I am delighted to share my review today for Falling by T.J Newman. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging for my copy of this book from the publisher Simon and Schuster.

You just boarded a flight to New York.

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.

My Review…

When I saw the synopsis for this book I knew it was one that I wanted to read. I was so right about this book as I got a brilliant and adrenalin-fuelled psychological read from start to finish.

The first line of this book did it for me, what an opening line that was. That was the prologue, by the way.

the story is of Capt. Bill Hoffman, pilot of Coastal Airways flight from Los Angeles to New York. Not a scheduled flight for Bill, but an extra and one that his wife isn’t happy about him taking on. He should have been home, maybe if he was then the nightmare that ensues would not have happened.

When the plane is hijacked, it is Bill who is the only one on board that is aware of it. His wife and two children are not able to help as they have been kidnapped. His instructions are simple. Crash the plane or your family will die.

Once I started this book really couldn’t put it down. After the dramatic opening, the chapters that followed drew me further in. The author built an image of a family man who is loyal to his employers, who has a sense of duty and who has a sense of right and wrong. When his family are taken he has a choice, what his decision will be I will leave you to read and discover.

It is not only Bill but also Jo, Kellie and Big Daddy who have a part to play. They are flight attendants, Jo does have the larger role of the three. There is also a couple of key on the ground characters as well.
This gives a good around view of the event as it unfolds and gives differing perspectives as events unfold. Obviously, there is Bill in the cockpit, Jo and the crew with the passengers, the family, the kidnapper and also the FBI. While it may seem as there are many characters, they are introduced in such a way as they become memorable quickly.

The author, who by the way was a Flight Attendant brings her experience in the air to this book. There are little things that cropped up as I read that I didn’t realise. To be honest, I have never flown so it’s not like I am an expert, but there were times where I came across something that I was never aware of.

There are plenty of surprises along the way and several twists that I didn’t see coming. I did briefly give a passing thought about one person but then brushed that off! I do like how the author has used this scenario to try and exert pressure on the pilot. I mean, he is in the air but he can still control what happens to his family. But, what about the passengers on his flight, they are also his responsibility! Talk about a vicious circle!

I thoroughly enjoyed this adrenalin-packed roller coaster of a ride, or should I say flight! I am quite glad I like keeping my feet firmly on the ground after reading this book! It’s a fabulous debut that had me hooked and I think would be ideal for readers who enjoy a fast-ish-paced, psychological thriller. I would definitely recommend it.

About the Author…

T. J. Newman, a former bookseller turned flight attendant, worked for Virgin America and Alaska Airlines from 2011 to 2021. She wrote much of Falling on cross-country red-eye flights while her passengers were asleep. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Falling is her first novel.

Check out the other stops on the tour…

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