The Flight by Heather J Fitt

Today I'm happy to share my review of The Flight, the second book from author Heather J Fitt following her debut last year.. This is another standalone thriller. My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation and for my review copy.

The Blurb 

A young mother is trapped with a killer thirty thousand feet up, in this gripping mid-air murder mystery by the author of Open Your Eyes.

On a plane to Barbados, nurse Melissa sits with her young son, Theo. On the same flight, up in first class, are a bride- and groom-to-be, heading for their tropical wedding destination, accompanied by family and friends.

When two members of the wedding party die in mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that a killer is on board. Trapped in the cabin thousands of feet above the Atlantic, tensions mount as accusations fly—and when little Theo seems to vanish into thin air, this bizarre flight becomes even more turbulent . . .

Will Melissa be able to use her medical knowledge to find her son and bring a cold-blooded killer to justice before it’s too late?

My Review

I enjoyed Heather's debut, Open Your Eyes, so was keen to read this one. The Flight is a very different book, with all the action taking place at 30,000 feet and a finite list of not only victims but also perpetrators.

Melissa is already stressed at the airport, trying to entertain her toddler son ahead of their long flight to join a friend in Barbados, when she is spoken to unkindly by an very rude, entitled woman. The woman's son apologises on his mother's behalf but Melissa is very upset by the episode. So she is horrified to later find, as the only person with medical experience on the flight, she is called to deal with an emergency in first class and encounters the very same woman and other members of her party. And everything goes downhill from there. On the flight, you understand, not in the book! 

The atmosphere is very claustrophobic by the very nature of the setting. And there is only a limited number of players. I liked Melissa, she's a very sympathetic character. And whilst I have never flown with a toddler I have travelled in other ways with them and, man is it stressful! So, I get her. She is just trying to mind her own business and is pulled into something she doesn't want to be involved with. I loved the nastier characters in this even if I wanted to seriously take them to task! And I loved the peak into first class which, on this particular flight, is very luxurious. 

Heather has obviously done her research for this book and it shows and feels authentic enough. There are a few quite chilling chapters from the point of view of the perpetrator and I was kept guessing throughout. I thought I had it sussed, and I kind of did but not quite, and there were a couple of shopping surprises along the way. 

The Flight is an enjoyable, easy read that I whizzed through quickly. It has some high adrenaline moments and a real whodunnit feel that will keep you guessing. It's been great seeing Heather go in a completely different direction with this book and I look forward to where the next one takes her. 


The Author

 

Heather was born in Scotland and after moving around Europe with her parents and sister, settled in Hampshire where she met her husband, Stuart.

After leaving the rat-race in 2018, Heather re-trained as an editor and proof-reader and entered the world of publishing. These days she works as a part-time freelancer and a part-time Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound.

Heather was inspired to start writing her novel by the authors who have become her closest friends. Now the ideas are flowing she has plans to write several more over the coming years.

When she isn’t reading, Heather enjoys spending her time watching sport – especially her beloved rugby – and exploring the British countryside with Stuart.

Heather’s debut novel was published by Bloodhound in Summer 2021.

For regular bookish updates, you can follow Heather on Twitter: @LifeBookish