I should have known by looking at the cover blurb from James Patterson: “The best kind of thriller,” he asserts. I don’t know about you, but I think James Patterson has been writing the worst kind of thrillers for decades. He’s not even writing most of them by himself these days.

Nevertheless, the hype for this book was off the charts. Studios outbid each other for movie rights. The book itself? An intriguing premise that feels like it was written by a Twitter bot. For no clear reason, a pilot’s family is taken hostage and the kidnapper has just one demand: crash the plane and his wife and children go free.

That’s all I’ll give you without spoiling it, should you dare to read it. Do you know how people say the book is always better than the movie? Here’s a case where I guarantee the movie, which hasn’t even been filmed yet, will be better than the book.

They don’t come any more exciting than this. Read in one sitting, could not put down. This will make one heck of a movie. The perfect summer novel

Falling is a unique take on a hijacker situation, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This fast-paced read would actually be perfect for a long flight, for someone with a strong stomach. The author’s first-hand knowledge and research into the backstory details of the lived experience of a flight crew and their families is impressive. Some spelling mistakes were unfortunate - alright is not a word - but overall I found this to be a well-written and compelling read. Thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for an advanced egalley in exchange for a candid review.

First, let me say I enjoyed reading this book. I stayed up way to late to read, hating to put it down. There were enough plot twists and turns to hold my interest and keep me wondering how everything would be resolved.

That said, some of the action sequences seemed to be written more for the screen than for print. There was an exciting sequence wherein one of the protagonists seemed to defy all odds to get to a place of import. And therein lies the problem. The actions of this minor hero were just too unrealistic to be even remotely believable. In addition, the villains do things wholly unrealistic for terrorists.

The author is knowledgeable about airline and aircraft operations. This greatly contributed to the crafting of interesting dialogue and creative problem solving by the flight crew. She would have done well to become better versed in law enforcement operations. While the actions of the flight crew were believable, those of the FBI agents were not.

Still, if you can suspend some disbelief, you find this to be a fun and diverting read.

Disclosure: I was provided the ebook edition for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Libro.fm, Simon Audio, and AvidReaderPress for the gifted book!

There is a good reason this book has had bookish people buzzing all summer. It is excellent. It is a thriller with heart. It makes you put yourself in the situation and wonder how creative and brave you can be. The plot grabs you from the takeoff and takes you on a wild ride until landing the conclusion perfectly and poignantly. If you are at all interested in this book, read it.

Content Warning: Violence, Kidnapping, Death, Cursing (mild)

Falling, by T.J. Newman has been on my NetGalley shelf for a while, and to be honest, I do not remember requesting this book. Nevertheless, enjoying a rare day off I decided to dive into this one earlier today and, holy crap, this book is a non-stop roller coaster ride! A pilot, Bill Hoffman is flying from L.A. to New York when he gets an e-mail from his wife. But when he opens it, he sees a photo of his wife, Carrie, sitting alongside their two children and she is wearing a vest covered with explosives. Soon he realizes that Sam, the man at their home this morning that was there to fix the cable, is actually a terrorist and wants Bill to crash the plane.

Bill is on the flight with a young copilot Ben, two seasoned flight attendants, Jo and "Big Daddy,' and a brand-new flight attendant named Kellie. He's got a place full of passengers, a terrorist has his family, and he's instructed not to inform anyone about the situation. What does he do? He tells Jo. And guess what? Jo's nephew is with the FBI. Too easy? Maybe, but I was completely addicted from the beginning. 

Told from alternating points of view, Falling is narrated by Bill, Carrie, Jo, and her FBI nephew Theo. Bill is obviously faced with the biggest internal and external conflicts being forced to choose between his family dying and safely landing the plane. Carrie is trying to hold her shit together with her ten-year-old son and ten-month-old daughter, all while wearing explosives and watching Sam communicate with her husband via e-mail and video chat. Jo, who has been flying forever is bound and determined to maintain the cabin and her passengers' safety without causing complete mayhem with the passengers. And Theo, who has already screwed up several times and is basically on probation, is trying to convince his higher-ups that his aunt is a flight attendant on a plane that has basically been hijacked. Literally, nothing is going well for anyone. 

Let me say that, enjoyment of this novel requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. Yes, I sort of chuckled and rolled my eyes a few times, but think of any plane emergency movie - yes, things happen that are completely impossible, but we enjoy them anyway. This book is a thriller and is meant to be treated as one. It's not going to change your life, but for those looking for a great thriller that's a quick read, this is it. 

