From the first page this book had me hooked. There were so many characters that could have been the "bad" guy, but in the end it was one you never saw coming. The characters were well defined yet not so much you could not use your imagination to fill in the blanks. The twists & turns this poor woman went through is amazing at what she survived & dealt with.

I highly recommend this book to any & all that enjoy a thriller/mystery. I can not wait to read more from this author.

I have learned to expect the unexpected from author Chris Bohjalian. And to always look for the surprise twist just when you feel you have the story figured out.

When I saw this book available through Net Galley I knew I had to read it. I love the stories that Bohjalian tells. The attention to detail is incredible. I always feel as if I can picture or feel what the characters are feeling or seeing. The story begins with Cassie waking up from a drunken blackout. She wakes, but does not open her eyes as she assesses the state she is in, as well as who she is with. To her horror, she finds in bed next to her, the dead body of the man she had spent the prior evening with. She is a female, American, on a layover flight to Dubai, and she is terrified she will be detained - and she cannot remember killing the man, but maybe she did? Calculating, she flees the hotel, manages to make her flight out of Dubai to Paris, then back home to the states, but at what cost?

The story is mostly of Cassie and her life and choices, and how she became who and how she is; a life full of one-night stands, and drunken excess, just like her father. There is something so likable about her, though. Her choices are terrible, yet she never really gives up on life. Something deep inside of her is determined to change her life, and to live a better life.

An excellent story of murder, intrigue and a little international flair. I am grateful for the opportunity to have read it.

Cassie Bowden is a binge drinker and she suffers from the occasional blackouts as a result. She also has a penchant for picking up men that she meets frequently on her flights for one night stands. On her recent flight to Dubai she meets an American man named Alex an American of Russian decent younger than she but very nice. The next morning when she turns over in bed she sees that Alex is dead. His throat was cut so thoroughly that his head is barely held on his shoulders. Cassie is in panic mode. Did she do it? Did someone come in and do it? Why did they do it and why didn’t they kill her too?
All these questions are answered in this searing fast-moving thriller. It’s a heart stopper.

A riveting international murder mystery that kept my attention throughout. Cassie is the flight attendant and she is obviously an alcoholic in denial and a party girl who sleeps around quite a bit. She flirts with a guy on the plane to Dubai and then hooks up with him for the night. She drinks so much she blacks out. When she wakes up the guy beside her is dead and there is blood everywhere. Does she call the police? No! She cleans up and goes back to her hotel and boards her next flight. What happens after gets into the investigation, a possible spy link and tension to see what unfolds next. The book was great, but I have some questions about the ending that I can't go into here since it would be somewhat of a spoiler.

This is the first book I've ready by Chris Bohjalian, but I will be reading some of this author's other books since I enjoyed this one so much.

Thanks to the author and Doubleday Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Thank you to Doubleday books for the free review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own. 

This book follows, Cassie, a flight attendant that wakes up in Dubai next to a dead man. She isn't sure how she got there, but she knows she didn't kill him.

This book was a thriller that, at times, had me on the edge of my seat. I was curious about how Cassie had questionable morals. Her character weaved with the back story helped me to want to see her become something more than she was. 

This book, in the beginning reminded me of a lot of novels that are being published right now. A drunk, unreliable woman is the narrator, and the reader is drawn into what actually happened because of the drunkeness causing blanks in memory. This was the part that I was more meh about; I want something original in thrillers, and it seems that it's becoming hard to do. 

The upside was that there was much more to the plot besides only a drunken narrator. It contained much more that helped draw me into the plot. I liked the two different points-of-view. It helped slowly give hints and insight towards where the novel was going. This novel brought in a subplot that I've never thought about or read about often and that helped keep me engaged. 

Happy Reading!

