Falling: A Novel

By T. J. Newman

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Terrifying…buckle up for a chilling summer read.” —People (Best Books of the Week)
“The perfect thriller! A must-read.” —Gillian Flynn
“Stunning and relentless. This is Jaws at 35,000 feet.” —Don Winslow

You just boarded a flight to New York.

There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard.

What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped.

For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die.

The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane.

Enjoy the flight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Jul 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982177904

T. J. Newman

T. J. Newman is a former bookseller and flight attendant whose first novel Falling became a publishing sensation and debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. The book was named a best book of the year by USA TODAY and Esquire, among many others, and has been published in over thirty countries. The book will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures. T. J. lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Drowning is her second novel. 

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

GIVING THE DUVET A SHAKE, Carrie smoothed the creases with her hand. A whiff of fresh-cut grass drew her glance to the open window. The neighbor across the street mopped his face with the bottom of his shirt before closing the trash can full of lawn clippings with a clunk. Dragging it into the backyard, he gave a wave to a passing car, the loud music fading as it drove on. Behind her, in the bathroom, the shower shut off.

Carrie left the room.

Mom, can I go outside?

Scott stood at the bottom of the stairs holding a remote control car.

Where’s your— Carrie said, making her way downstairs.

The baby crawled into the room, blowing wet raspberries as she went. Reaching her brother’s feet, Elise grabbed onto his shorts and pulled herself up to a stand, her little body jerking subtly as she tried to find balance.

Okay, did you bring your dishes to the sink?

Yup.

Then you can, but only for ten minutes. Come back before your dad leaves, okay?

The boy nodded and ran for the door.

Nope, Carrie called after him, placing Elise on her hip. Shoes.

The whoops baby ten years after the first kid had been overwhelming in the beginning. But as the family of three learned how to be four, Bill and Carrie realized the age gap meant big brother could do little things like watch-the-baby-while-I-get-dressed-and-make-the-bed. Things became more manageable after that.

Carrie was wiping the remnants of sweet potato and avocado off the high chair when she heard the front door open.

Mom? Scott hollered, a pinched alarm to his tone.

Hurrying around the corner, she found Scott staring up at a man she didn’t know. The stranger on the front porch wore a startled look, his hand frozen on its way to the doorbell.

Hi, Carrie said, shifting the baby to her other hip as she moved to place herself subtly between her son and the man. Can I help you?

I’m with CalCom, the man said. You called about your internet?

Oh! she exclaimed, opening the door wider. Of course, come in. Carrie cringed at her initial reaction, hoping the man hadn’t noticed. Sorry. I’ve never had a repairman come on time, let alone early. Scott! she yelled, her son pivoting at the end of the drive. Ten minutes.

Nodding, the boy ran off.

I’m Carrie, she said, closing the door.

The technician set his equipment bag down in the entryway and Carrie watched him take in the living room. High ceilings and a staircase to the second floor. Tasteful furniture and fresh flowers on the coffee table. On the mantel, family photos over the years, the most recent taken on the beach at sunset. Scott was a mini-me of Carrie, their same chocolatey-brown hair blowing in the sea breeze, their green eyes squinted with wide smiles. Bill, nearly a foot taller than Carrie, held a then-newborn Elise in his arms, her lily-white baby skin a contrast to his Southern California tan. The repairman turned with a small smile.

Sam, he said.

Sam, she said, returning the smile. Can I get you something to drink before you get started? I was just about to make myself a cup of tea.

Tea would be great, actually. Thanks.

She led him into the other room, bright, natural light filling the kitchen that opened into the toy-dotted family room.

Thanks for coming on a Saturday. Carrie sat the baby back in the high chair. Pounding her fists on the table, Elise giggled through a sparsely toothed grin. This was the only appointment I could get for weeks.

Yeah, we’re pretty busy. How long has your internet been out?

Day before yesterday? she said, filling a tea kettle with water. English breakfast or green?

English breakfast, thanks.

Is it normal, Carrie asked, watching the stove’s pilot light ignite to a full flame, for our house to be the only one having issues? I asked a few neighbors who also have CalCom and theirs is fine.

Sam shrugged. That’s normal. Might be your router, maybe the wiring. I’ll run diagnostics.

From the front room, heavy footsteps made their way down the stairs. Carrie knew the next sounds well: a suitcase and messenger bag set by the door, followed by hard-soled shoes crossing the entryway. In a handful of strides, he was in the kitchen, polished black dress shoes, crisply ironed pants, suit coat, and tie. Wings above his breast pocket displayed the Coastal Airways insignia, BILL HOFFMAN engraved boldly below. A matching pair adorned the front of the gold-trimmed hat he laid softly on the counter. His entrance felt oddly dramatic and Carrie noticed how much of a contrast his aura of authority made to the rest of the house. She’d never noticed it before; it wasn’t like he came to dinner in uniform. And it was probably only because there was another person in the room, a man who didn’t know him, didn’t know their family. But for whatever reason, today, it was conspicuous.

