Airframe

A Novel

By: Michael Crichton

Narrated by: Frances Cassidy

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Three passengers are dead. Fifty-six are injured. The interior cabin virtually destroyed. But the pilot manages to land the plane...

At a moment when the issue of safety and death in the skies in paramount in the public mind, a lethal mid-air disaster aboard a commercial twinjet airliner bound from Hong Kong to Denver triggers a pressured and frantic investigation.

Airframe is nonstop Crichton: the extraordinary mixture of super suspense and authentic information on a subject of compelling interest that has been a Crichton hallmark since The Andromeda Strain.

©1996 by Michael Crichton (P)1996 by Random House, Inc.

Amazing. I wish they would turn this into a movie!

If you love suspense and airplanes this is a must listen. Great story and plot.

Entertaining story

I really enjoyed the book. I couldn't quite understand the reasoning behind some of the physical threats to the main character. I don't think this added anything to the story. However, the corporate intrigue with its international implications really is a nice setting for the action. The way Crichton uses the media has a very satisfying feel about it. I thought the book started a bit slow but finished up very nicely.

I miss you Michael

Where does Airframe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10

What did you like best about this story?

It was usual Crichton, you will be smarter once you've come to the end. It was immersive and technical but, I am a Crichton fan so I'm a bit biased.

What about Frances Cassidy’s performance did you like?

She was a bit weak but the story carried her through.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"You'll never fly the same way again"

Any additional comments?

As I said, I'm a Crichton fan, I love his style, which is kinda wordy and his stories follow similar path but that's not something different from a lot of other authors. I miss him, wish there were more...

Not a "Whodunit?" But a "Whatdidit?" Excellent!

Would you listen to Airframe again? Why?

Maybe. Once I've listened to something, no matter what it is, I usually won't go through again. I'm too eager to move onto something new. That said, it's a fantastic book well worth another listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Casey Singleton. I liked reading a book from a female perspective for once. She is an intelligent woman with a strong sense of integrity. Her persistence and resolve in struggling to find the truth of the flight incident made for a great character.

Which scene was your favorite?

Probably the final interview between Reardon and Singleton. It was a scene that had been building all through the book and was always going to be a nail-biter in terms of which path Singleton chose to take. Her cleverness and battle of wits against Reardon made for a thoroughly entertaining finale.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I remember absolutely despising Jennifer Malone. Instead of trying to cut to the truth of the matter, she always let her emotions control her actions. That said, I loved every time she got put in her place by Singleton and anyone else who stood their ground against her constant barrage of misleading questions and questionable ethics.

Any additional comments?

I loved the whole structure of the book in the way that it is kind of a murder mystery, but instead of trying to find out who the killer is, the investigative team is against the clock and trying to find what went wrong with the aircraft. I love how Crichton explained engineering and plane mechanics in Layman's terms so that the reader could follow along and be swept up in the investigation and burn to know the truth behind what went wrong. This truly is Crichton at the top of his game.

Technical but Rewarding

My wife and I read this book while on a road trip to Louisiana. As my first Crichton book, I expected a lot of technical details - which were abundant - as well as a cohesive and entertaining story line, which was certainly provided. I imagine anyone with a basic knowledge of the airline industry is going to be thrilled at this story! Furthermore, anyone that has participated in investigations (especially those in QA) will find this accurate and, at times, hilarious.

The suspense leaves a little to be desired, but it's a very effective story and contains some information that is highly interesting, I recommend very highly!

Great technical - too tidy ending

I enjoyed learning about airplanes and the airline industry but the end of the story was too much of a easy happy ending. and who was the guy in the red checkered shirt?

One of his best

I really enjoyed this one, having read most. A lot of - could this really happen - definitely exists in the book given corporate greed these days. MC has been writing before his time with technology and vents that could happen in most of his books. A really good read.

great book!

filled with alot of aviation industry jargon, this book is sometimes a bit hard to follow and borderline boring. However it has some great plot lines and conclusion based very much in reality.

not my genre of choice

Narrorators voice killed me, and i was reading this as a recommendation from someone who enjoys this type of genre. overall the story seemed realistic and painted a good picture of the inner workings of an aircraft builders career field. I thought some of the book seemed unrealalistic like the continual physical attack on the main actor. The few things about aircraft that I knew was used correctly which helped me get through the book.

At his best

Airframe shows how well Crichton can make a novel out of something that would normally be quite boring.