Regardless of my praise, I do have a tiny bit of criticism. Suspension of disbelief or not, there is a World Series scene that was just too much. Luckily it didn't happen early on or I may have wondered about this one. Secondly, I hated the last few pages. Without spoilers, obviously, there was political motivation behind the hijacking, but I saw no need to include what I felt was bashing and a call to action. Don't get me wrong, I will talk politics and foreign policy with you all day long (and love it) but when I'm finishing up a fiction thriller, it just sort of bugged me.

Nevertheless, this is a good one for an afternoon escape if you love action/thrillers!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What would you choose, your family or the lives of over one hundred under your care?

This is the dilemma Captain Bill Hoffman of flight 416 is confronted with.

His wife and his two kids have been taken hostages by a terrorist and unless he crashes the plane when he is told, they won't survive the day.

Bill is told he can't contact anyone, he can't say anything to Ben, his copilot. He can't share his news with the Crew either or his family is gone.

What to do?

Falling has an excellent premise to trap you and ensnare you all the way through.

I could feel the tension in the cabin. The desperation and fear of the passengers and the determination of the Crew which by the way had a fantastic characterization. Bid Daddy, Jo and Kellie are the crew you want to have in a situation like this other than Bill or Sully Sullenberger for that matter.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Avid Reader Press / Simon Schuster via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Falling by T.J. Newman is a suspenseful thriller about airline pilot Bill Hoffman who is called in on his off day to fly 143 passengers from Los Angeles to New York City. This unexpected work assignment interrupts Bill’s plans with his family. However, as he leaves the house, a cable TV guy shows up with work to do. The cable guy then takes Bill’s wife and two children hostage and sends Bill an email that he will kill the family unless Bill crashes the plane. The novel is an action-packed story full of emotions. I can see this novel becoming a movie. Thank you, Net Galley, for this ARC.

So this story has pretty much everything you could ask for in a suspense novel: heart pumping action, a do or die choice, and no shortage of excitement. This really boils down to one simple question, if your family were in danger and your only option was to crash a plane full of passengers to save them, what would you do? That is the scenario facing veteran pilot Bill. In a post 9/11 world with top of the line safety features, no one could have predicted a pilot’s family would be taken and used as leverage. This story sets off like a rocket and just doesn’t stop till the very end. A definite thrill ride. Review posted to Facebook, Litsy, LibraryThing, Amazon and Goodreads.

The premise of Falling by T. J. Newman is simple: a pilot must crash a plane full of innocent passengers or a terrorist will kill his family.

The novel succeeds as a quick summer read that is easily finish-able in a few sittings, but for me, after a promising start, the plot twists become more and more unbelievable and the characters (both good and bad) start making implausible choices that only seem to advance the story.

Although Bill and Carrie are main protagonists, and we get a few flashback scenes of how they met and fell in love, they both seemed very one-dimensional and only served to move the plot along. (However, Jo – the veteran, motherly flight attendant – was the most fleshed out and sympathetic character, and I looked forward to her chapters the most)

Falling was a decent read that will make a better popcorn-movie (which is already in the works) than a memorable thriller I was hoping for based on all the hype.

On an ordinary day, you would want Captain Bill Hoffman to pilot your plane. He’s experienced, unflappable, and honorable. But today is no ordinary day. This morning, a terrorist kidnapped his wife and two children and ordered him to crash his aircraft. Otherwise, his family will be killed. Bill is determined to find a way out. So is Carrie, his wife. But the terrorist has planted failsafes, and no one is to be trusted.

I’m not at all surprised that publishers had a bidding war for this manuscript or that movie studios intensely bid on the movie rights. HOSTAGE by T.J. Newman is a perfect thriller. The action begins on the first page and doesn’t let up, while the characters are compelling and sympathetic. I couldn’t put it down! Perspective shifts among Bill, Carrie, Jo (a flight attendant), and Theo (an FBI agent), all of whom demonstrated stalwartness and quick-thinking. That Newman herself was a flight attendant gives the book added authenticity.

For a fast-paced, entertaining read, definitely pick this up… but maybe not if you are soon to board a plane!

What a thrill ride. I love that the author uses her experience as a flight attendant to write such a well informed aviation thriller. Fast read, highly recommend.

A hijacked plane with a pilot on board that is given a choice between his family and his flight. The story is thrilling. There are parts that are unbelievable. I'm sorry but a wife's plea would never stop the president of the United States from shooting down a rogue plane. And when things like that happened it made me roll my eyes. The bad guys are typecast, from a country in the Middle East where the U.S. has done them wrong. Get in line for that one.