Bill placed his hands in his pockets with a polite nod to the technician before settling his attention on Carrie.

Lips pursed, arms crossed, she stared back.

Sam, would you mind…

Yeah, I’ll, uh, get set up, Sam said to Carrie, leaving the couple alone.

The clock on the wall ticked the seconds. Baby Elise banged a drool-covered teething ring on the tray before it slipped out of her fingers, falling to the floor. Bill crossed the kitchen and picked it up, rinsing it off in the sink and drying it with a dish towel before returning it to his daughter’s eager hands. Behind Carrie the tea kettle began a soft whistle.

I’ll FaceTime when I get to the hotel to hear how the game—

New York, right? Carrie cut him off.

Bill nodded. New York tonight, Portland tom—

There’s a team pizza party after the game. With the three-hour time difference, you’ll be asleep before we get home.

Okay. Then first thing—

We’re getting together with my sister and the kids tomorrow morning, she said, and shrugged. So, we’ll see.

Bill straightened with a deep inhale, the four gold stripes on his epaulets rising with his shoulders. You know I had to say yes. If it’d been anyone else asking I wouldn’t have.

Carrie stared at the floor. The kettle began to screech and she shut off the burner. The noise gradually softened until it was only the clock making noise again.

Bill checked his watch, cursing under his breath. Giving a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head, he said, I’m gonna be late.

You’ve never been late, Carrie replied.

He put on his hat. I’ll call after I check in. Where’s Scott?

Outside. Playing. He’s coming back any minute to say goodbye.

It was a test and she knew Bill knew it. Carrie stared at him from the other side of the unspoken line she’d drawn. He glanced at the clock.

We’ll talk before I take off, Bill said, leaving the room.

Carrie watched him go.

The front door opened and closed a few moments later and a hush settled over the house. Crossing to the sink, Carrie watched the leaves on the oak tree in the backyard flutter in the breeze. Distantly, Bill’s car started up and drove off.

Behind her, a throat cleared. Wiping her face hastily, she turned.

Sorry about that, she said to Sam with an embarrassed eye roll. Anyway. You said English breakfast. Tearing open the tea bag, she dropped it in a mug. Steam rose from the kettle as she poured the hot water. Do you need milk or sugar?

When he didn’t reply, she looked back.

He seemed surprised by her reaction. He had probably imagined she would scream. Maybe drop the cup. Start to cry, who knows. Some kind of drama he surely expected. When a woman, at home, in her own kitchen, turns to find a man she’s known for a mere handful of minutes pointing a gun at her, a big reaction would seem natural. Carrie had felt her eyes widen reflexively, like her brain needed to take in more of the scene to confirm that this was actually happening.

He narrowed his eyes, as if to say, Really?

Carrie’s heartbeat pounded in her ears while a cool numbness trickled down from the top of her spine to the back of her knees. Her whole body, her whole existence, felt reduced to nothing but a buzzing sensation.

But that was for her to know. She ignored the gun and focused on him instead, and gave him nothing.

Puckering and cooing, baby Elise threw her teething ring back to the floor with a squeal. Sam took a step toward the baby. Carrie felt her nostrils flare involuntarily.

Sam, Carrie said calmly, slowly. I don’t know what you want. But it’s yours. Anything. I will do anything. Just please—her voice cracked—please don’t hurt my children.

The front door opened and closed with a slam. Panic seized her throat and Carrie drew breath to yell. Sam cocked the gun.

Mom, did Dad leave? Scott called from the other room. His car’s not here, can I keep playing?

Tell him to come in here, Sam said.

Carrie bit her bottom lip.

Mom? Scott repeated with childish impatience.

In here, Carrie said, and closed her eyes. Come here real quick, Scott.

Mom, can I stay outside? You said I could go— Scott froze when he saw the gun. He looked at his mom and back at the weapon and back at his mom.

Scott, Carrie said, and motioned for him. The boy never took his eyes off the firearm as he crossed the kitchen to her, where she deliberately tucked him in behind her.

Your children may be just fine, Sam said. Or they may not. But that’s not up to me.

Carrie’s nostrils flared again. Who is it up to?

Sam smiled.

---

Bill could feel people watching him.

It was the uniform. It had that effect. He stood a little taller.

Bill was many things but the consensus seemed to be that he was first and foremost nice. Teachers and coaches growing up, girls he dated, his friends’ parents. Everyone knew Bill as the nice guy. Not that he minded. He was nice. But when he put on the uniform, something changed. Nice wasn’t the default description. It still made the list. But it wasn’t the only word on it.

Passengers’ heads popped up as he bypassed the never-ending line for security at Los Angeles International Airport, but it only took a peek at that hat and tie to dissolve indignation into curiosity. People didn’t dress like that anymore. It harkened back to a time when air travel was a rare privilege, a major event. Purposefully unchanged, the uniform kept a certain antiquated mystique alive. It elicited respect. Trust. It proclaimed a sense of duty.

