Mayday

By: Nelson DeMille, Thomas Block

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Twelve miles above the Pacific Ocean, a missile strikes a jumbo passenger jet. The flight crew is crippled or dead. Now, defying both nature and man, three survivors must achieve the impossible. Land the plane. From master storyteller Nelson DeMille and master pilot Thomas Block comes Maydaythe classic bestseller that packs a supersonic shock at every turn of the page . . . the most terrifyingly realistic air disaster thriller ever. Like a growing tidal wave, the escaping air was gathering momentum.
A teenaged girl in aisle 18, seat D, near the port-side aisle, her seat dislocated by the original impact, suddenly found herself gripping her seat track on the floor, her overturned seat still strapped to her body. The seatbelt failed and the seat shot down the aisle. She lost her grip and was dragged after it. Her eyes were filled with horror as she dug her nails into the carpet, as the racing air pulled her toward the yawning hole that led outside. Her cries were unheard by even those passengers who sat barely inches away from her struggle. The noise of the escaping air was so loud that it was no longer decipherable as sound, but seemed instead a solid thing pounding at the people in their seats . . .

Great adventure! Hard to put down.

I wouldn't give many books five stars, but this one is well deserving. Although updated from the original written in the late 70's (which I haven't read), the story is by no means old. The characters are well defined, and the story line keeps you hooked and wanting more.

The author throws in enough twists to keep you on your toes and unable to predict the next move. Granted, not everything is 100% believable, but is entertainment after all. I have read other DeMille books and highly recommend him as an author.

Silly fun...

Calling this book "the most terrifyingly realistic air disaster thriller of all time", as the Publisher's notes do, is misleading. The story is anything but realisitic! It would be more accurate to describe the book as a cross between Conspiracy Theory (for evil conspiracies), Gilligan's Island (for ridiculous plot threads) and Night of the Living Dead (for, what else, the "living dead" - a term even used in the book!). Given all that, I found it to be an enjoyable book that I wanted to keep listening to, if only to see what sillyness happens next. If you want a serious thriller, take a pass on this book. If you don't mind silly fun, however, then Mayday is an immersive yarn.

Want sheer suspense? This is it!

I just wrote a review for DeMille's The General's Daughter, my favorite of his standalone novels despite it being a mystery thriller with little action or suspense. Mayday, written by DeMille with aircraft pilot Thomas Block, is all about suspense.

The novel is set inside a large passenger airliner that has been struck by a missile over the Pacific Ocean and is at great risk of going down. For sheer suspense that continues unrelenting for hours, I know of no book that matches Mayday.

Who is the best person to narrate an ongoing sheer suspense novel? Scott Brick, of course.

Very highly recommended!

Love/Hate

This was a tough listen. The story is great - compelling and suspenseful, but the physical danger was nothing compared to the characters conspiring against bringing the plane home. It was difficult to listen to Commander Sloan or Eddie Johnson and Wayne Metz. I found it very upsetting to hear all the cover-your-ass conversations.

One thing I enjoyed was the pace. I found myself screaming at Barry to use the gosh-darn radio for about 1.5 hours of dialog, but after that it really picked up the pace and kept me riveted.

I am a disaster-novel junkie, and this is right up at the top of any list I could make. I've been trying to track down the CBS movie since I finished, with no luck so far. And as always, Scott Brick is an unparalleled narrator.

The absolute BEST book I've ever listened to!

You certainly will not go wrong with this book. I have never been so riveted by a book in the 50+ years I have been reading. This book has plenty of suspense and great story line, if not downright scary. (Scary because it has a real possibility of happening.) I found myself getting up in the middle of my sleep to come and listen to another chapter. Never has that happened to me. The story teller is brilliant as well. This is a book that I will listen to again and again.