4 STARS

First, thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher: Double Day Books and the Author: Chris Bohjalian for the ARC of The Flight Attendant.

This book was a different kind of thriller for me. I'd categorize it as a slow burner thriller which honestly was not a bad thing, just a different change of pace. Funnily enough, I started and ended reading this book on a flight myself!

We start by meeting Cassie. She wakes up and realizes she's in another Man's room...again in another foreign country. She immediately feels shame and tells herself she's a mess and needs to stop doing this. Her memory is faint but she remembers bits and pieces about the plane ride there, where she meets someone named Alex and how she ended up getting to that hotel room that night. She hopes she can slip out and get back to her own hotel and get ready for her next flight however she's in for a big surprise when she's sees blood, lots and lots of blood on Alex and on herself. We continue to go through this journey with Cassie and the people around her. What happened that night? Who was there? Did Cassie do this? Who is Alex?

I think the best part of this book was about the last 10%. Honestly the ending got me good. I thought I had it figured out but I had no idea THAT is what would happen that's how this book earned the extra star from me, otherwise I would have give it a 3 star review. With a slow burner thriller I expect the book to not be full of twists and turns in most chapters, however I think throwing in some here and there would be good. I felt like the first 50% of this book was just Cassie freaking out. Yes, the mystery was definitely kept based on the ending but I feel like I may have needed a few more twists to keep me a tad bit more engaged.

The characters were hard to relate to just because I don't have the same lifestyle. The characters were good and certainly relatable to others, just not to me. I enjoyed learning through their perspectives though! I did however enjoy the humor of Ani. She was a great mix of professional and humor and I chuckled a few times throughout the chapters she was in.

Nevertheless, the author, Chris Bohjalian did his research throughly and I learned a lot about Dubai, Italy and even US laws.

I would say pick this up if you're looking for a slow burn mystery/suspense novel. Just keep in mind the twist comes at the very end but it definitely got me!

This book was terrific. It was thrilling and suspenseful would also tackling some tough issues. I felt so bad for Cassie the whole time even when she kept screwing up. I could barely put it down!

Decent thriller about a flight attendant waking up next to a dead man after a drunken night out overseas. She then lies to cover up her knowledge of it. Makes you wonder what you would do in a similar situation.

Chris Bohjalian does not disappoint.
An engrossing read with interesting characters who develop and
grow on you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Cassandra Bowden is a highly functioning alcoholic. She is a veteran flight attendant, and works international routes. She drinks to the point of blacking out, which I now understand is different from passing out. One morning in Dubai, she awakens next to a dead man, with spotty memories of what happened the night before.

While I read the book and finished it just to see what would happen, I never really felt all that invested in the story. Cassie’s entire life centers around drinking to excess and one-night stands. Same thing, day after day, from one country to the next. She rationalizes her drinking and, even after waking up next to a corpse, all she thinks about is drinking and picking up men. I’m thinking that would have changed my perspective a bit, so I found it hard to relate to her. The book seemed to plod along, and at the end it picked up the pace and there were a few twists I didn’t see coming, but it felt rushed. I liked the writing style, but the characters and the storyline were disappointing.

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police – she’s a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home – Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean-or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?

Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, of the giddy pleasures of alcohol and the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home.

My Thoughts: Cassie was a character I could empathize with, despite her flawed character, since anyone who has ever had too much to drink could picture themselves doing some of what Cassie did after the horror of her blackout evening. She doesn’t believe that she could have killed Alex…there have been no incidents of prior blackouts in which she had done anything even slightly violent.

But would anyone believe her? The fear of being held captive in Dubai kept her moving forward to get to her flight and return to the U.S. The intensity of those moments, the near misses, struggling to find a way to hide her presence in the hotel…these were the series of events that she had to get through before she was safe, and which kept me rapidly turning pages.

Even back at home, with the FBI interrogations and eventually with an attorney she hires, she is just putting one foot in front of the other and hoping to somehow get through it all.

