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Accidental Heroes  By  cover art

Accidental Heroes

By: Danielle Steel
Narrated by: Jim Frangione
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Publisher's summary

A decorated former air force pilot. A pregnant flight attendant. A dedicated TSA agent. The fates of these three, and many others, converge in Danielle Steel's gripping new novel - a heart-stopping thriller that engages ordinary men and women in the fight of their lives during a flight from New York to San Francisco.

On a beautiful May morning at New York's John F. Kennedy airport, two planes have just departed for San Francisco - one a 757, another a smaller Airbus A321. At a security checkpoint, TSA agent Bernice Adams finds a postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge bearing an ambiguous - perhaps ominous - message. Her supervisor dismisses her concerns, but Bernice calls security, and soon Ben Waterman arrives. A senior Homeland Security agent still grappling with guilt after a disastrous operation in which hostages were killed, Ben too becomes suspicious. Who left the postcard behind, which flight is that person on, and what exactly does the message mean?

As Ben scans the passenger manifests, his focus turns to the A321, with Helen Smith as its senior pilot. Helen's military service and her tenure with the airline have been exemplary. But her husband's savage death in Iraq was more than anyone should bear, leaving her widowed with three children. A major film star is on board. So is an off-duty pilot who has just lost his 40 year career. So is a distraught father, traveling with the baby son he has abducted from his estranged wife. Sifting through data and relying on instinct, Ben becomes convinced that someone on Helen's plane is planning something terrible. And he's right. Passengers, crew, and experts on the ground become heroes out of necessity to try to avert tragedy at the 11th hour.

In her stunning novel Danielle Steel combines intense action with stories of emotionally rich, intertwined lives. As the jet bears down on its destination of San Francisco, strangers are united, desperate choices are made, and futures will be changed forever by a handful of accidental heroes.

©2018 Danielle Steel (P)2018 Recorded Books

What listeners say about Accidental Heroes

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Great story

This book took a horrific possible event and turned it into a great learning experience. It was a really good story very well read.

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13 people found this helpful

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VERY ENTERTAINING

Loved it. ENTERTAINING. would recommend it to friends. Will read and listen
to Daniel Steele books again.

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10 people found this helpful

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First and last Danielle Steele

Story was total fluff. Narrator
Was horrible. Waste
Of a credit and do not recommend.

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7 people found this helpful

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Danielle stick to romance novels.

finished only because I don't limes to give up I a,book. but Danielle needs to stick with what she writes best romance

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6 people found this helpful

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Enjoyed the characters more than the plot

Lots of repetition. No way the reader could possibly confuse the storyline or relationships between the characters. The plot was not very believable or complex, but I am a sucker for a happy ending.

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4 people found this helpful

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Converted Danielle Steel Fan

I’m not a fan of these kind of novels, but got this book via a friend. It was a pleasant change from the type of books I read. It was an interesting story that pulled you in immediately, wondering who the villain going to be. It’s her, no definitely him....no may a passenger. You just never knew until the bathroom door opened with someone holding a loaded gun.
I’m not sure of the possibility of actually being able to bring a plane home safely via this route, but I believed it possible.
I won’t ruin the ending, but this was not a book I was disappointed I listened to. May try more Danielle Steele books.

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DROANED ON AND ON

I TRIED TO LISTEN TO THIS BOOK 3 TIIMES. HORRIBLE NARRATOR ( IN MY OPINION) . JIM FRANGIONE WAS GRUFF; EXHIBITING LITTLE OR NO VARIANCE IN THE TEMPO OR TONE OF HIS VOICE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK.

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Surprising Thriller

I don’t read too many books by DS, since I usually prefer thrillers over romance. I enjoyed this story, since it wasn’t her usual style. It had me on the edge of my seat for a while. The narrator was excellent! As far as thrillers go, this story doesn’t compare to Ludlum, Baldacci or Flynn, but Ms. Steele does a superb job with this light thriller. Of course, there’s some romance, but the emphasis is on suspense.

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Couldn't Stop Listening.

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

This is one of my favorite Danielle Steel books. I am a hugh fan of hers and love all of her books.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Any airplane catastrophe is exciting and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it will all evolve. I was really waiting for a twist on the outcome but the book was great as it went.

Which character – as performed by Jim Frangione – was your favorite?

I believe Helen was my favorite. She is such a strong woman with great control and she handled the situation beautifully.

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

Drama in the Sky

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Husband loved this book!

Always a great book when the hubby likes it too. Steele always writes about plane trips between NYC and SFO, it was only a matter of time before she did a crash. She did a great job respecting the passengers, crew and security with her story telling. The ending was a bit abrupt. Sadly, this was one of the rare Steele stories that didn’t make me cry at the end (joy or sad), so I feel a bit undone.

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  • Simon
  • 03-20-18

A Romantic Notion Does Not A Thriller Make!

Danielle Steel has done something quite out of the ordinary. She had a very interesting romantic notion about people becoming accidental heroes and tried making a thriller out of it. So did this best-selling author of romantic fiction and chick-lit succeed in turning it into a genuine suspense thriller as it is currently listed?

No.

This has to be the sappiest, most sugar-ladenly naive entry in the genre I have ever come across. I feel like I have put on several pounds in weight just listening to it and both my ears feel like they have developed paunches. I had to give up an hour and a half from the end and that was at least half an hour after the main action had unfolded!

Now, it may be that Steel's fans from her other books might enjoy this as an interesting diversion from her normal output, I couldn't say. However, regular fans of the thriller genre are unlikely to find a book that they can appreciate. The characters are more caricature than three-dimensional and the action scenes are just poorly thought out and show rather unforgivable levels of naivete. If any of you make it through that ending then message me on Goodreads and I'll buy you a beer, wine or other beverage according to your tastes. I've never read anything more sickly or full of cliches in my entire life.

Sorry Danielle, and of course her fans, I am sure that your success in other genres is deserved but you simply aren't a thriller writer.

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  • Sandra A.Lambe
  • 04-28-18

review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and so happy almost everyone survived what amazing people they were

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  • Joan
  • 04-09-18

A Page Turner.

One of her better offerings for a while and very satisfying for hardcore DS fans.
Great characters with solid plot line and lots of inspirational moments.
The narrator was excellent which was a bonus.
I really enjoyed this audiobook and it’s bound to stay with me now that I’ve finished it.
Danielle Steel at her best. Take a bow.

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  • Pricilla Rayner
  • 03-26-23

Accidental heroes is a story of loss love tragedy and heroes in your everyday life.

All of Danielle Steele books I enjoy. They allow me to have me time listening to them and relaxing.

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