Makayla Rossi is on a flight with her infant son, nips to the toilet while the baby is asleep and when she returns, to her horror, the baby is missing.
A search of the plane comes to naught, the baby is missing and Makayla is frantic.

The first half of this book is a slow burn, but the second half is totally absorbing, tense, emotional and thrilling. You can feel the mother's desperation, and then finding out who was behind the kidnap was a total shock.
I know it is a novel, (and depicted a mother's distress and anguish) but Makayla constantly undoing her seatbelt during the terrible turbulence and wandering around the plane irritated me.

All in all, I do recommend this nail biter and 4/5 stars from me.

I really enjoy Cole's books, maybe because they're airplane thrillers and I love that sub-trope, or maybe her story lines just really draw me in.

Either way this was a FUN and wild read. You definitely had to suspend reality a smidge, but I loved the story, the wild elements, the airplane thrilling moments, it all came together and worked really well for me!

This is going to be a best seller for 2025. Nonstop action from start to finish when a woman’s baby goes missing on a flight to New York. What happened to the baby? Was there even a baby to begin with? Just read this one! You won’t regret it.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance! I’ll definitely be recommending for preorders!

A solid thriller/suspense novel. I love the premise of a child vanishing thousands of feet in the air. This book kept my interest and had me at the edge of my seat. I started second guessing everything I believed I knew about this story. Definitely kept me engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer publishing, and Audrey J. Cole for the ARC!

This was a first read for me from this author and I will definitely be reading more! I was hesitant to read this at first because the missing child story is so overdone, HOWEVER, this was not a typical missing person story. This was a fantastic suspenseful thriller. I was immediately hooked and could not put it down.

I appreciated the setting of this book taking place on a plane. There’s something about catastrophe thousands of feet in the air that really grabs your attention. This book has several character perspectives clearly defined at the beginning of each chapter. The chapters are short making it a quick and easy read.

Would have liked to see more character development and backstory. There was quite a bit of dialogue between the cockpit and air traffic control which I found to be unnecessary. It was quite technical in some parts which creates authenticity. While I appreciate the effort, it didn’t add to the story, in my opinion. There was too much aviation jargon that the average person probably doesn’t understand or really care about. Additionally, there was some repetition that I found to be mildly annoying. For those reasons I deducted one star.

This was a really well written and thrilling story, there was plenty of “omg” moments and twists that kept me hooked to the very end. I will be adding more of this authors books to the TBR!

4⭐️

What better thing to do when you're on an 11 hour flight than read? I found myself thinking it would be a good idea to read this while on a plane to enhance my experience. It definitely made me second guess that choice as the creepiness set in. This is fast paced and a quick read. I definitely thought the story was going to go one way, but it ended up taking a thrilling turn. I'm a huge fan of Audrey J. Cole and this did not disappoint!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ah, the thrilling whirlwind of "Missing In Flight" This gripping tale is indeed a rollercoaster of emotions and suspense that will have you clutching the edge of your seat. Picture this: you're 30,000 feet in the air, cruising home from a well-deserved vacation with your baby in tow, and in the blink of an eye, your world turns upside down. Your little one vanishes without a trace, and the very people you've entrusted with your safety become eerily uncooperative, even denying the existence of your child. The plot is as chilling as the cabin air, leaving you questioning reality and desperately searching for answers amidst the turbulence of doubt and fear.

The storyline is a masterful blend of psychological thriller and mystery, with a sprinkle of the supernatural to keep things interesting. It's like someone took a page out of "The Twilight Zone" and mixed it with the intensity of "Gone Girl," all while keeping you in the confined space of an airplane. The claustrophobic setting amplifies the tension, making every twist and turn feel like it's happening in real-time, right beside you.

The protagonist's descent into madness is portrayed with such raw authenticity that you can't help but feel their desperation as they grapple with the inexplicable. You're drawn into their mind, experiencing their every doubt, their every hope, and their every heart-wrenching moment of despair. It's a wild ride through the human psyche, as the line between what's real and what's not becomes as blurry as the horizon outside the aircraft window.

The author's ability to weave a narrative that's both plausible and utterly bizarre is nothing short of genius. You'll find yourself second-guessing every character, every motive, and every theory that pops into your head. The plot twists are as unpredictable as a sudden drop in air pressure, leaving you gasping for air as you try to piece together the puzzle of what's really happening on this fateful flight.

The pacing is relentless, keeping you on the edge as the story unfolds at a breakneck speed. It's like being on a runaway train, hurtling towards an unknown destination with no brakes in sight. The supporting cast adds layers of intrigue, each with their own secrets that could either help or hinder the search for the truth.

But what truly sets "Missing In Flight" apart is its unique and original concept. It's not every day you come across a story that combines the horror of losing a child with the confined terror of a missing person on a plane. It's a fresh take on the missing person trope, one that's as exhilarating as it is unsettling.

This is a tale that will stick with you long after you've reached your final destination. It's a story that makes you question the very fabric of reality, all while keeping you entertained with its sheer audacity. So, buckle up, because "Missing In Flight" is a literary adventure you won't soon forget!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my DRC!

I find all books having to do with flights and planes and travel so I went into this one with high expectations and it did not disappoint. I’m looking forward to sharing this recommendation with other people to see if they have the experience I had.

A nerve tingling read! I can't imagine the horror of your baby going missing on a plane and not being able to find him. I would burn that plane down (figuratively not literally of course) because babies don't just get up and disappear. The how was obvious to me pretty early because I've learned in reading so many thrillers that characters and situations that seem to be haphazardly or casually mentioned usually are done so for a reason, but I didn't know the why. There were definitely a couple surprises sprinkled in and it was a nail biter right until the very end.