An alternate narrative brings the character of Elena, a Russian woman somehow connected to the events of that night. Her thoughts, her plans…all add an element of mystery and suspense. An undercurrent of political intrigue and executions. As we follow Elena’s movements, we realize that she is not who she says she is.

When one considers all the grim possibilities, we realize that just getting back home will not necessarily protect Cassie, and I couldn’t stop reading, eager to find out what would ultimately happen. Unexpected twists and turns made for a hopeful denouement. The Flight Attendant reminded me that, while bad choices can change our lives forever, one can also change one’s own destiny. 5 stars.My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

Award-winning and New York Times Bestselling author, Chris Bohjalian, has released The Flight Attendant, a thriller. In this novel, Cassie Bowden, who is an alcoholic, wakes up from a alcoholic blackout after meeting up with a passenger and spending the night. The problem is that the passenger is dead - he has had his throat slashed - and Cassie is covered in blood. Rather than reporting the incident as she should have, she showers, wipes the room down, and goes back to the crew hotel. Unfortunately, she is caught on camera and now becomes a suspect in the passenger’s murder. Things get worse, since Cassie continues to drink, and she lies (she admits to being an excellent liar). Unfortunately, she is the subject of social media and her pictures are in the national newspapers. The assassin, a Russian woman named Elena, didn’t kill Cassie because she didn’t think it was necessary, and because she knew Cassie wouldn’t remember anything because of her intoxication. However, Elena’s handlers disagree with her judgment and send her back to murder Cassie.

One thing is certain, Bohjalian does his research. As a flight attendant myself, I was surprised to find that the information, lifestyle, and scenarios ring true; although most real-life flight attendants do not have such loose morals as Cassie Bowden, the little things, like what we do on layovers and how things are referred to on the airplane are right on. Bohjalian is an excellent storyteller, and develops his characters into believable individuals. He skillfully builds palpable suspense, and leaves readers having difficulty putting the book down.

His knowledge of the disease of alcoholism is also right on; sobriety isn’t what those unfamiliar with it believe, and Cassie is a classic alcoholic with the classic excuses and behaviors of someone who hasn’t yet hit rock bottom and isn’t ready to give up everything to become sober.
All told, The Flight Attendant is an excellent, edge-of-your seat novel written by an experienced author who gets his facts right. It is recommended for thriller aficionados who want to be entertained, as well as those who like to learn a little while reading. Of course the book is fiction, but the fictional characters interact with the FBI, Russian intelligence, the airlines, and others in true-to-life situations.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

It's solid, I didn't let much time sit between reading sessions. But I would say the same if I were reading James Patterson--what happened to the prose? Sorry, I just don't think this book is as lovely, word wise.

I have to admit that I approached this novel at the wrong time in my life. The world is gross and there's enough real world drama to keep me up at night without reading about it for entertainment. I probably should have picked up a fun, thoughtless read that would keep me entertained. Instead, The Flight Attendant was a slow build about an unlikable drunk who wakes up after a blackout one-night stand next to a dead body. She makes poor decision after poor decision until the climax of the story that just didn't work for me. Plus, that epilogue was lazy. It's part The Girl on the Train, part Russian political thriller, and all just not for me.

Setting this one aside for now. I adore Bohjalian's writing but cannot for the life of me slip into this. I think it's me, but will try again later.

The Flight Attendant tells the story of Cassandra (Cassie) Bowden; a flight attendant with a penchant for heavy drinking and bad decisions. The story opens with Cassie waking up in a hotel room in Dubai. As she slowly remembers the events of the previous evening, she realizes she's not in her hotel room but that of Alex Sokolov, one of the passengers on the plane. Cassie turns and finds Alex is dead. Did you she kill him? What follows next is slowly revealed by alternate narrators; Cassie and Elena, a Russian operative until the ending you won't see coming. Cassie would seem like the type of narrator you wouldn't want to like, but I found myself rooting for her, hoping she would make better decisions. What happens when you make what you think is a good decision and it ultimately ends badly? Fans of Chris Bohjalian will enjoy The Flight Attendant when it's released on March 13, 2018.
I received an advanced review copy from the publisher and NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

A story of alcoholic flight attendant who gets mixed up in a murder. This was a slower paced thriller than I'm used to reading, but I still really enjoyed it because it never seemed to go where I thought it was going. The ending surprised me, and I'm left with the urge to read some Tolstoy.

The Flight Attendant was great! I could not put it down. It kept me hooked right up until the surprise ending!

This story grabbed my attention right from the first page and never let up. Just imagine waking up one morning in bed with a man you barely know, who just happens to have his throat slashed! This is what happened to Cassandra Bowden, a flight attendant with a dangerous habit of drinking combined with promiscuity.

The story moves back and forth from Cassandra to the murderer, who is thought to be a woman named Miranda. Miranda is a bit of a mystery and I enjoyed seeing her story come to light as the investigation into the murder got underway.

The ending had a few surprises. Some may have been a bit too coincidental, but I loved it anyway. This thriller had sex (though not explicit), money, murder, Russian intrigue and family drama all rolled into one compelling story. I really enjoyed it!

Many thanks to NetGalley andDoubleday Books, Doubleday for providing me with an advance copy.

* I won this book off of Netgalley for my honest opinion*

Ehhhhhhh, I'm struggling with this book simply because it took so long for me to finish because it was so long winded and with words I had a hard time even pronouncing in my head. I feel like there was a lot of detail in the book that didn't need to be in the book.

The good stuff: it has the mystery and intrigue I like. The typical "who did it" type book but waiting for the person to get caught.
The bad stuff: soooooooooooooooo many details that weren't needed. A lot of words that were hard to pronounce, a lot of narrative about Russian spies, etc. And Cassie....ughhhh, I wanted to like her so bad. However, the constant drinking and lying was getting old! At some point, I wanted to yell at her to grow up!

SPOILER AHEAD:
Who was the father of Masha?! Was it Alex, Enrico, or Buckley?! I was not clear about that!

*I received this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading The Flight Attendant by Bohjalian. It was a little hard to get into at first, but after the first few chapters it really flew by! Truthfully, I found myself getting annoyed with the main character because she kind of sucked when it came to making decisions, but I think that's what the author was trying to do. Even though I was annoyed at Cassandra (the main character), I also related to her failing miserably at adulting. Overall it was a solid good book, I'd probably recommend this as a vacation read if you enjoy a good mystery.

I have never read any books by this author, but I may have a new person to add to my "must read" list. I found this book riveting, well researched, and highly entertaining. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, and is one of the rare books I plan to re-read to see if I can catch what I initially missed on the first read. This is an easy book to recommend, with confidence, as it will appeal to a large, varied audience.

Being a flight attendant always seemed like a glamorous profession. Even knowing that there is some bad parts, I always felt like the good outweighed the bad here. Until I met Cassie Bowden.

The Flight Attendant opened up my eyes to living with an alcohol addiction and a destructive behavior and constantly being in the public eye while trying to living a normal lifestyle. If only to feel normal while being sober until it was ok to drink again. This was a dark book wrapped up in thriller and suspense.

We meet Cassie as she is waking up soaked in blood that is not hers after a epic night of binge drinking and debauchery. The remainder of the book tells a tale of how she copes with this and when she should lie or tell the truth. Prone to blackouts and drinking too much, she can't trust herself and has no idea where to turn. Because she has no clue what has happened and if she is the killer or the innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The chapters traded off between Cassie and the woman who was trying to track her down. I was completely entertained with Cassie's sections of the books but found myself skimming a lot through the rest. If it wasn't for the those parts (I am intentionally leaving out more description for fear of spoilers), I would have given it an extra start, I think.

I've seen rumors that this is intended to be a movie, maybe a made for tv movie. I will be happy to watch it if it does come out on the big screen (or little screen).