Bill approached the lone TSA agent seated at a small podium set discreetly off to the side of passenger security. Scanning the barcode on the back of his badge, the machine beeped and the computer went to work.

Morning, Bill said, handing the woman his passport.

It’s still morning? she said, studying the information printed next to his picture. Comparing it to the information on his badge, she slid the passport under a blue light, holograms and hidden print appearing in the document’s blank space. Glancing up, she verified that the face in front of her matched the one on the IDs.

I guess it’s not technically morning, Bill said. Just morning for me.

Well, it’s my Friday. So the day needs to hurry up.

Bill’s badge photo and information popped up on the computer screen. After triple-checking all three forms of identification, she handed back the passport.

Safe flight, Mr. Hoffman.

Leaving the crew security checkpoint, he walked past the passengers tugging their shoes back on and returning liquids and laptops to their carry-on bags. On his last trip, Bill flew with a flight attendant who refused to retire simply because she didn’t want to give up her crew security clearance. She turned up her nose at the thought of having to travel like a mere mortal; waiting in line, liquid restrictions, limited to two carry-ons—which would be searched every single time, not just occasionally at random. Watching a man in his socks being patted down, Bill had to admit she had a point.

Claiming privacy at an unoccupied gate, Bill dialed home as promised. Watching a catering truck outside on the tarmac down below dodge about while rampers in neon vests loaded and unloaded bags from the cargo hold, he listened to the other end of the line ring over and over. An aircraft taxied out to the runway and in the distance, another took off.

He and Carrie didn’t fight often. Which was why when they did they were so bad at it. She had every right to be upset. Today was Scott’s Little League season opener and Bill had promised him he would be there. He made sure he didn’t have a trip on his line for the day of the game and the two days before and after. But when the chief pilot calls to ask you to fly a trip as a personal favor, you don’t say no. You can’t say no. Bill was the third-most senior pilot flying. When he was a new hire, no one was sure the company was even going to make it. Startup airlines almost never do. But he stuck it out nonetheless. And now, nearly twenty-five years later, the airline was a total success with both passengers and shareholders. Coastal was his baby. So when your boss says the operation needs you? You say yes. No isn’t even an option.

He had told Carrie as much. But he didn’t tell her that Scott’s game hadn’t crossed his mind when O’Malley asked if he was available. Or that even if it had, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

The phone rang and rang before finally, Hi! You’ve reached Carrie. I can’t come… Ending the call, he saw a family photo appear on the phone’s home screen before he pocketed it.

Catching a glimpse of his reflection in the window, Bill surveyed his dark, full hair. A betraying gray salted his temples. His eyes, a vibrant, deep blue.

---

Bill slapped the bell in the middle of the coffee table.

Eyes. My eyes.

Final answer? This is for the win.

She said they’re like night swimming. When you can’t see the bottom. But it’s exciting. So, yes. My eyes. Final answer.

Carrie’s jaw dropped.

Bill leaned forward. He could smell the beer on his own breath. I overheard you say that to a friend on the phone once. I never told you, though. I love you so much, baby. He blew Carrie a kiss.

The wives cheered, the husbands ribbed.

All right, Carrie, the party host said. ‘His eyes.’ Was that your answer for what your favorite part about your husband is?

Her cheeks turned pink. With a giggle she held up a piece of paper, her answer scribbled out: His butt.

The room erupted. Bill laughed hardest of all.

---

He adjusted his tie. I’m a good man, he reminded himself without wavering. His mind flashed to the image of Carrie’s look of disappointment as he walked out of the kitchen. He blinked, glancing away to follow a plane as it took off.

CHAPTER TWO

STEPPING OFF THE JET BRIDGE stairs onto the tarmac, Bill squinted under his hand’s attempt to shield the sun. Fall leaves and frosty mornings covered most of the country, but in Los Angeles endless summer reigned.

The walk around: the standard aircraft inspection done before every flight. Look the aircraft up and down, check for irregularities, visible signs of a compromised airframe, or any other mechanical issues. To most pilots, it was just another FAA regulation. To Bill, it was church. Placing a hand on the engine’s cowling, he closed his eyes. Fingers spreading with a slow inhale and exhale, metal and flesh communed, both warm to the touch.

---

He would turn eighteen next month, but that day in flight school, Bill knew he’d met a more important rite of passage.

Now, when we log a flight plan, do you know why we write ‘souls on board’ instead of ‘people on board’? his instructor had asked.

Bill shook his head.

We say it that way so that if we crash, he explained, "they know exactly how many bodies they’re looking for. Avoids the confusion of different titles like passengers, crew, infants. Just how many bodies, son. That’s all they need to know. Oh! He snapped his fingers. And sometimes we carry dead bodies in the cargo hold so they need to know not to count them. So now, after you log in the souls…"

Bill couldn’t sleep that night. Lying on his back, watching the ceiling fan spin, he listened to his younger brother snoring softly from across the room. Cream-colored curtains and a warm Illinois summer breeze flirted through the open window, making wavy shadows dance on the wall.

