MYSTERY

Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421

Avid Reader. May 2023. 288p. ISBN 9781982177911. $28. THRILLER
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The technical dive of a Tom Clancy novel meets the Irwin Allen disaster films of the 1970s in this tense thriller. A flight takes off from Hawai‘i, and its engine catches fire within seconds. Nothing goes right in the next few minutes as the plane crashes into the water, but instead of a Captain-Sully-on-the-Hudson-River scenario, the situation deteriorates further. Passengers who make it onto the flotation raft from the exit doors are again put in the path of death, and the few survivors left on the plane are trapped as it sinks. Running out of air, they scramble to stay alive, but their odds of success are slim. Newman’s novel juggles a large cast of characters and makes each one distinct while engaging readers emotionally in the increasing chaos.
VERDICT The world of airline thrillers belongs to Newman in this follow-up to Falling, which is even better. The story has the beats for the perfect summer action film, let alone a beach read. Expect Newman to be drowning in sales and accolades.
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