This gripping locked-room mystery and high-stakes aviation thriller is both intensely claustrophobic and wildly entertaining. Packed with nonstop action, it’s a nail-biting, addictive read that keeps you enthralled from start to finish.

With multiple POVs and an unreliable narrator, this psychological thriller keeps you guessing until the very end. Does it require an open mind and a bit of suspended disbelief? Absolutely. But that only adds to the exhilarating, fast-paced ride that makes this story so irresistibly thrilling.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Missing in Flight is an edge-of-your-seat locked-room thriller centered on a baby going missing during a flight. The story follows Makayla Rossi, who boards a red-eye flight from Anchorage to New York with her infant son, Liam. After briefly using the restroom, she returns to find her baby missing. The crew and passengers deny ever seeing him, leading Makayla into a nightmarish scenario where she has to prove that Liam was real and that she is not losing her grip on reality. When the FBI gets involved, they learn Makayla’s late mother suffered from transient global amnesia and her husband manages investments for the ultra-rich—and suddenly the case becomes more complex.

The novel is fast-paced, with short chapters and a suspenseful plot from beginning to end—the high-stakes drama, psychological tension, and the need to know the outcome of the missing infant make this one unputdownable! The confined airplane is a unique setting for a locked room thriller, and coupled with Makayla’s hysteria, it creates a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere!

The story is told from multiple POVs, including that of Makayla, Jack (husband), Jane (FBI), and Anna (co-pilot), allowing readers to analyze the reality of events from a multi-dimensional perspective and in different locations. Makayla is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. From the first chapter, she comes across as an exhausted mother who’s indecisive. When she realizes Liam is missing, she is quick to point fingers, making her appear somewhat unhinged.

Through Makayla’s frantic inner monologues, readers get to question the suspicious passengers alongside her—and knowing who to trust becomes more difficult as the story unfolds. As the crew searches in vain and then learns of Makayla’s mother’s transient global amnesia, they start to doubt Makayla, and the search isn’t taken as seriously, sending Makayla further spiraling into panic and eventually getting herself in trouble.

Narrator Renata Friedman does a great job voicing this audiobook. She uses a tone infused with tension and uncertainty to portray Makayla, combined with well-placed emotional outbursts and good pacing to maximize all the drama. Friedman also provides distinct character voices and makes POV switches very seamless.

As you may expect from the synopsis, you’ll have to suspend your disbelief at several plot points, especially with the far-fetched conclusion. Putting that aside, the engrossing story and relentless pace make this book entertaining and a perfect binge read. If you’ve enjoyed Audrey J. Cole’s previous books or are a fan of locked room mysteries, psychological suspense, and you don’t mind suspending your disbelief for high-stakes entertainment, then you’ll really enjoy this book!

🎧Audiobook review 🎧

Missing in Flight
by Audrey J. Cole
Narrated by Renata Friedman

Missing in Flight is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller that kept me hooked from the very beginning. The idea of a baby vanishing mid-flight is both terrifying and intriguing, making this a true page-turner. While some parts required suspending disbelief, I was completely entertained the whole way through.
The audiobook narration by Renata Friedman was fantastic! She brought out all the emotions—fear, desperation, and suspense—making the story even more gripping. Her ability to differentiate voices and build tension added to the experience, making the audio version even better than the book itself.
I loved the multiple POVs, which added depth and made everyone seem like a suspect. The twists were fun, even if some were predictable. Overall, this was an exciting locked-room mystery with an airplane setting that made for a thrilling and unique listen. If you enjoy suspenseful audiobooks, this one is definitely worth it!

I think this book was highly entertaining. I did find it to be pretty predictable but still a solid read. The very beginning of this book, drew me in and i felt a sense of dread instantly. The plot moved along pretty fast throughout the book, so pacing was perfect.

Although this is true, this definitely gave popcorn thriller with the way you had to suspend your disbelief with the ending.

Now as far as the audio goes, i followed along with the audio bc the narrator did a great job. Very animated and i actually rated the audiobook higher than the book itself.