Caitlin

Fairly good read. Not my favourite of Chris Bohjalian's books. I do like how the main protagonist is so flawed. It's quite obvious that there has been a lot of research done about Flight Attendants, and I appreciated that. Certainly not a career I'd ever wish for! The premise of the book was very intriguing. I enjoyed most of the book, but it dragged a bit in the middle, and the ending was not at all to my liking. While you don't have to "like" or "love" any characters in a book to appreciate the story, I just found that my empathy level was almost nil where Cassie was concerned, and I found her to have few redeeming qualities, therefore I didn't really care too much what happened to her.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

My Review: 4 stars

The Flight Attendant is another unique thriller by Chris Bohjalian that sucked me right in from the start. This story was an exciting, yet slow-building burn. It emphasized characters in a way that the action of the plot seemed almost secondary. I was never on the edge of my seat, or lounge chair by the pool in this case, but by the end of the story, I was completely invested in this intricate mystery and had to find out who the culprit was.

Told in the alternating point of views of Cassie and Elena, who both share their sides of the story after the murder in question was committed, added a distinctive twist. With that said, we heard from Cassie much more than from Eleana. As a narrator, Cassie was ostensibly unlikable and unreliable. She was shallow, out of control with her drinking and seemed to keep digging herself into more problems than necessary. Thankfully, Bohjalian carefully balanced the line between unrealistic while possibly feasible.

The research the author did for this novel was impressive, and added a level of authenticity. I didn’t know a lot about the intricacies of airlines and flight attendants, including the details of flight routes, what goes on in between flights, flight bidding, etc. The complicated nature of international murder, which included the legalities of foreign laws, domestic laws and their many protocols, was a much-appreciated addition to the novel.

My only and very minor complaint about the story would be the epilogue. Throughout the entire novel you don’t feel as if Cassie has learned anything or experienced much character growth at all. So when you read the epilogue, it feels as if it belongs in a different book, with a different main character.

***Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT by Chris Bohajalian in exchange for my honest review.***

You can always count on well researched facts, multidimensional characters, attention to details and compelling plots from Chris Bohajalian. His gift for storytelling never lets readers down and why I gave this latest gem five stars.


I didn’t enjoy reading THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT and this may be the first time I gave five stars to a story wasn’t for me. Alcoholic Cassie, a true unreliable narrator, was her own biggest obstacle. But was she also a murderer? Can a person murder someone in an alcoholic blackout, clean herself up and remember nothing?

My early theory stuck with me until the epilogue, but I was wrong wrong wrong. I should have known Bohajalian was anything but predictable, that he would outsmart me.

I recommend THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT for readers who enjoy mysteries, unreliable narrators, foreign intrigue and literary fiction.

This novel starts off starts off at a breathless pace and rarely lets up. It ends with a taut, exciting finale as well.

Cassie Bowden is a flight attendant who doesn’t believe in moderation when it comes to alcohol and sex. When she wakes up in a hotel room in Dubai with a pounding headache and only some memories of the night before, she discovers the man she’d been flirting with on the flight over is dead beside her in bed. Blood is everywhere. She’s pretty sure she didn’t kill him. Why would she slit his throat? He seemed like a nice guy. Because she has gaps in her memory, she decides to catch the flight to Paris rather than find out how they deal with drunken women and possible murderers in Dubai.

The mystery and twists and turns make this a fun, exciting read. Even Cassie’s behavior is understandable. After all, alcoholism is an inherited disease, and she’s only like her father in that she drinks too much. Oh yeah, and doesn’t make great decisions. Some of her choices made me cringe, but people making bad choices is what makes for compelling thrillers.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Doubleday for the opportunity to review this book.

The cover and description of the book grabbed my attention....the intriguing life of a flight attendant combined with an exciting mystery/thriller. The beginning was good, and the ending was fantastic, but I got bogged down in the middle with details of Russian espionage. I just wanted to know what happened, then be done with it. This just wasn't the book for me, but I'm sure others will enjoy the international spy intrigue. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the book in exchange for a review.