2.75 ⭐️!

i’ve been reading thrillers nonstop since the beginning of the year and i can tell you with confidence that missing in flight holds one of the most unique settings. the majority of the book takes place midair. even though i couldn’t understand the terminologies used by the pilots (and they used a lot), it was still fun to indulge in something new.

however, i have to admit that i was struggling to get through at first because the third person POV caught me off guard; it’s not normally something i gravitate towards. moreover, the events were heavily repetitive in the beginning with not much happening. it wasn’t until i reached sixty percent that the plot gained momentum.

the story is told through multiple people’s perspectives, and the ending had closure which is a detail i appreciate.

we follow the parents of the missing child (makayla and jack), the copilot (anna), and an analyst working with the FBI (tina). the vocabulary used is very vivid and descriptive; you can easily imagine everything going on in those pages.

i was conflicted about the rating, trying to decide between a 2.75 and a 3. this wasn’t bad by any means, it just didn’t read like a thriller. i was expecting more twists throughout. this was more of a mystery with a slow pace. i’d recommend it if you’re looking for something under three hundred pages to binge. nevertheless, keep in mind that all the action starts happening during the last forty percent!!

and that aviation terminologies are frequently used in here.

Another one I powered through as I had to keep going to discover what happened. Makayla and her infant, Liam are returning to New York and to meet husband, Jack when Makayla goes to the restroom on the plane and when she gets back to her seat, the bassinet is empty! One would think it would be impossible to hide an infant on a flight, but these people are master-minds! Back at home, we see Jack who is a financier dealing in lots of money as he wonders if his boss is on the level or not. Vacillating in time, the novel reveals the machinations of the company Jack works for as well as what is happening in the present as greedy investors will stop at nothing to get what they want!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I didn't know how this one was going to end and I enjoyed the ride (no pun intended).

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down
This is a pretty good popcorn thriller. Theres good character development and it keeps you guessing on whether or not the child actually exists. But here’s my problems with the book. Theres only so many times you can read “transient global amnesia” in a book before you think you’re losing your mind yourself!! The repetition is beyond annoying. And Makayla is insufferable. Like yeah lady we get it. Your child is missing. But do you have to argue with EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the plane!? Like sit down and be quiet already lol. This is probably a good book for someone who’s just dipping their toes in the thriller genre. But for someone who reads nothing but thriller, this was very mid.

Makayla left her infant son sleeping alone in the bassinet just long enough to dash to the airplane's restroom, afraid that if she took him with her he'd take ages to settle back down. She asked the girl in the pink headphones to keep an eye on him and was as quick as she could possibly be, but when she returned to her seat Liam was gone. I wasn't sure how this one was going to work -- how long could it take to search a plane? The author manages to stretch the concept into a full length thriller, partially by switching point of view back and forth between every possible character including Makayla, her husband, the pilot, and the officers investigating the case. At first the premise made sense, but things got less and less plausible as the book progressed.

A three month old baby goes missing on a flight from Anchorage to NYC. They search the airplane but nothing. The flight crew starts to question the Makayla (the mother) when they learn that her mother died of a rare brain disease that causes sudden short term memory loss and nobody can account for seeing the infant, just the bundle that was wrapped around her upper body.

After the captain alerts the authorities of the missing kid and Makayla texts her husband Jack, the FBI starts to investigates and they learn about some issues that Jack was having at work and might be directly related to the kid’s disappearance.

Most of the story takes place on the airplane and is told from different points of view. One of them being the pilot which I feel prolonged things and had nothing to do with the actual story. There were also a lot of aviation terms used which I feel didn’t add any value to the story.

I would not consider this a thriller by any means. It starts off slow and it doesn’t pick up until 40-45% of the way in but I’m glad I pushed through because it had a good ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow, Missing in Flight really took me by surprise! I started it thinking, “Not another missing child story,” but I was hooked right away.

The story follows Makayla Rossi, a mom whose baby, Liam, goes missing on a flight to New York. As she desperately searches for her son and deals with the suspicion of those around her, Cole delivers a thrilling tale about a mother’s love and the quest for answers.

✅ Pros:

○ A gripping premise that hooks you from the start.
○ Makayla is a relatable and strong protagonist; you’ll be rooting for her.
○ Plenty of unexpected twists that keep you guessing.
○ Emotional depth as it explores themes of isolation and belief.
○ The writing has a cinematic quality, perfect for adaptation.

❌ Cons:

○ The plot was far-fetched.
○ This is not about character development - at all.
○ Pacing was inconsistent.
○ The resolution left some questions unanswered.

TLDR:
Read it. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down.

<i> Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the advanced reading copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. </i>

The plot of "Missing in Flight" sounded a lot like the movie "FlightPlan" (2005) with Jodie Foster, and I found the premise intriguing and terrifying. Unfortunately, the book moved slowly, and seemed repetitive. The action doesn't start until more than halfway through the story, but if you have the patience and are an Audrey J. Cole flan, you may like it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I liked this book. I've been going thru a funk lately where I'm having a hard time really getting into a book. This book fixed that.

Makayla and her son are flying back to NYC from Anchorage when her son goes missing on the plane. How can that even happen?
Jack is Makayla's husband who is having issues at work. Serious issues.
Anna is the co-pilot with secrets of her own.
Tina is the single mom FBI analyst who is called onto the case.

Each chapter is told from one of their perspectives and it works.

Makayla had a famous mother who suffered from a rare and serious form of amnesia. Is that happening to Makayla? How can a baby disappear on a plane or did the baby even get on board.

All the threads of these characters are drawn together nicely, the book has a lot of action and it was a good read.

There’s something about books and movies that take place on airplanes that I love and this book did not disappoint! There were a few points in the book that had me stretching my head but overall it was a very enjoyable read. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fast quick read and as usual this author does not disappoint. Highly recommend this book.