What?! Is this a debut? This was an adrenaline filled knuckle biter from start to finish. Love the premise. A pilot is given an ultimatum: crash the plane or his wife and two children get killed. There's no taking down the terrorist as he's on the ground with the family and has eyes and ears on the plane. Who can be trusted and who is the mole? How can our trusted pilot stand firm in his position when his hands are tied? Can the passengers put their faith in him? Will the authorities be able to thwart the kidnapper's aim with a minimal loss of life? So glad I read this one with my two feet firmly planted on the ground.

A fun fast paced thriller that keeps you engrossed and engaged throughout. I personally have a soft spot for thrillers surrounding airports and/or planes, and this one does not disappoint.
The cover itself is beautiful and enticing, immediately captivating and preparing you for the journey within.
Incredible debut for TJ Newman, I will be sure to keep an eye out for her future releases!

Falling is going to be A huge blockbuster of this summer and and definitely a guaranteed tense movie to follow. It is extremely adrenaline-packed. This thriller is FABULOUS! Bill was called in to cover for another pilot. He did not know he was taking part in a terrorist plot against his family and also, everyone on board the commercial flight. He receives an email detailing what he needs to do including crashing the plane with 143 souls on board OR his family will be killed. To make matters worse, there is another terrorist on board ensure that he followed the orders. This is a well-written story by a great author who makes you love, care about, and feel sorry for the enemy and the victim! I read this book super fast because I was literally dying to know what happened!!!! It was well written and kept me on the edge of my seat! Do not miss this amazing thriller!!!!

✈️ What Goes Up Must Come Down, But Not Always in One Piece ✈️

“The plane vibrated violently and the floor began to buckle. Bill could feel everything shifting beneath him; he wondered if the airframe would hold. He wondered how much time they had.”

Pilot Bill Hoffman’s Chief phones him last minute to cover his flight at Continental Airlines as a personal favor. He knows he’s going to disappoint his son, Scott, by missing his Little League Season Opener Game but when duty calls what can you do? So he packs his bag and sets off to Los Angeles International Airport for a routine that is all too familiar. Only this time, everything is about to go wrong.

Before he leaves the comfort of his home, his wife; his two small children he spies a man that is there to fix their cable. The second that Bill shuts the door, that same repair man will pull a gun on his family & kidnap them. The only way that they can be saved? If Bill crashes the plane & takes all 149 souls down with it.

Will Flight 416 go down in history as being a devastating massacre of innocent passengers & crew or will Bill, First Officer Ben & their flight team be able to figure a way out of such dire circumstances while also saving his family from harm?

Flight time to NY: 5 hours, 24 minutes. The countdown starts now...

“Your refusal to cooperate has forced my hand, it’s time for Plan B.”

A pulse-pounding, nonstop thrill ride that you won’t be able to read fast enough. I can’t fathom being put in a predicament such as this, it’s every person that steps foot on a plane’s worst nightmare. I was happy to have both feet planted firmly on the ground while reading this bad boy.

Author Torri Newman knows her way around a plane, after working for Virgin America & Alaska Airlines for 10 years. She even wrote most of this book while on red-eye flights.

If there’s one thing this novel has done is open my eyes to what happened in Kurdistan. Your story will not go untold by me.

An outstanding debut, that should 1000% be adapted to film!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio, Libro FM and T.J. Newman for an ALC of this title & also to Avid Reader Press & Netgalley for an E-ARC both in exchange for my honest review. I often enjoy going back and forth between physical and audio so that I can read no matter what my location. I was able to fly ( pun intended) through this thriller faster.

4 ⭐️.

SPOILERS:

Why this book wasn’t a 5 star read for me:

1. I find it VERY hard to believe that not a single person died (Besides Ben of course) on that plane, especially Daddy with those burns. I had a hard time believing the toxicity of that gas (the same that killed 180,000 people in Kurdistan) didn’t kill one passenger.

2. The names Bill & Ben became very confusing for me since they were both up front in the cockpit and main characters. I would suggest using different letter-ed names, or at least not both short AND a “B.” They were too similar.

3. I wanted some sound effects on the audio book. That would’ve made it terrifying!

This thriller moves at jet speed but once I stopped to think about the logic of the plot and characters' motivations, it fell apart. The bad guys could've achieved their goal in a much easier way than the complicated methods they chose.

The writing includes repeated grammatical mistakes such as misplaced modifiers and phrases indicating simultaneous actions when the actions are sequential. (Example: “Grabbing a beer from the fridge, he sat at the table, flipping through the mail.” He can’t be grabbing the beer from the fridge *while* sitting at the table flipping thru his mail.) These issues became distracting and were often confusing.

This was such a tense book from start to finish. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, eager to get to the end and find out the outcome.
What would you do? Save your family or save the passengers on the plane?

Reads like a movie! It's hard to believe it's a debut...so fast-paced and thrilling! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.