Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

I had heard so much hype about this book I was hesitant to even request it from NetGalley as I tend to not like the “big” books that everyone else is screaming about. Boy, was I wrong. This book! I devoured it in 24 hours because I simply couldn’t stop reading. I’m not squeamish about flying and I don’t have a fear of plane crashes, small spaces, or drowning per se, but still, I had moments where I wondered if I might feel differently next time I board a plane flying over an ocean. I know I will be much more observant about EVERYTHING when I do finally take that trip to Hawaii.

The author does a really good job of drawing you in right from the get-go. After reading four cozy mysteries in a row, I was absolutely breathless within the first ten pages of Drowning. While some of the key plot points seemed far-fetched to me, with absolutely no science background whatsoever, I completely let go of any of that and just went along for the ride.

I loved the character development that went along with this thriller, not always the case when the main objective is to thrill the reader. The tension between the people on land and the people on the plane was palpable and I can not even imagine what was going on in Chris’s mind the whole time. The unraveling of the backstory of Fitz was very interesting and paced just right.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley for giving this skeptical reader a much-needed jolt to her summer reading. Thank you to T. J. Newman for a great book. And, could someone tell me where I can buy whatever case that cellphone was in that it was still operating after all of that? Asking for me!