Falling
By T.J. Newman
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 9781982177881, July 6, 2021, 304pp.
The Short of It:
Lots of hype over this book!! Turned down 41 times before getting published, I can happily tell you that it’s the page turner you want right now.
The Rest of It:
There are 143 passengers on board headed to New York. What they don’t know is that their pilot’s family has been kidnapped and unless he brings the plane down according to the orders he’s been given, his wife and two children will be killed.
Captain Bill Hoffman decides right then and there, that they will NOT kill his family and he will NOT crash the plane. Although he’s told not to alert his crew, he doesn’t see how it can be avoided. He owes it to the passengers to have every chance at survival that they can have.
What a ride.
What you will notice right away is that there is an air of authenticity to the story and that’s probably because T.J. Newman spent years as a flight attendant. The attention to detail puts the reader right on the plane with those passengers. You are in the galley, in the jump seat, scrambling through the cabin trying to save lives. It’s riveting.
Some of the story may not seem plausible but at the same time, given limited means, it’s what the average person would do in that same situation. The last quarter of the book gave me high blood pressure and I could not put it down.
This is what you want in a thriller. Characters you care about, a fast pace, a seemingly impossible situation. It’s good. Throw this in your beach bag and you won’t leave the beach until you’ve turned the last page.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
Somehow I messed this one but, it does sound good. I may request it from the library. Glad you enjoyed it.
My husband and I raced through Falling.A really chilling read will make a good movie.Perfect beach reading.
I’ve seen some poor reviews for it. Mostly about the writing but for me, it was a page-turner and exactly what I wanted it to be.
This sounds pretty intense. We haven’t been on an airplane since 2016 and neither of us has any desire to fly anywhere for a long while. So, I think it’s safe for me to read this and not get totally paranoid about flying. 🙂 Great review, Ti!
I haven’t flown since my daughter was four so that is 13 years!! And here I am about to get on a plane in August. I stayed up to read it and then couldn’t sleep because the adrenaline was coursing through me.
This one has been on my wish list since I first read about it. Someday! Loved your review; it just solidifies my desire to read it.
Thanks!! It is pure entertainment so when you read it, keep that in mind. What a tense read!
Chaucer’s is having a virtual event with this author this coming week and I hope to attend. This book sounds so good!
Oh!! Yes!! Attend if you can.
I hadn’t heard of this book before now. I know, I am woefully out of the loop. I’m putting this on my TBR list.
This is on my list. Today I decided to add An Elderly Lady to my DNF list. After reading your thoughts I’m going to put the book I had planned on starting tomorrow aside and start this.
Oh good. Falling is a nice, quick read too.
I hate flying, so I know this book would make me a nervous wreck, but I still want to read it!
I debated the timing myself because I am getting on a plane in August and haven’t been on a plane in like 13 years. 😳
I have this on my kindle from Net Galley, and I am glad to read your praise. So often “thrillers”, are anything but. It seems the same story gets retold in various forms, but surely her experience does lend it an authentic hand. Thanks, Ti.
If you read it for the entertainment value then you will be okay. It’s not lit fiction by any stretch of the term.
Sometimes, we just need a light escape read!