This was an excellent thriller, full of tension and suspense! Cassie is a single, hard-drinking flight attendant in her late thirties who enjoys flings when she travels. Her fun ends when she wakes up next to a dead man in Dubai and can't remember what happened. Was he murdered, or did she accidentally kill him? The story is a true nail-biter, and I don't want to give away too many details. Highly recommended! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the preview copy.

THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT (2018)
By Chris Bohjalian
Doubleday, 368 pages
★★★★

It makes a difference when authors do their homework. By his own admission, Chris Bohjalian knew next to nothing about the following key elements in his latest novel: the daily grind and road life of flight attendants, the effects of severe alcoholism, weaponizing drones, or the contemporary world of espionage. But before he put fingers to keyboard, he knew a lot and it shows.

The eponymous Flight Attendant is Cassandra Brown and, if you know Greek mythology, you're aware that Cassandra is an unfortunate name with which to saddle someone. The unconventional "Cassie" knew from an early age she needed to get out of her hometown, but perhaps she fled her stifling hometown and dysfunctional family before she was ready for adulthood. The only life she's known since she departed is that of a rolling stone flight attendant with a major air carrier. Bohjalian takes us inside a lifestyle that sounds more glamorous than it is—long journeys with quick turnarounds, surly or sickly passengers, living out of a small suitcase, unpredictable scheduling, and airline-provided sleeping quarters that are more toward the former side of the budget versus luxury hotel spectrum. As for destinations, the best even an experienced attendant like Cassie can hope for is to "bid" a route and take her chances. Even that sometimes requires some bargaining: if you want to go to Rome, volunteer for a place you don't want to go, like Dubai. Women like Cassie are essentially airborne domestics in high heels.

We meet Cassie on the downward slope. She's still attractive, but is realistic enough to see that her job and Father Time have exacted a physical toll. She has a few "bid buddies" she's gotten to know, but even they are more concerned acquaintances than close friends. What they know, however, is that Cassie fills the voids in her life with casual sex and booze. Especially the latter, which is still another obstacle between she and her sister, a responsible mother who makes sure her kids are never alone with Cassie in the rare times she's at home. Cassie's life is thus a volatile mix of loneliness, flirtation, and alcoholic-fueled hook-ups. Her drinking isn't just foreplay—it's the sort that results in blackouts and waking up in the morning naked beside a man and not being sure if you had a good time or not.

On a flight to Dubai, she chats up 28-year-old Alex, a wealthy hedge fund manager and later that day, he slips her the key for his room in a hotel that's decidedly more posh than her digs. He's younger than Cassie's usual one-night stands, but also kinder and the night begins well. There are just three things that mar Cassie's libidinous evening: a short interruption when a woman calling herself Miranda visits—presumably to brief Alex on his meeting the next day. Things two and three are more problematic: she and Alex have great sex, but Cassie drinks until she blacks out. That's embarrassing, but the fact that she wakes up soaked in Alex's blood is a real problem. Dubai is not a place where you want to be discovered with a dead man in the bed beside you and a broken gin bottle on the floor.

Cassie doesn't think she killed Alex, but then she wouldn't be the best judge of that, would she? Fight or flight? Hey—it's called The Flight Attendant! Bohjalian spins a suspenseful thriller told from Cassie's befuddled point of view and Miranda's more clear-headed perspective. This is far more than your average whodunit, one that takes us into some of those other worlds mentioned in opening paragraph. Is Cassie a deadly drunk? Did she just get away with murder? Who was Alex? Miranda? Is anyone, Cassie included, who they seem to be?

Chris Bohjalian is an author I have long admired because, yes, he does do his homework. More than that, though, he knows how to build suspense without going Dan Brown unbelievable on his readers. He is particularly skillful at getting inside the heads of characters. That may sound obvious—he invents them, right? You try thinking like someone who isn't you. Now repeat in a different mindset. And again…. I won't pretend that The Flight Attendant is the new War and Peace, but it's a terrific page-turning mystery. The final pages are a tad contrived, but there's plenty here to keep you glued in your reading chair way past your normal bedtime. The Flight Attendant earns its wings.

Rob Weir

*This book flies on March 18. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.8