Missing In Flight is a riveting and suspenseful locked room mystery/thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I was surprised at how engaged I was, how invested I was in finding little Liam. How does a child go missing on a plane ? Is it a little over the top, yes, but was it highly entertaining, also yes.

As soon as I suspended all disbelief this book absolutely consumed me. I suspected everyone, including the unreliable narrator or is she ? The plot was fun to unravel, with shocking moments at every turn. It had my head spinning more than once. It was really a roller coaster ride and I truly enjoyed every second of it.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining and fun read. With the suspension of disbelief I was taken on a wild ride and I really enjoyed it!

🎧 The narration by Renata Friedman was great. I could feel the fear, anger, rage, sadness in her voice throughout it all. She really builded up the suspense and brought the story to life.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @brilliancepublishing & @audreyjcole for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

the setup…
Makayla Rossi is on a return flight from Anchorage to New York with her infant son Liam. She’s traveling alone and after a nap, decides to take a quick bathroom break while the baby is sleeping. The flight attendants are occupied with another passenger so she asks the young woman under headphones across the aisle to keep an eye out for Liam. Makayla is only gone for a flash but when she returns to her seat, the bassinet is empty…with a pillow replacing her baby! No one can find her son and soon the flight crew and investigators in New York begin to question if she even boarded the flight with the baby.

the heart of the story…
It’s the best of a locked room mystery! I was suspicious of everyone and trusted no one, including Makayla, though she was the one I trusted the most, along with her on the ground husband Jack. My imagination ran amuck with the many red herrings and side stories, wondering if they were relevant or not. My nerves were shattered as the search for Liam went on.

the narration…
This was my first experience with Renata Friedman and I was impressed. She managed so many voice distinctions and emotions while keeping the pacing and storytelling fresh.

the bottom line…
This was my most anticipated book releasing this month so expectations were high. My emotions were all over the place and for the life of me I couldn’t figure this thing out. While the ending required a teensy bit of belief suspension, it still was exciting and breathtaking. Expectations solidly met! 4.5 stars

This was definitely a unique thriller! A locked room style mystery using an airplane is a great idea! It was a bit unbelievable at times, but still fun and engaging to listen to! I enjoyed the multiple different POVs! Getting to know several different characters, helped make them all look like possible suspects! The ending was fairly predictable, but I still found it satisfying!

This was the third book I’ve read by this author and I e enjoyed them all. I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

Makayla, traveling alone with her infant son, Liam, leaves him in his bassinet to use the restroom. Upon returning, she discovers Liam missing. Despite a thorough search, neither the crew nor passengers recall seeing the baby, leading them to question whether he was ever really there.

This book took my breath away, and the audiobook is fantastic. The narrator does a great job, and the pilot verbiage feels super authentic. The physical book will blow readers away, but the audiobook is next level!

The story is told through the perspectives of Makayla on the plane and Jack, her husband, in their apartment. We also get the perspectives of Anna, the co-pilot, and Tina, the FBI analyst. They all have their own dramas - not enough to distract, but just enough to make us doubt everything we think we know.

Although this can be classed as a locked-room mystery, it’s kind of not, as there are a lot of scenes that take place outside the plane.

I rarely question the integrity of the main character, but this was such a wild ride, I didn’t know what to think! Makayla goes through so much - it’s hard not to love and sympathize with her. Under the circumstances, I think she coped really well because I’d have lost my shit!

The finale gets a little action-packed, and I loved the ending and the choices that were made - I didn’t even have time to guess what was what and loved the twists!

I’m thrilled this was such a good read and think thriller fans will love this fast-paced ride too. I’m so glad I found this author and have already added her backlog to my TBR.

Thanks to @Netgalley and
@BrilliancePublishing for access to this advanced readers copy

Missing Flight was so engaging. I really enjoyed the audiobook. It was fast paced and easy to listen to.. The twist took me surprise. Loved this one!

Thank you for my gifted copy.
My review will be shared to my account @coffee.break.book.reviews.

