Helpful Score: 4
I've anticipated reading Falling, the debut suspense novel by T.J. Newman, ever since I learned the author is a former bookseller and flight attendant. This reading experience was everything I hoped for and more!
Premise: You board a flight from LA to NYC with 143 fellow passengers. Thirty minutes before the flight, your pilot's family was kidnapped. For his family to live, he must crash the plane and everyone on your flight must die. (paraphrased from publisher's blurb)
I was drawn in from the first page and connected with the main characters. I felt my anxiety rise while reading, and the plot unrolled like a movie in my mind. Every time I thought "Why doesn't the hijacker just _____?" the author provided a 'logical' answer. Ms. Newman's first-hand experience of the role, responsibilities, and training of flight attendants in our post-9/11 world was evident - I learned so much and have a greater respect for this position that involves far more than doling out drinks.
There were some aspects in the final quarter that felt contrived, but by that point I was all-in and eager to read the outcome of Captain Bill, his passengers and crew, and his family.
Thank you to Avid Reader Press for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.
Premise: You board a flight from LA to NYC with 143 fellow passengers. Thirty minutes before the flight, your pilot's family was kidnapped. For his family to live, he must crash the plane and everyone on your flight must die. (paraphrased from publisher's blurb)
I was drawn in from the first page and connected with the main characters. I felt my anxiety rise while reading, and the plot unrolled like a movie in my mind. Every time I thought "Why doesn't the hijacker just _____?" the author provided a 'logical' answer. Ms. Newman's first-hand experience of the role, responsibilities, and training of flight attendants in our post-9/11 world was evident - I learned so much and have a greater respect for this position that involves far more than doling out drinks.
There were some aspects in the final quarter that felt contrived, but by that point I was all-in and eager to read the outcome of Captain Bill, his passengers and crew, and his family.
Thank you to Avid Reader Press for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.
Helpful Score: 2
The action is non-stop in this book! I read it in a few hours, making it the perfect book to read on a plane.... muah ha ha ha ha!
Helpful Score: 1
What started as a routine commercial flight ends up a nightmare for Coastal Airlines Captain Bill Hoffman. Just thirty minutes into the flight from Los Angeles to New York, Bill receives an email. There is a picture of his wife and kids. Carrie is tied up and wearing a bomb vest. The children are beside her. The email instructions tell Bill that he has a choice. He can save his family if he crashes the plane. If not, his family will die. Bill is not allowed to tell anyone. There is someone on board who will ensure that he complies. Now Bill must figure out if he can save his family along with the 144 passengers on the flight.
Wow! I don't understand the mixed reviews on this book. Some people loved it; others hated it. There was one instance late in the book where I found myself rolling my eyes, but everything else had me totally enthralled. This is an edge of your seat thriller that felt like a movie that I would enjoy. (I just read that this book has been optioned. I definitely want to see this movie.) I listened to the audiobook narrated by Steven Weber who does an incredible job with the story. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Wow! I don't understand the mixed reviews on this book. Some people loved it; others hated it. There was one instance late in the book where I found myself rolling my eyes, but everything else had me totally enthralled. This is an edge of your seat thriller that felt like a movie that I would enjoy. (I just read that this book has been optioned. I definitely want to see this movie.) I listened to the audiobook narrated by Steven Weber who does an incredible job with the story. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a tense, action filled read start to finish. I felt a few things were over the top and not completely believable toward the end but it is a fast paced thriller.
Helpful Score: 1
GREAT thrilling first novel--kudos! Had me holding the edge of my seat.
