About once a year I get suckerd into reading one of these books described as “an instant bestseller” and “a dazzling thriller” and each time I’m disappointed in myself for falling for the hype.
This time I got drawn into the hype around The Last Flight by Julie Clark.
“The Last Flight is thoroughly absorbing—not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin.
The New York Times Book Review
Maybe I just don’t like thrillers. Anyway …
In The Last Flight we meet Claire and Eva, two women on opposite ends of the country living very different lives. However, both women are trapped in their situation by an abusive man and both are trying to escape.
Through alternating chapters we learn a bit about Claire’s and Eva’s backstory and spend time with them as they try to plan a way out.
As fate would have it, Claire and Eva cross paths in an airport, and even though they are strangers, in their brief encounter they chose to switch plane tickets.
Neither woman is honest with the other about their own situation.
Both women see this as an opportunity for a way out.
Once Claire has settled in at Eva’s Berkeley apartment she finds herself trying to solve the mystery of why Eva was so willing to trade plane tickets with her.
And Eva, well you’ll have to read this dazzling thriller to learn how she fares.
Unfortunately both of the main characters seem pretty one dimensional and the men in this novel are even more so. I didn’t fully buy the friendship Eva forms with an older neighbor or the relationship Claire has with a woman on staff. This made a later connection in the novel even more unbelievable.
I will say that the book is a quick read, chapters often end on a cliffhanger urging you to read on and the story flies by. I read this on the beach over a long weekend away. I guess if you’re looking for a bit of escapism this might fit the bill.
Rating
The Seventeenth Line 