A former flight attendant brings her experience to a gripping novel

I just finished former flight attendant T.J. Newman’s debut novel Falling, from 2021. It’s a thriller that she is able to bake her professional experience into making more of the technical aspects of flying a plane part of the story.

Falling tells the story of Bill, a pilot who is called to work unexpectedly and his family is then kidnapped. He is given the choice of crashing the plane with about 200 people or his family being killed. It turns out another kidnapper is on board and they are seeking revenge for people in the U.S. not caring about the constant misery their Middle Eastern country has endured. The side story is that Theo is a renegade FBI agent who is the nephew of Jo, the endangered plane’s lead flight attendant.

It’s a gripping page turner, much of which I somehow read on planes. It’s also far from intellectual, but if you like action-adventure, this has lots of twists and turns and is a fun choice for you.

3.5 out of 5 stars