With darkness still painting the room, he dressed and slipped out of the house, riding his bike alongside the cornfields to the town’s tiny airfield. Two planes sat on the tarmac; the air traffic control tower, empty and quiet, loomed in the distance. The planes were small single-engine pistons, the types of planes he was learning on. The types of planes he would outgrow, trading them in for bigger engines, greater loads, heavier aircraft. Bill leaned against the fence for a long time staring them down.

Or were they sizing him up? As the stars faded and dawn began to break with pink and orange streaks, it felt as though the questioning had turned.

Could he bear the burden of duty? Could he be the man the job demanded?

---

Everything looked good. Tire tread fresh, gears greasy, sensors properly positioned, no fractures, no fissures. Catching a movement from out of the corner of his eye, Bill took a few steps out from under the plane. Up in the cockpit, his copilot, Ben Miro, leaned forward with a wave, letting Bill know he’d arrived. Bill dropped his smile when the young man held his Yankees ball cap up to the window. Bill shook his head with a face of disgust. Ben kept on grinning, flashing the captain his middle finger.

Walk around completed, Bill climbed the stairs up to the jet bridge with a look back at his plane. The tail of the Airbus A320, proudly bearing the red-and-white Coastal Airways logo, filled him with pride—and then he remembered Carrie. Punching in the door’s security code, he checked his phone.

No missed texts. No missed calls.

His eyes adjusted in the fluorescent lighting as the door shut behind him. Tripping over a passenger’s bag, Bill apologized with a surprised chuckle while the man scowled down at him—which was impressive, considering the pilot himself was six foot four. Looking the uniform up and down as the captain stepped around him, the man returned a meager grin.

The line of passengers snaked down the jet bridge onto the plane and Bill skirted through the suitcases and strollers with an accommodating smile. At last he stepped on board with a glance toward the back of the plane through the pink-and-purple mood lighting, the hip airline’s iconic nightclub atmosphere.

I guess we’re boarding, he said to the flight attendant standing on her tiptoes to reach into one of the carriers in her galley. Jo turned, her eyes lighting up with surprise as Bill stooped to hug the petite middle-aged woman. Her fluffy black coils tickled his cheek as a familiar vanilla scent rose up from her dark brown skin.

---

It’s my signature scent, Jo said. "Same as my mama and her mama before that. See, when a Watkins girl turns thirteen, all the women in the family gather to celebrate her. No men allowed—just the ladies. We sit in the kitchen. We talk, we cook, we just… feel the generations of female."

It was music, the way she spoke. Bill delighted in every dragged-out vowel, hanging on to the hilly cadence and unpredictable word emphasis. He always asked about her childhood because he loved hearing her faded East Texas accent get stronger, as it always did, when she talked about her past. Bill finished his beer, indicating to the bartender they’d like another round.

I’ll never forget Great-Grammy taking the Dr Pepper bottle out of my hand and setting it there on the kitchen counter, Jo recalled, smiling into her wineglass like she was watching the memory play out. "Lord, that woman’s hands. She wasn’t a big woman, but those hands…

Anyway, she didn’t say a word, she just handed me this shiny gold box with this royal-blue bow. I knew what it was, we all did. I remember my fingers sliding that bow off so careful-like, and when I opened that box—there it was. My very own bottle of Shalimar. I smelled it. It smelled like my mama. And her mama. It smelled like what I was and who I would become.

---

I didn’t know you were on this trip, Jo said.

I picked it up last night. They were out of reserves so O’Malley asked me to help out.

Look at you on speed dial with the chief pilot, she said, smiling all the while to the boarding guests.

See? You understand what that means. Could you please explain it to Carrie?

Jo raised an eyebrow. Well, that depends. What are you missing to be here?

Scott’s Little League season opener. After I promised him I’d be there.

Jo winced.

I know, Bill said. "But what was I supposed to do? It’s not like I’m an absent father. When I’m home, I’m home. I’m present, I’m there. I just happen to have a job that means when I’m at work, I’m away. I’ll make it up to him when I get back."

He waited for some sort of validation, but Jo just kept pouring her first-class pre-departure beverages. She looked up after a moment.

Oh, I’m sorry, were you still talking to me? I thought you were explaining all that to your wife. Or to your son. Or to… yourself. She picked up the tray of drinks. "You’re not wrong, honey. But you are working it out with the wrong person."

Jo was right. Jo was always right.

You want coffee? she asked over her shoulder on her way to deliver the drinks.

C’mon. You know the answer to that. Bill ducked into the cockpit.

Boss man! Ben said, the men shaking hands as Bill took the left seat. Black and gray buttons and knobs covered nearly every surface in the tiny space. Occasionally, a flash of red or a pop of yellow. Those buttons were the messengers of something gone wrong—the gate-crashers to a quiet flight.

