyed them! But I learned long ago that they're not good for my nervous system, LOL. (And if I read this one I would probably NEVER fly again!)
ReplyDeleteThen again, I sometimes enjoy psychological thrillers—I just recently read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and it was very good (and didn't keep me awake at night).
Laurel, since we haven't flown in several years (we took our last flight in 2016, I think) and we don't have any future plans to fly anywhere, I could go into this book without too much fear and concern that it would spook me.
DeleteFunny coincidence about The Silent Patient. It's been on my list for a long time and I just ordered a copy an hour or so before I saw this comment of yours! Glad to hear you thought it was very good. I'm looking forward to reading it!
I'd never heard of this one, looks like one I would enjoy so I will add it to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice comments about the trip to Omaha. What a cool thing that you'd been to Homers!
Tina, it was very entertaining! Glad you enjoyed your time in Omaha.
DeleteI can just see this being turned into a movie! I wasn't too sure about this but now I want to read it and given that I'm not getting on a plane anytime soon I guess it would be a good thing :)
ReplyDeleteIliana, I've always been a little bit of a nervous flier, but even so I think this book is a bit "Hollywood" and I wouldn't have been too scared to fly after reading it.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed this one. Who will play the lead role if it becomes a movie??
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm terrible at guessing the potential cast of books-to-movies. Haven't a clue on this one!
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