Book Review: Airborne

Heather Lawrence’s long-awaited vacation to Salzburg wasn’t supposed to go like this. Mere hours into the transatlantic flight, the Houston FBI agent is awakened when passengers begin exhibiting horrific symptoms of an unknown infection. As the virus quickly spreads and dozens of passengers fall ill, Heather fears she’s witnessing an epidemic similar to ones her estranged husband studies for a living ― but this airborne contagion may have been deliberately released.

While Heather remains quarantined with other survivors, she works with her FBI colleagues to identify the person behind this attack. The prime suspect? Dr. Chad Lawrence, an expert in his field . . . and Heather’s husband. The Lawrences’ marriage has been on the rocks since Chad announced his career took precedence over his wife and future family and moved out.

As more victims fall prey days after the initial outbreak, time’s running out to hunt down the killer, one who may be closer to the victims than anyone ever expected.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is Director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Marketing Conference, and Mountainside Novelist Retreat with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

Connect with DiAnn here: diannmills.com.

My Impressions:

Airborne by DiAnn Mills is a very timely suspense novel. Featuring a deadly flu virus targeting airplane passengers on their way to Europe, this book is chillingly real. So real in fact that it was sometimes a bit hard to read. I had to remind myself that it was fiction and not a new twist to the Covid pandemic. All that to say that it was certainly unputdownable! A recommended read if it’s not too soon for you.

Heather Lawrence, an FBI Special Agent, is on her way to Austria for more than a vacation. Her personal life is in shambles and she is endeavoring to gain control after her estrangement with her virologist husband, Chad. But soon after takeoff, people start getting sick — really sick. The terror of an unknown illness is front and center for the reader. Airborne gets a lot of things right — PPE, quarantine protocols, and the race for answers and a cure. There is also the element of social media panic, fake news, and the blame game that eerily parallels what has happened around the world since March 2020. Mills wrote this book way before that, proving what a great researcher she is. A combo of medical thriller and legal suspense, Airborne is a novel that will keep you up late turning the pages. There are lots of surprising twists and turns that keep the characters and the reader guessing. A great faith element is also woven throughout the book as Heather and Chad undergo a lot of changes. Chad is a very unlikable character, and I loved how many stuck with him even as most would have written him off.

I liked Airborne a lot, but understand that in light of all that is still going on with Covid 19, many may be put off by it. If that is you, put it on your maybe list — in a few months you may be ready for a well-written suspense that gives great perspective on what we are going through now.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tags: DiAnn Mills, legal suspense fiction, medical suspense fiction, suspense fiction