Sorry I was late, Ben said. Even on a Saturday, fucking LA traffic.

It happens, Bill said, reaching for the hand mic in its cradle to the left of his seat. He cleared his throat. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Coastal Airways Flight four-one-six with nonstop service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. My name is Bill Hoffman and I have the privilege of being your captain on today’s flight. With me in the cockpit is First Officer Ben and we have a terrific in-flight team serving you in the cabin, although they are here primarily for your safety. Jo is up front, Michael and Kellie are in the back. Flight time today will be five hours and twenty-four minutes and it looks to be a smooth ride. If there is anything we can do to make this flight more pleasant, please don’t hesitate to let us know. For now, sit back, enjoy our in-seat entertainment system, and as always, thank you for choosing to fly Coastal Airways.

"Did you see Kellie? The new reserve in the

Reviews for Falling

[formerenglishteacher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’m a sucker for airline stories, and this was a pretty good one. There was enough intrigue to keep me interested, but it was fairly predictable. Once scene near the end at Yankee Stadium was more than ridiculous. I’m not sure why the author decided to include it because I think it weakened the ending. I have no doubt that Newman has a promising career ahead of her if this debut is any indication. An enjoyable read.

[Regina Lindsey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had me from page one! It was like watching a movie! This is the author’s first book! It is well written and a great story about what happens when a crazy person has an agenda and uses an airplane to complete it!

[Cherrye Moore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quick read that's hard to put down. I loved it.

[margaret sexton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Excellent characters! Everyone has worked with a Jo and a Big Daddy! They are the best! Good plot and relevant to current events!

[Jo Warren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! This was tense! I loved the characters-every one was very well fleshed out, and no one could help but root for the crew of the plane. Everything in this book held together. There were no plot holes, and nothing that wasn't believable. It was one of the best books I've read in a while.

[bblum_10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jo, a longtime stewardess, using her knowledge and unflappability to help the pilot under threat in the cockpit manage and protect the passengers from poison gas and worse. This is a great airplane read with action on the ground, the pilots family is kidnapped by another a co conspirator and all must remain secret as to the crash site to save the family. First class read.

[booklovers2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable scary airplane nightmare!

[niaomiya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was great entertainment! What a clever premise, and I was eager to find out how it was going to be resolved.Captain Bill Hoffman is piloting a flight from LAX to JFK with 143 passengers on board. Just as the flight reaches cruising altitude, Bill receives an email. His wife and two kids have been kidnapped, and in order for his family to live, he has to crash the plane. And there is a mole on board to ensure that Bill follows instructions. Bill has to make an impossible choice. What will he do?Whoo, this was a rollercoaster ride. With chapters alternating between what's happening in the air and what's happening on the ground, the reader knows more than any of the principal characters, but not so much that we know how the situation will get resolved. I appreciated that the terrorists were not depicted as purely evil; there is a human side to them that makes the situation all the more terrifying and heartbreaking.Thanks to author T.J. Newman's ten years of experience as a commercial flight attendant, the scenes on board the flight were very authentic, detailed, and REAL. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you can suspend disbelief here and there, you'll really enjoy FALLING. I did, and so did everyone else in my book group. FALLING is a fast read because you won't want to put it down.Terrorists have given an airline pilot a choice: crash his plane with 140 "souls" onboard and save the lives of his kidnapped family, or land the plane, saving passengers and crew but resulting in his family's deaths. His answer is that neither the people on the plane nor his family are going to die. At that I admit that the book is ultimately predictable, but it was so much fun to read about how everyone--the passengers and crew on the plane, the pilot's wife and two children, the two (yes, just two) terrorists, the FBI, the air traffic controllers, the President of the United States, and even the baseball players and fans at Yankee Stadium--learned about and dealt with this terrorist threat.My criticism is T.J. Newman's waste of time describing the pilot's dreams. They add nothing of consequence to the story.Others poke holes in this story and criticize its authenticity. I don't at all. I'd be willing to bet that, once you start FALLING, you'll be willing to suspend disbelief and you won't want to stop.