This was my first Chris Bohjalian book and it definitely didn't disappoint. It reminded me of a slow-burning candle the way it read because in the end you wanted to know what happened to the very self-destructive main character. I was very interested in her story and didn't care to much about the political/spy antics but understand how that intertwined into the over all story, It was a swift read and appreciated the early e-copy.
Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday publishing for the advanced copy I received in exchange for my honest review.

Great author, great story. Enjoyable read. Loved all the details and interesting back story.

Flight attendant, Cassie Bowden is a hot mess. Really. She's a drunk, sleeps around and it's almost shocking when you read the book that she is even able to hold down a job. But even though she's a complete disaster, I didn't find her to be unlikable, just stuck in a terrible cycle. For pretty much her whole life since her troubled childhood from what I could tell.

So when she has a one night stand with a rich diplomat in Dubai of all places (evoking buried memories of Sex and the City 2) and wakes up covered in blood with his dead body next to her, it makes total sense that something like that would happen to someone like her. Best case scenario, someone murdered him while she slept off the night before beside him. Worst case? She killed him.

Under the circumstances and in a city like Dubai, Cassie has no choice but to slink away from the scene of the crime despite the fact she knows she will be identified and possibly be the main suspect. From there, the story really takes off.

The story unfolds from two narrators--Cassie and mystery one I can't reveal if I'm avoiding spoilers. The book itself falls into an International espionage, thriller category, which is new for Bohjalian's work. But I do think he pulled it off, and with flair! Because it's all the intrigue of a book like that but the writing and research to back it up. I read this one the week of Christmas and kept having to set it down, but was so happy each time I picked it back up. It's definitely a page-turner!

If you're in the mood for a thriller complete with murder and intrigue, or if you are a Chris Bohjalian fan, check this one out. It won't disappoint. It releases on March 13, 2018.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Cassie Bowen is a flight attendant who has a history of drinking too much and sleeping with too many men. After one of her one night stands she wakes up in a hotel room in Dubai. Lying next to her in bed is Alex Sokolov, the hedge fund manager she became friendly with on a recent flight. Alex is dead, his throat slashed, a broken liquor bottle nearby. Cassie doesn't think she would be capable of killing anyone but, she remembers very little about what transpired. If she didn't kill Alex, who did?

Russian spies, international intrigue and a few twists along the way. The story seemed a bit far-fetched at times and, I really disliked the main character - drunk or sober.

I had high hopes for this book as I've read every book that this author has written. The author certainly did his research and while the premise was promising, overall I was somewhat disappointed.

I generally love Chris Bohjalian's stories, but this one, being more of a thriller rather than a human interest story, did not resonate with me as his other novels have. However, I do think this will appeal to thriller readers. Just okay for me.

I’ve been a fan of Chris Bohjalian for many years…I think possibly Midwives was the first one of his that I read. Anyway, he has written a ton of good books, many of which had unique characters, settings, or situations. In addition to Midwives, I especially liked The Sandcastle Girls because I learned so much about the Armenian genocide while reading an entertaining story…and The Guest Room was another fave, for its tension and suspense while dealing with a social issue (human trafficking).

Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley, I received a copy of The Flight Attendant in exchange for my honest review – and it was great fun to read despite the ick factor that is the first thing the reader encounters.

Cassandra Bowden, aka Cassie, wakes up one morning in a hotel room in Dubai, painfully hung over, in bed with a man she just met the night before. Neither of these is rare for Cassie, whose life as an international flight attendant consists of episodes of one-night stands and binge drinking between flights. The difference this time is that the man is dead, brutally murdered, and the bed and Cassie are covered in blood. ICK!!! Not only does Cassie not know all the circumstances of how she ended up there, she isn’t quite sure whether she was the one who killed Alex Sokolov. She remembers meeting him on the flight, flirting with him, then agreeing to go out on the town in Dubai…but she has a(nother) blackout episode (a recurring event for her) and kind of freaks out. So she does what she often does: she lies. To her crewmates, to the FBI, to pretty much everyone. As the plot unspools, there are many questions about both people (was he a spy? Is this related to Cassies’s brother-in-law whose high-level security clearance has something to do with weapons of mass destruction? Who was the other woman in the hotel room?) and events (who killed him? Can Cassie trust her fellow flight attendants?)

