Falling

Format:
Audiobook

Publisher’s Synopsis:
You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are 143 other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that 30 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.

Point of view:
3rd person. Multiple perspectives.

Rellim’s Thoughts:
This is a solid listen if you’re looking for a stand alone thriller. However, it was incredibly overhyped. It’s not that it’s bad – it’s just an average, enjoyable Summer popcorn movie-esque storyline. The plot was somewhat predictable and as the book continued it lost some steam by having numerous over-the-top events that bordered on tedious rather than gripping. Two dream sequences as well as intermittent past-memory to present pulled me out of the story rather than adding to it.

I liked that there wasn’t a single “hero” and that flight crew, passengers, FBI, air traffic control, and even family all had a hand in the successful thwarting of terrorists and landing of the plane. Newman’s background as a former flight attendant gave a unique focus to all the behind-the-scenes operations of a flight.

Overall, a good listen – but I’m glad I borrowed it from the library.

Note: There are some troublesome stereotypes that left me uneasy as well. It’s a bit of a spoiler – but there’s a thoughtful examination by bookedinadvance on Instagram that’s worth checking out.

Narration:
I enjoyed Steven Weber’s narration, but didn’t find him as dynamic as other narrators. For a thriller, his delivery of emotional scenes left a bit to be desired. I would be willing to listen to him again in another genre though.