[coachtim30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Falling" is an excellent thriller, and even more impressive when considering that this is the debut novel for author, TJ Newman. Captain Bill Hoffman had agreed to take on a cross country flight to help out his boss at Coastal Airlines. Things at home with wife Carrie and children Scott and Elise are more than a little chilly due to Bill's decision because it means missing some parental duties again.The flight starts off as routine as always for the veteran pilot until Carrie sends him an email that includes an attachment showing her and the kids bound and hooded. As Bill attempts to work through his confusion, he's contacted by his family's captor, Sam. Sam gives Bill a simple choice - crash the plane and kill all 140+ souls aboard or watch his family die.And with that, a terrific thriller works it's way into the reader's mind and doesn't let up until the very end. There are a number of satisfying and believable plot twists throughout the story making "Falling" extremely hard to put down.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fast-paced thriller can probably be characterized as an “airplane book” except it’s about a plane hijacking and possible crash, so it might be a bit too anxiety-producing for that setting.Bill Hoffman is piloting Flight 416 to JFK with 143 passengers plus crew on board. Shortly after taking off, he learns that his wife and children have been kidnapped - his wife was fitted with a suicide vest - and there is an unknown collaborator on the plane. He is given the choice of crashing the plane (after gassing everyone onboard) or his family will die. He confides in the crew, but he really doesn’t have a plan, except to save his family and save the plane if he can.Many of the plot details are cliched, but that doesn’t stop your adrenalin from racing as you tear through the pages.It is difficult to say more without spoilers, but I can add that I thought the epilogue was somewhat unrealistic, and could have been omitted in order to make the story less cinematically caricatured.Nevertheless, as someone not on the plane but just reading the book, I enjoyed the ride!

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredible amount happened in the time it took for a plane to fly from the west coast to the east coast---Theo's undertaking was particularly impressive (if just a tiny bit beyond belief) but....this is a novel allowing for the freedom of imagination by the author. Definitely a fast read, full of page by page excitement. It also, of course, is too close to the way the world operates....too much standing by and watching while suffering happens after promises that it just won't be allowed to happen.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would never have picked this one up if the Lazy Genius hadn’t recommended it. A pilot’s family is kidnapped and he must decide if he’s willing to crash his plane to save them. Perfect to break a reading slump if you need an action-packed story. I loved the character of Jo the fight attendant. The book is worth reading for her alone! The author was also a flight attendant and that knowledge and experience are obvious.

[literaryfeline · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A pilot is put in an impossible situation when his family is held hostage. He is given a choice. Crash the commercial airliner he is flying or his wife and two children will die. The book takes place over the course of a six hour flight from Los Angeles to New York. This fast paced thriller kept me turning pages as fast as I could; it was intense right from the start. Talk about a harrowing read! The perspective changes back and forth over the course of the novel, from what is going on on the ground to events occurring in the sky, with occasional flashbacks into the characters' lives. I loved the way the flight crew pulled together in the most direst of circumstances. Falling was an entertaining and suspenseful read. I can see this one translating well to the big screen.