This was a twisty, face-paced airplane thriller that has a new mother going to the bathroom only to return and find her 3 month old son has disappeared. Every parents worst nightmare is a great way to get readers invested in this edge of your seat page-turner.

Told from multiple POVs we get inside the head of the various players involved from fellow passengers, the mother's husband, the flight crew and the investigators on the ground as the race to figure out what happened to the baby and whether the mother might be making it all up thanks to a potential case of transient global amnesia, whether it's a kidnapping for ransom case or something else entirely.

This was my first by author Audrey J Cole and I liked it. The audio narration was well done by Renata Friedman and I would recommend it for fans of authors like T J Newman or books like The last flight by Julie Clark. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

3-3.5⭐️ When new mom Makayla Rossi steps away from her sleeping baby while on a flight back to NY, she is relieved to find her baby still asleep in his bassinet. That is until she realizes it’s actually empty and she has no idea what happened to her baby in mid air.

This is my very first book from Audrey J. Cole and it was pretty much the definition of the nail biter. In fact, I don’t think I’ve read a locked room mystery confined to such a small space. That alone is incredibly unique and worthy of the read. The first half had me on my toes. I trusted no one and believed nothing. I was thoroughly entertained by the fact that I had no idea, not even an inkling, as to what happened to Makayla’s baby, nor who was involved.

However, something happened around the halfway mark, and the pacing seemed to slow down considerable. I also didn’t love the resolution to the story. I had a million scenarios in my head as to what could have happened, but the one chosen felt extremely convoluted, far fetched, and out of the blue. Was this book still entertaining and worth a recommendation? I think so. And while this wasn’t my favorite thriller by any means, I would definitely go on to try more from this author.

🎧 I read this one primarily via audiobook, and due to the large cast of characters, I think this may have been a mistake. I would strongly suggest reading with your eyes, or even better, doing an immersive read with both the physical/ebook and audiobook for the best experience.

Read if you like:
▪️aviation thrillers
▪️locked room mysteries
▪️missing person plot line
▪️potential unreliable narrator
▪️police procedurals
▪️nail biters
▪️ensemble cast

Thank you Brilliance Publishing for the advanced copy.

This book captured my attention from the beginning and also terrified me from ever getting on a plane again 😂

This was my first book by Audrey J. Cole and I can easily say it will NOT be my last. From the initial concept of how can a baby suddenly go missing on a plane…I was HOOKED.

Audrey’s knowledge as a pilot’s daughter only contributed to the incredible level of detail this story warranted—and I’ve never read another book that supplied such precision to the process and role of a pilot. There are multiple perspectives shifting throughout the story to add to both the panic and constant search for who could be responsible—especially when everyone is keeping their own secrets…

Then add in the fact that there might be a memory disorder at play? I couldn’t put this book down and was questioning EVERYONE.

You don’t want to miss this phenomenal thriller. Just…don’t read it right before flying 😂

Oh my gosh! A parents words nightmare makes for an entertaining story, especially when written by such a talented author. I was hooked right from the start and it felt like you journeyed through all the emotions along with the characters in a desperate search for a missing child. The story is told by a number of characters, mostly by the frantic mother but you also hear from the father stuck back at home, the FBI analyst working the case and even one of the pilots. This works well for the story as it has you questioning everything you know with each new piece of information you learn, it also builds up the tension as things become more desperate. I wanted to skip ahead to find out what happens but at the same time I didn't want the story to end. Audrey J. Cole is one of my favourite authors and this book is a very good example of why!
It's a parents words nightmare to have a child go missing but for Makayla it's even worse than that. After searching the entire plane and not finding her missing three month old son, the cabin crew start to question her sanity, was there even a baby? The FBI get involved but there is not much they can do until the plane lands, other than investigating the babies own family members. A storm means the plane is experiencing turbulence but that is nothing compared to what Makayla is going through. Can she find her son on her own if nobody else will help?
I liked the narrator. She made it easy to imagine the scene and experience the emotion along with the characters.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.