The Flight Attendant

January 1, 2018
Blackout drunk Cassie Bowden is used to waking up in strangers’ beds, but what she discovers one morning in a sumptuous Dubai hotel suite is instantly sobering—blood-soaked sheets and the dead body of the handsome American hedge fund manager she met on her flight over. Even worse for Cassie, the assassin who executed him already regrets sparing the passed-out flight attendant. It’s a killer set-up, and Bohjalian (The Sleepwalker) initially maximizes the dual plot lines: Cassie, flying on primal survival instinct, tries to stonewall investigators, testing the truth of the maxim that God looks out for fools and drunkards; hit woman Elena methodically closes in for the kill. Bohjalian’s less successful in avoiding clichés or in making an espionage subplot plausible. Then, with about 50 pages to go it’s as though the bell has rung for the final lap, with the author unceremoniously detonating a plot bombshell that triggers the frenetic, exciting, but not especially convincing sprint to the finish. Bohjalian’s fans will still have fun. Agent: Jane Gelfman, Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners

Erin Spencer is the main narrator for this psychological thriller focusing on an alcoholic flight attendant, Cassie Bowden, who makes poor choices in life. After her latest one-night stand, she gets pulled unknowingly into a world of espionage. Spencer does an admirable job with Cassie's character, while Grace Experience narrates scenes involving a woman on Cassie's trail. Mark Deakins brings gravitas to his limited but effective reading of FBI transcripts. It's not clear why Experience is used here as a second narrator, as Spencer could have handled the load herself. Despite a rushed ending, the interesting plot moves effectively, with Spencer transitioning smoothly between the characters in Cassie's world--family, friends, colleagues, her lawyer, and others. M.B. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine