Murder on Air Force One

A Kate Dawson Thriller, Book 1

By: John Flynn

Narrated by: Kevin Chambers

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

When Inspector Kate Dawson, a homicide detective from the San Francisco Police Department, is called in the wee hours of the morning, little did she know what would be waiting for her on the tarmac of San Francisco International Airport.

Air Force One has landed with a corpse in the lavatory; the victim is a beautiful Fox News reporter, known as the "fair and balanced" girl. Apparently, she enjoyed kinky foreplay, like having her oxygen supply limited, a gasper, but it just went too far...or did someone else take advantage and finish her off?

Madame President and the First Man were on board with a couple of senators, several generals from the Pentagon, secret service agents, and a slew of reporters and other presidential personnel. Dawson's only clue is a lipstick container, which contains microfilm dating back to 1947, the crash at Roswell, the Truman letter which formed the MJ-12, the military industrial complex, and a shadow government hiding the greatest secret of the Cold War era.

International politics, conspiracies, affairs, cover-ups, a looming war with Iran, and all involving the First Family.

©2017 W&B Publishers (P)2019 John L. Flynn

Last book of 2019 is the Best!

I managed to squeeze one more book into 2019 before the holidays, and Murder on Air Force One turned out to be the BEST audio book I listened to this year. The story is incredibly suspense-filled, with the murder of a journalist in the first few minutes. What makes the murder unique is that she is a member of the Press Corps on board Air Force One. Anyone could have committed the murder: a rival journalist, a guest on board the President's plane, a member of the Presidential staff, or even the President or First Man. Not only do we want to find out whodunit, but also we want to get to the reason why she was killed. Enter Kate Dawson, a homicide inspector with the San Francisco Police Department. In the author's other thrillers, Flynn's protagonist has fought against religious fanatics, a serial killer, a brother-sister duo who trade in drugs and weapons, and a cartel that deals in human trafficking. This time, she appears to be outmatched by a ruthless female President, her amoral First Man, and a handful of other suspects who each have a motive of their own. I loved following the clues (along with the Inspector), and was surprised by the ultimate revelation. The writing was masterful, and the narration by Kevin Chambers was outstanding. Overall, I loved this story, and have no problem giving it 5-stars across the board. Every so often, you read an author, and something very positive clicks. That's what happened here. I could easily see this book being made into a big budget action-adventure movie. Thanks, Audible!

Much-Anticipated New Mystery Thriller!

In this much-anticipated new mystery thriller from John Flynn, Kate Dawson is back on the San Francisco Police Department investigating a murder. This time, the victim is a FOX news reporter, and her body was found strangled to death in the rear lavatory of Air Force One. The murder triggers a series of highly suspense-filled events as the homicide detective finds herself at odds with the Secret Service who want to dismiss the death as self-inflicted, but even a rookie can see the evidence points to the First Man. But then, as the evidence of a much larger crime begins to mount up, Dawson finds herself on the run from a KGB operative who may have been hired by the First Family to silence her. Secret microfilm and a seventy-year-old cold case removes all doubt Kate is dealing with a conspiracy at the highest levels of government. This great new thriller from the master of mystery-thrillers features a fast-paced plot, plenty of action and suspense, and a story that seems to be ripped from the headlines of the New York Times. Kate Dawson is a welcome addition to action heroes like Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan, and her ensemble cast of miscreants and malcontents who work for the SFPD provide first-rate characters to back her up. This is the fourth Kate Dawson thriller that I have listened to, and I love this one. Each story seems to get better and better. I am even very impressed with the narrative abilities of Kevin Chambers who brings each of the characters to life with his impressive work here. This audio book deserves to be on everyone's Christmas list this year! Thanks, Santa, for putting this one under my tree.

The BEST of the Kate Dawson Thrillers!

Yesterday, my husband and I went out Christmas shopping, and we spent the day listening to Murder on Air Force One between stops at our favorite stores and shopping centers. We both loved the audio book, and spent the last hour "glued" to the radio as we listened to the last chapter. I've listened to other Kate Dawson thrillers, but this is clearly the BEST. Author Flynn and narrator Chambers deserve a lot of credit for delivering so much entertainment. Megan Kendrick is murdered in the first few minutes of the audio book. When Kate Dawson takes charge of the investigation, the Secret Service claim Kendrick died of a drug overdose...despite the clear evidence that she was strangled. The President and the First Man are among the chief suspects as are members of the Secret Service, the Press Corps, and several guests who hitched the ride on Air Force One. While conducting a routine search of Kendrick's seat on board the President's plane, Dawson finds a hidden roll of microfilm in Kendrick's lipstick container. The microfilm contains Cold War secrets that have been hidden for more than 50 years. It appears that the victim was going to reveal that information on Fox News, but was killed for it. Before long, everyone is after the microfilm, including an aging KGB operative, and Kate must stay one step ahead of them in order to solve the how and why. The story moves at a breakneck pace, much like a roller-coaster ride, but Flynn keeps things moving with his excellent writing skills. The characters and setting are all first-class. When the truth about what's on the microfilm is finally revealed, you're in for a real surprise! We loved this book, and both of us concur this is the BEST of the Kate Dawson thrillers!

Christmas Stocking-Stuffer Gift Goes Rogue!

I bought the audio book Murder on Air Force One for my wife who loves the Kate Dawson mystery/thrillers as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. I was curious, and I thought that I would just listen to the first few pages. Well, beautiful blonde Megan Kendrick is killed during an apparent sexual tryst with the First Man, and her body is later discovered by secret service agents in the rear restroom of Air Force One. That was all I needed! Suddenly, I found myself listening to the entire book, like a rogue secret service agent gathering evidence and clues like homicide-detective Dawson. The audio book was great, with a fast-paced plot, absorbing characters, and plenty of twists and turns worthy of a top-notch thriller. I now know why my wife loves Flynn's novels, and just because they feature a woman in the lead, both men and women can enjoy them. I plan to listen to other audio books in her collection. I just need to solve how I'm going to tape this audio book back up so it looks brand new. Please don't tell my wife what I did.

I hope it will be a movie based on this story.

From the murder of a female reporter in the opening minutes to a confrontation with a Cold War Soviet spy, the story was incredibly riveting; the writing was also masterful and the characters were just so nicely well written. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, trying to anticipate what was going to happen next. So much amazing information; so much to learn. The narrator Kevin Chambers one of the best I ever heard. Beautiful voice and a great performance. Highly recommend! 5 stars!

Great Audio Book! Great Narration!

This is my FAVORITE audio book, and my FAVORITE work of Author John Flynn! The storyline is very compelling: A female reporter on board Air Force One is murdered in the first few moments of the novel, and Kate Dawson is called to investigate the murder. Kate Dawson is one of the most remarkable characters in thriller literature today. She started out as a rookie in her first book, Intimate Bondage, and now, three books in, she has come to represent the best Female Character in detective fiction today! Not only does she have to battle a partner who hates her, but also battle the White House staff that does not want her to get to the bottom of the unfolding mystery. This could have been ripped from today's headlines. Flynn delivers a suspense-filled mystery as Kate attempts to put things backs together again. I would highly recommend this book to all! Now, I'd like to say something about the two idiots who posted on here. If you didn't care for Kevin Chambers' narration, you should have swapped this book for another book. No one forced you to keep listening. These two idiots who wrote these reviews didn't swap books because this was some kind of hit job on Kevin Chambers; if they truly had a problem, it costs them nothing to swap books. SO THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE your comments about Kevin Chambers is nothing more than a shameless hit. SHAME on both of you! The narration in this book is excellent, and Kevin Chambers does a better job than anyone else! Some day, if you're really lucky, you'll produce something. Think about how you're going to feel when people gang up on you and say how terrible it is. You idiots don't belong on here, nor do your hit pieces! This is a great audio book with great narration from Kevin Chambers.

