Drowning

Drowning is a fast-paced heart pumping read that explodes with tension from the first page when Flight 1421 crashes into the ocean shortly after take-off. Readers are pulled into the experiences of the crew and passengers as they experience the crash and the horrific aftermath that sees many passengers perish while others continue to fight for their lives. 

This is a well-researched, exhilarating read and Newman's years of experience as an airline attendant give this thriller an authentic feel. She includes many catastrophic instances that left me feeling like 'if anything can go wrong, it will' ... and it does! Readers will connect with the strong cast of characters - some you'll love and one you'll love to hate. I especially loved Chris Kent, a kick ass female underwater welder who has personal reasons for helping with the rescue.

My only beef is a medical aspect that affects my own family which I felt wasn't accurately portrayed. It always irks me when this life-threatening issue is given a quick fix when it's anything but (FYI - the specific medical issue is in spoiler at the end of this review).

This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat and my heart pumping with a story that features a handful of the catastrophes I most fear. Intense, exhilarating (and more than a little claustrophobic!), Drowning makes an excellent vacation read ... as long as you're not planning to get on a plane.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my advanced copies which were provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: T.J. Newman

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: Trade Paperback and digital copy from publisher

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: May 30, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman—whose first book Falling was an instant #1 national bestseller and the biggest thriller debut of 2021—returns for her second book, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean, and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside, and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.

There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.

Spoiler below

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Quick fix of Anaphylaxis with one epi-pen that had been submerged