[jhscolloquium · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

During a red-eye flight, debut author T.J. Newman, then a flight attendant, looked at the passengers, many of whom were sleeping, and really pondered the fact that passengers' lives are in the pilot's hands. For the first time, she thought about how the pilots have so much power and responsibility that they are vulnerable. She recalls asking a pilot, "'What would you do if you find out that your family has been taken, and you're told that if you don't crash the plane, your family will be killed?' Just based on the look on his face, I knew I had a story. He was terrified. He did not have an answer. There's wasn't a page in the manual for this." She knew she would not be "able to rest until I knew the answer to that question."Even after Newman completed over thirty drafts of the book, success did not immediately follow. She began querying agents and received forty-one rejections. The agent who finally said "yes" -- lucky number forty-two -- turned out to be "a perfect fit," and helped her secure a publishing deal. Newman's characters were inspired by the crew members and passengers she encountered over the years. At the heart of the story is Captain Bill Hoffman, the pilot who accepts a flight from Los Angeles to New York because he could not refuse a request from the Chief Pilot. His wife, Carrie, is displeased because Bill promised to attend their ten-year-old son, Scott's, baseball game and team pizza party. Things between them are tense, as Bill heads to the airport where he is happy to see that his friend, Jo, with whom he has flown for twenty years, is heading up the flight crew. She will be assisted by Michael Rodenburg, known to everyone at the airline as Big Daddy, and Kellie, a new flight attendant who has only recently completed her training. He's also happy to find that Ben, with whom he has flown before, will be serving as his First Officer (co-pilot). Bill plans to speak with Carrie before his flight begins in an attempt to smooth things over and assuage his guilt about having left Carrie at home with Scott, Elise, their ten-month-old daughter, . . . and a technician from the local cable company dispatched to repair their internet connection. Carrie offers the repairman a cup of tea, but turns to find him holding a gun. Shortly thereafter, once the plane is in the air, Bill receives an email on his laptop. There is no message. There is only a photo attached. Bill recognizes his living room, but Carrie and Scott have their arms outstretched in the shape of a cross and black hoods over their heads. Strapped across Carrie's whole torso is a vest with brightly colored wires protruding from small bricks inside pockets. Bill immediately observes that it looks like the vests he has seen in photos of suicide bombers, but he can't "process the sight of something so perverse strapped across his wife's body." Another email arrives that says, "Put on your headphones." A FaceTime call is initiated, and Bill recognizes Sam, the purported cable technician, who is also wearing an explosive-laden vest and holding the detonator. Sam tells Bill, "You will crash your plane or I will kill your family. The choice is yours." Bill knows his cockpit has been breached and the plane is in jeopardy. Bill's response? "I'm not going to crash this plane and you're not going to kill my family." Stories about kidnappings, airplane hijackings, and terrorist attacks are nothing new. But the way Newman has melded the concepts is new. She has cleverly combined the kidnapping of Bill's family, the fact that Sam is not working alone, and the revelation that he and his accomplice intend for Bill to crash the plane at a specific location for clearly articulated reasons into one terrifying tale.Newman's characters are convincing. Bill is exactly the kind of pilot that every passenger wants to find in the cockpit of their flight. Competent, dedicated, and fully aware of the massive responsibility he shoulders every time he reports for work. He has never lost sight of what he learned in flight school at the age of just eighteen: why flight plans use the term "souls on board." Right then he had to evaluate his prospects as a pilot. "Could he bear the burden of duty Could he be the man the job demanded?" He reminds himself as he performs the pre-flight checks that he has "souls on board" . . . and after the kidnapper's demand is communicated to him, he is believably horrified that he is being asked to choose between the innocent souls entrusted to his care and his precious family. It is an impossible situation which is, of course, the kidnapper's point. Sam also warns him not to involve the authorities or try to warn the flight crew, further complicating Bill's predicament.Carrie is a mother placed in a nightmare situation. It is her duty to protect her children. Little Elise is too young to comprehend the danger they are in, of course, but Scott is being traumatized before Carrie's eyes. And, in his father's absence, trying to be very brave. Carrie also knows her husband's character and assures Sam that there is no way Bill will crash the plane. He will never choose Carrie and the children over all of the souls on board his flight. All Carrie can do is remain as calm as possible, comfort the children, watch for an opportunity to take action herself . . . and have faith that Bill will figure out a solution. Because everything is at stake. He has to.Jo, Big Daddy, and Kellie also play critical roles in the story. Jo is their leader and Newman convincingly portrays the events that unfold in the cabin from her perspective. As Newman explains, "Once the doors shut, that's your cabin." After 9/11, the design of cockpit doors and access procedures were revised. Now the pilot and copilot are literally locked in the cockpit behind a door that cannot be breached, leaving the flight crew on their own to manage whatever happens in the cabin. Jo has dealt with in-flight crises over the years, but nothing like the threat posed by Sam. And like Bill, she knows there is a strong likelihood that there is a co-conspirator onboard, ready to implement the kidnapper's backup plan -- whatever that might be -- if Bill does not comply with Sam's orders. But who might that be? A passenger? Or, worse, a member of the crew?The book moves at a steady, relentless pace as Bill, Jo, and Jo's nephew, Theo, an FBI agent whose career already hung in the balance before he learned about the drama unfolding on Flight 416, frantically work to out-smart Sam and his co-conspirator. Theo has to convince his superiors that his Aunt Jo is indeed taking care of her cabin and the threat must be taken seriously, even though that means involving officials at the highest levels of government and invoking protocols that leave no margin for error. Newman's narrative is tautly constructed and, because of her decade of experience in the airline industry, thoroughly, frighteningly believable. She explains why characters take particular actions and why protocols exist (with some dramatic license), enhancing reader's comprehension of the threat. And the kidnapper's motivation, once explained, is infuriating, shocking, and, with the benefit of hindsight, entirely predictable. Falling is engrossing, entertaining, and a perfect choice for readers who enjoy fast-moving, plausible thrillers. It is a stunningly accomplished and polished effort from a first-time novelist, which bodes well for Newman's next effort, the details of which she has not disclosed. Set aside time to read because the book is un-put-down-able.Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a fast paced thriller about a terrorist airplane hijacking and the efforts made by the flight crew and ground support to help out. Some predictability but still an exciting story.

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For the most part this is a taut exciting book about a terrorist plot th bring down a plane and kill the pilot's family. An unusual twist is that the terrorists are Kurdish angry at the United States for removing troops leaving them at the mercy of the Turks. The novel flashes back and forth from the airplane to the pilot's family and attempts to rescue them. My main issue is the terrorist's target and what happens when the plane threatens the target. That is beyond belief. On the whole it is agood novel written by a promising young author.

[angiestahl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a straight-up thriller and as thrillers go, it's a pretty decent one. If anything 9/11-ish is hard to stomach, avoid it.Basically, a plane full of passengers is hijacked from within--someone on the flight is working with terrorists, but whom? The captain has to make a terrible choice: his family or the passengers and flight crew onboard the plane.There are some interesting insidery details about aviation security post-9/11 that the reader picks up along the way. A fast and intense read.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun fast paced book.

[bookappeal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"When the shoe dropped into her lap the foot was still in it." Great opening to this decent airplane thriller with relatable characters and and clever plot developments. The ending is a bit trite but that's a minor quibble.

[deslivres5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one is a definite non-stop thriller: you'll stay up late to get to the resolution.Pilot Bill Hoffman is put in a lose-lose position by his family's kidnapper.The supporting characters on his quest to save everyone are fabulous. Even one of my favorite iconic places in the U.S. (no spoilers!) makes an appearance as a supporting character.This novel reads like a screenplay: they BETTER make an awesome movie out of it!

[docwalt10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For a first-time novelist, this was an exceptional read. You are hooked from the first page and want to continue reading. I love to read and T.J. Newman joins authors I want to read whatever they write. I highly recommended this book.

[drapple_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is certainly a page turner! The only part I felt was unnecessary was the preface. The graphic description of a plane crash was a bit much. I guess is was provided to create tension in the following chapters. Overall, I enjoyed this book about a terrorist attempt to crash a plane. I particularly liked the teamwork of the flight staff which was essential to the survival of the passengers.

[cassprout · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So exciting!

[silversurfer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow!A superb thriller written by a Flight Attendant brings realism to this gripping story.An intense page turner of epic proportions that reads like a film.You take a flight with one hundred and forty three other souls.But what you don't know is the First pilot's family has been kidnapped.The plane is hijacked and his instructions are to either crash the planeOr his family will be killed.An agonizing choice. A great book.I can only imagine the forty one literary agents that passedOn this best seller, kicking themselves.Universal Studios has picked up the film rights.Highly recommended except when taking a flight!!

[dokfintong · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't realize what this book was when I started. I read the first chapter which sets up the story and then I quit. There are only three paths here and I don't need hours of reading to find out which the author chose.

[dandiercks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’m a sucker for airline stories, and this was a pretty good one. There was enough intrigue to keep me interested, but it was fairly predictable. Once scene near the end at Yankee Stadium was more than ridiculous. I’m not sure why the author decided to include it because I think it weakened the ending. I have no doubt that Newman has a promising career ahead of her if this debut is any indication. An enjoyable read.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For some unknown reason, I really enjoy a thriller set on board an aircraft. Newman’s “Falling” was, thus, the perfect read for me. I was immediately hooked by the premise of the book. Pilot Bill Hoffman has just gotten his aircraft to cruising altitude when he receives an email. His family has been taken hostage, and he has a choice to make. Either he crashes the plane, or his family dies. That comes in Chapter 2, and I was along for the ride. Switching back and forth from what was happening onboard the aircraft to the happenings on the ground kept me glued to the book. I was in suspense throughout much of this fast-paced book. I loved the characters in the book. The bravery of the flight crew had me cheering them on. I could envision Octavia Spencer as senior flight attendant Jo Watkins. I was equally impressed with the pilot’s wife and son. She even humanized the terrorists. I won’t give any more details as I certainly do not want to leak a spoiler. You need to experience this for yourself. The author is a former flight attendant so the scenes in the main cabin and cockpit had that insider touch. I could hear the mechanical noises of take-off, the chimes used as communication among the flight crew, the bumps of turbulence. And I could feel the tension of the crew’s in-flight emergency response.This book should give everyone a greater appreciation of the duties and responsibilities of flight attendants.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 This book has been majorly hyped. I've seen it pretty much everywhere on book sites and other media sites. Of course my curiousity was piqued, had to jump on the bandwagon and see if the hype was justified. It was and it wasn't, mixed for this reader but then again I'm not a huge fan of thrillers. It was exciting in places, definitely kept me reading though there were parts I skimmed. Did come to like the main characters, appreciate the horrible dilemma in which they found themselves. The reason behind the scenario does make one think about how much in the news we just let pass us by. Doesn't really affect our lives, so we let it go. Anyway, this was filled with the usual thriller impossibilities and implausibilities, but it will, if it hasn't already, be optioned for a film. It's the way it is written.Wouldn't read this if one intends to fly soon.ARC from Edelweiss.

[tibobi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Short of It:Lots of hype over this book!! Turned down 41 times before getting published, I can happily tell you that it’s the page turner you want right now.The Rest of It:There are 143 passengers on board headed to New York. What they don’t know is that their pilot’s family has been kidnapped and unless he brings the plane down according to the orders he’s been given, his wife and two children will be killed.Captain Bill Hoffman decides right then and there, that they will NOT kill his family and he will NOT crash the plane. Although he’s told not to alert his crew, he doesn’t see how it can be avoided. He owes it to the passengers to have every chance at survival that they can have.What a ride.What you will notice right away is that there is an air of authenticity to the story and that’s probably because T.J. Newman spent years as a flight attendant. The attention to detail puts the reader right on the plane with those passengers. You are in the galley, in the jump seat, scrambling through the cabin trying to save lives. It’s riveting.Some of the story may not seem plausible but at the same time, given limited means, it’s what the average person would do in that same situation. The last quarter of the book gave me high blood pressure and I could not put it down.This is what you want in a thriller. Characters you care about, a fast pace, a seemingly impossible situation. It’s good. Throw this in your beach bag and you won’t leave the beach until you’ve turned the last page.For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.