The Flight
Heather J. Fitt
Bloodhound Books
Published January 26, 2023
246 pages
✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
The Flight is a read-in-one-sitting stand-alone crime thriller, set on a long distance flight – a “locked cabin” mystery, if you will, which references the Golden Age classics – but in a modern setting. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was kept in the dark about the identity of the killer until the final reveal.
Melissa is a stressed single mother, who has finally escaped her controlling boyfriend, and booked a flight for her and her two year old son, Theo, for a holiday in Barbados. On the same plane, but in First Class, are two wealthy families travelling for a Destination wedding – but the groom is having second thoughts. Then his obnoxious mother suddenly becomes unwell, and Melissa, a nurse, the only health professional on board, is unable to save her. The crew put it down to an unfortunate medical event, and decide to continue on to their destination, unaware that a murderer is just getting started.
This short novel was compulsively readable as we rotate through various characters’ perspectives. Some are hideous, some intriguing, and some sympathetic – up to a point – I felt sorry for Melissa, but agreed with all the passengers wondering who would take a two year old on a long distance flight on their own! At first I thought there weren’t enough suspects for an effective murder mystery, but I was happily surprised by the reveal and delighted by the clever ending. The medical details were spot on, and so I trust that the aviation aspects were too – they certainly felt convincing. 5 easy stars from me. Thanks to Heather for the ARC.
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