A young mother is trapped with a killer thirty thousand feet up, in this gripping midair 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?
I love reading fresh takes on the classic locked-room mystery and The Flight by Heather J. Fitt was exactly what I had a hankering for. This contemporary thriller cleverly pays homage to Golden Age crime fiction and is an addictive read that I raced through in a day. The opening chapter is a scarily pragmatic explanation of poisons and toxins and a straightforward description by a killer of their path from reader to murderer is chilling. Agatha Christie has a lot to answer for! Their identity isn't revealed but it is clear that they are adept at hiding in plain sight and I was immediately gripped.
Although there are a few more chapters written from their point of view, most of the storyline follows characters on board a flight to Barbados, especially Melissa, a newly single woman embarking on a holiday with her toddler son, Theo. Heather J. Fitt captures the stress of travelling alone with a small child here superbly – from the practical considerations of wielding a buggy and a suitcase to the anxiety and rage induced by self-righteous, impatient onlookers who are quick to voice their opinions. Even at this early stage in the novel, it is obvious that Melissa often feels forced to bite her tongue and is fed-up of feeling ignored, not taken seriously and judged due to being short and petite and because she is a young black single woman raising a mixed-race child. She is confronted a few times by a particularly rude, privileged older woman, whose rudeness even embarrasses her adult son, Aaron and of course, it's inevitable that they should be on the same flight.
The alternating chapters also follow Aaron and Charley, the in-flight service manager, who both soon have to deal with far more than an obnoxious older woman. Aaron is travelling with his fiancée and their families but he isn't as excited about their upcoming tropical wedding as he should be. Aaron is a likeable character but his unwillingness to confront his true feelings raises questions about what sort of man he truly is, particularly as their luxurious first-class surroundings prove to be no protection against a clever, calculating killer. Melissa is a nurse and reluctantly answers a call to attend a medical emergency but she's too late to be in a position to do anything other than confirm the passenger has died. This first death is, understandably, accepted as a terrible tragedy but it also gives readers an insight into the nature of those affected and the fractious relations between them. After the second, shocking death, it becomes horribly evident that somebody on board is a killer and the rising tension amidst the mistrust and accusations is deliciously unbearable.
With an alarmingly rising body count, poor Charley has to cope with a situation beyond anything she could ever have realistically prepared for and to make matters even worse, there is nowhere to put the victims other than leaving them in their seats, covered by a blanket. The juxtaposition between first and standard class here becomes more stark than ever, with most passengers unaware of the nightmare taking place beyond the curtains. Melissa's medical knowledge, however, becomes a conduit between them and it is she who first recognises the signs of foul play and so she is terrified when Theo disappears. Her fear as she realises her son is missing with a merciless killer on board is almost palpable; who can she trust when she is among strangers, each with their own secrets?
Thanks to its vividly authentic sense of place, The Flight might not be the best choice of on-board entertainment for anxious fliers but as much as it is a nerve-rackingly compulsive murder mystery, it is also a fascinating character study. Melissa's development from a woman whose relationship with her controlling ex-boyfriend had left her full of self-doubt to somebody who is finally able to face danger and confront her past is excellent. Meanwhile, as the dark truth causes a carefully constructed façade to collapse, Heather J. Fitt paints a chilling portrait of resentment and revenge. A suspenseful, riveting read throughout, The Flight is a first-class thriller and I highly recommend it.
The Flight is published by Bloodhound Books and can be purchased from Blackwell's, Kobo and Amazon. It is also available through a Kobo Plus Read or Kindle Unlimited subscription.
About the Author
She started her career in publishing in 2018 after leaving the motor trade when she trained as an editor and proofreader with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. As well as working freelance, Heather also spent six years as a Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound Books.
In 2023 she moved on from Bloodhound to take up the position of General Coordinator with the Crime Writers’ Association.
Heather lives in Hampshire with her husband, Stuart.
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