Great Story-telling Here

I enjoy listening to thrillers, lots of them. I was a big Tom Clancy fan until the author died and was replaced by a bunch of hack writers who don’t know how to develop a coherent plot without there being one big explosion after another. I discovered the Kate Dawson thrillers, and they are, by far and away, the best thrillers being written today by someone who knows how to develop a plot worth reading. John Flynn is the new Tom Clancy. I heard him give an interview in which he was part of a writer’s group in Baltimore in the 70s when Clancy came calling. Clancy had been writing what would later become The Hunt for Red October, and wanted the group to read his novel. Flynn was interested, and did, but the other members were dismissive of Clancy who had the bare bones of a plot but not much more. Clancy later showed the group up by having a naval publisher publish Red October, and Flynn was the only writer who saw that Clancy had the right stuff to be a good writer. Well, Flynn is an excellent writer who knows how to develop a plot and characters at the same time. His Kate Dawson is a homicide detective who begins to investigate a simple murder only to have the big threat revealed at the outset of the book and then spend the bulk of the book in building her homicide case and then as the protagonist taking out the threat. Those threats have been a doomsday cult attempting to launch World War 3, a North Korean general’s attempts to sabotage the G-20 conference, a group of Army deserters using a deadly chemical to take out a terrorist cell, a serial killer’s plan to orchestrate the biggest murder spree in San Francisco, etc. The most recent audio book, Murder on Air Force One, finds Kate investigating a murder that reveals a Cold War cabal and the formation of the Military Industrial Complex. Flynn parcels out the information about the threat a little at a time, introducing a subplot that runs parallel to the action. This is without a doubt my favorite Kate Dawson novel yet not only because it was nonstop action from the start but because these characters have been around for so long, the depth of character development on personal levels is so genuine and real. I can’t say enough good things about it and if I could I would give it six stars! If you are a Kate Dawson fan, you will love this book. If you’ve never read any other book in the series yet, once you finish this one, do yourself a favor and start from Intimate Bondage and enjoy the entire series. You’ll see Flynn work his magic, taking her from being a rookie to seasoned pro by the last book. Great story-telling here!

The Most Amazing Book Ever Written!

One of the most amazing books ever written. Highly recommended. A beautiful reporter is murdered in the first few pages of the novel, and Kate Dawson is asked to review the crime scene. Each chapter takes you deeper and deeper into the mystery, with the ultimate showdown between good and evil unfolding in the final chapter. Flynn's writing is truly amazing, developing characters and suspense around each corner. Of course, there is a twist ending that most readers will find as mind-blowing. I love this book and the writer. Thanks for making it an audio book.

Outstanding Female Protagonist! Great Story!

Conventional wisdom holds that male writers just don't do female characters well. Best-selling authors, like David Baldacci, John Grisham, Ross MacDonald, even Ian Fleming, have tried, but failed miserably to write a female character well. They start with the premise the female character has to be six-feet tall and a bodybuilder; they give her a man's deep voice or make her a lesbian, or both, and turn her lose on unsuspecting male characters. Look what a belly-flop Baldacci made with his butch She-Hulk Atlee Pine. There's nothing the least bit sexy or feminine or female about her; for goodness sake, she even has a man's name, Atlee. With all that said, there are a few male writers out there who are producing great female characters. John Flynn is the only male author writing thrillers today who writes a well-developed and thoroughly believable female well. His Kate Dawson thrillers feature a very smart and strong character who gives as well as she gets. She's vain, overly confident, petty, loving, sexy, sensual, a real pain-in-the-ass who alienates many of the male characters she works with. Flynn describes her as an urban woman living on the edge who wears designer clothes with designer labels she has purchased at the local flea market. Her jacket may well be labeled Versace, but it was clearly bought at Walmart from the clearance bin. She is a woman full of contradictions, but that's actually part of her real charm. She's a tough-as-nails homicide inspector who is ready to put criminals behind bars, but when her neighbor/friend is served with a restraining order to stay away from a young woman he is harassing for sex, she is the first one to stand up for him in public and then in private scolds him for being such a misogynist. In Flynn's latest thriller, Murder on Air Force One, to become an audio book, Kate must investigate members of the First Family who are each suspected in the death of a Fox News Reporter. Dawson goes under cover as a masseuse to gain access to the First Man's suite, and discovers an amorous First Man (named Bill) who demands that she and he play more than "paddy-cake." She's sexy all right, but does not fall all over herself, like other women, to his obvious charms; she'd rather shove a gun in his face or beat a confession out of him than succumb and use her feminine wiles to get what she needs. Male writers would assume (wrongly!) that she'd give into his sexual advances when a real, living and breathing woman would find another way to accomplish her goal. Then, towards the end of an incredibly well-written and well-plotted thriller, Kate Dawson squares off with the female President, mano y mano, and stands her ground. She is not intimidated by yet another strong-willed woman, and knows that this is a fight to the death. You'd think a cat-fight would follow because most men love the idea of two women scratching each other's eyes out. But a writer who is really in touch with what a real woman would do, in a similar situation, proceeds to a battle of wits wherein the woman who wins is the smartest. Kate Dawson is incredibly well-written, and I just love the Kate Dawson thrillers. She's an outstanding female protagonist in a great story.

Great Story! Absolutely the Best Characters!

Characters are real, and absolutely the most believable characters in any novel. The plot is very fast, with plenty of twists and turns to make it one the best of the Kate Dawson thrillers. John Flynn does it again! Thanks, Audible, for publishing the signature novel in the series as an audio book..