I didn’t know what to expect with The Last Flight, but I’ve been hearing lots of buzz surrounding it, so I couldn’t wait to read it. And I wasn’t disappointed. This might be the best suspense/thriller book I’ve read this year, and at the very least it’s in my top three.
The book alternates between the points of view of Claire and Eva. Claire, married to a wealthy and powerful (and physically abusive and controlling) man who is planning to run for political office. She’s worked for months to plan her escape, but when he unexpectedly changes her plane ticket and uncovers her plan to change her identity and run away to Canada, she panics and agrees to switch places with a stranger at the airport, Eva, who tells her that she is being investigated for helping her dying husband end his suffering. They trade bags and outerwear and rush to catch the other woman’s flight. When Claire hears her original Puerto Rico-bound plane crashed from the airport televisions, she’s is struck with horror and guilt, until she catches a glimpse of her old bright-colored sweater in the background of one of the live news reports. And while hiding out in Eva’s house, she discovers that she doesn’t really know anything about the woman whose identity she has assumed. And now she might be in even worse danger.
I stayed up past midnight two nights in a row to finish this one, and yes, it was worth it the next morning. (The first night, I struggled to put it down instead of just reading through the night..)
This was an exciting book all the way through and never really slowed down, mostly because the alternating perspectives kept teasing everything out at the right pace. I think the author did a great job developing both of the main characters and building sympathy for them from the reader. She gave us information on their past and on their motivation without getting bogged down.
If you like this genre, don’t miss out on reading this one!