The book is told with the alternating points of view of Cassie and that mysterious other woman, interspersed with interview reports as Cassie and others are interviewed by the authorities. The building of suspense is terrific, and I really couldn’t go to sleep til I had finished it. As usual for me, I didn’t guess the ending in advance (although I did have concerns and suspicions early on as I learned Cassie was not only a liar but a thief, getting gifts for family from hotels around the world). I really liked it, even though I went into it with my usual bias toward Mr. Bohjalian, expecting to love it. It didn’t disappoint – five stars.

As one reviewer posted, you never know what you'll get when you read Chris Bohjalian. I read this book right after reading The Sleepwalker, very different.

The plot hooked me right away. Cassie Bowden, flight attendant/ alcoholic, wakes up next to a dead guy. Of course that hooked me! Bohjalian's writing was quick paced enough for me to keep reading until the end. What I didn't like about the book was Cassie's character. I wanted to scream at her idiocy! I felt like this character's personality was too annoying for my taste. I'm not a writer, and I'm sure the author meant to portray Cassie this way, being the hot mess she was. Yes, it was suspenseful and kept me interested, but I think if I hadn't received the book in exchange for a honest review I would've stopped before the end. I probably should've have read something else before reading this book instead of right after his other book

Great suspense novel. If you liked the Woman in Cabin 10 or Girl on a Train, this is a much better rendition of the breathtaking suspense thriller. I am a bit tired of the neurotic or addicted female protagonist, but at least Bohjalian's character, Cassandra Bowden, is empathetic, while I really could not relate to the characters in the other mentioned novels. Bohjalian has a gift for writing realistic novels that are carefully researched and structured. I recommend you read all of his novels as no two are alike. I love his stories, and his gift for connecting the reader to his characters' experiences. He is an excellent author. This is a fast paced suspenseful thriller with a twist. ENJOY!

Cassie has been flying the friendly skies since she finished college. It was a way to escape her small Kentucky life, the loss of her parents and guilt of her younger sister being placed in foster care. She is pretty and a flirt, an excellent flight attendant. She is also a functioning alcoholic and as the years have passed the forgotten nights and strange hotel beds aren’t as sexy as they once were. Cassie is on a coveted flight to Dubai, and a very handsome younger man is in her section. On arrival she has dinner with him and ends up back at his hotel. But when she wakes in the morning he is not moving, there is blood everywhere, Cassie remembers nothing. At that moment Cassie has quick decisions to make. Choices that will change the trajectory of her life forever. Who is this man? What will she tell her coworkers? Why was she spared? Much like a spy, like an actress, binge drinkers are great liars because there are always blank spaces and situations that don’t make sense. So begins her parade of stories, one lie leading to the next. She must appease her crew, get rid of the broken bottle, her stained purse and convince her sister she is nothing like their father. The story snowballs. Cassie is front page news. The FBI, the CIA, the Union, her lawyer - all want to know. The deeper the web weaves the less people Cassie can trust. Because in the end - who is really going to believe a drunk anyway? This heart thumping suspense all rolled up into one giant wave of words that keeps crashing on you over and over. Unexpected twists and turns at every corner with a main character you find yourself unexpectedly rooting for. Bestselling author Chris Bohjalian has done it again. You are going to LOVE this one!

The beginning of The Flight Attendant starts off strong with an intense beginning when the main character Cassie finds herself in a Dubai hotel room hungover and finds the man she had been with dead, but she has no idea who he really is or why he would be murdered. Cassie is a flight attendant whose drinking finally catches up with her as she tries to figure out why the man is murdered and has to defend herself as she becomes a suspect. The self-loathing Cassie is frustrating as she makes a series of questionable decisions and the book's foray into Russia and spies lacks substance . Overall, both the characters and the plot lack depth and the book ultimately falls short as a thriller.