The Flight Attendant

A Novel

By: Chris Bohjalian

Narrated by: Erin Spencer, Grace Experience, Mark Deakins

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Guest Room, a powerful story about the ways an entire life can change in one night: A flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man - and no idea what happened.

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She's a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets.

Afraid to call the police - she's a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home - Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first-class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it's too late to come clean - or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?

Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at 40,000 feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, of the giddy pleasures of alcohol and the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home.

©2018 Chris Bohjalian (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Filled with turbulence and sudden plunges in altitude, The Flight Attendant is a very rare thriller whose penultimate chapter made me think to myself, 'I didn't see that coming.' The novel - Bohjalian's 20th - is also enhanced by his deftness in sketching out vivid characters and locales and by his obvious research into the realities of airline work." (Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post)

"An expertly turned thriller... [Bohjalian]'s back-loaded the story with twists, from ones that were hinted at early to left-field surprises. And the brisk and busy ending is a fireworks show of redemption, revelation and old-fashioned gunplay." (Mark Athitakis, USA Today)

"Readers who enjoyed the imperfect heroine in Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train and the anxiety-ridden paranoia of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment will be hooked by this murder mystery." (Library Journal)

Should Have Read the Reviews First

Yuck! Years ago I read Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and when I had finished, I wanted to take a shower. I felt the same with this book. The main character was so chaotic and unlikable. She kept doing self destructive things that I felt were not really believable. These actions did not push the narrative forward; they seemed to just be there to explain an implausible part of the plot. The ending of the book was totally unbelievable, and I use that word unbelievable in its true meaning.
Also, the author used the word bring many, many times, and I don't think he used it in the correct way. The word take should have been used. This really annoyed me and detracted from the narrative. A small thing, yes, but for a former english teacher, quite grating. Save your credit; this book is not worth it.

Loved the book, narration (and the twists!)

A very satisfying story with some delightful twists. narration was perfectly executed. highly recommend it

AMAZING

Really awesome book!! I honestly liked it better than Girl on a Train. The character just makes you cringe but you love her nonetheless. Highly recommend reading this book!

Fun spy thriller spoiled by one of the narrators

A fun spy thriller even if the novel crosses over more to drama than anything else. I really did enjoy it, even though there were some characters and actions that I feel the author should have explored more in the book.
The second narrator, Grace Experience, should be banned from reading audio books until such time she learns to narrate. At a higher speed (1.4x), the impact of her nasal voice is somewhat lessened. Still, it's the reason the book is sitting at 3 stars instead of a 4.

Cassie Bowden is a fun character, her introspection and subsequent failure to listen to her wise inner voice is also compelling. The supporting cast is mostly great, but the author spends lots of time developing the characters, but doesn't finish their story within the book

not bad at all. enjoyed it.

looking forward to the Kaley Cuoco depiction! very descriptive. the three voices helped as well.

Cassie Bowden is a class act!!!!!

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫
I think this is the best book I have read in quite some time. (or had read to me I should say lol). While the narrators voices I found slightly annoying , I do still appreciate the effort that was undoubtedly invested into narrating the book overall . As for the story line , completely original & suspenseful! Not to mention the climax was like no other, as well as the ending , simply superb. I would recommend to anyone looking for some entertainment. I couldn't stop listening, I was just DYING to know what was next! And it never did disappoint .. Major kudos to the author for bringing such sheer originality to the table in an Era when everything has essentially "been done " already. Five stars all the way across the board in my opinion !!

My first audio book

It took awhile for the story to grab you. The end was unpredictable so that is what made it most enjoyable.

Loved this!

Loved everything about this book! I was held captive by each word. A must listen! I’m the whiz!

Good to the end

Kept my interest the entire book with a sense of dread and really didn't finish until final few paragraphs.

Great storyline

Fast paced and riveting from the first chapter! This was a great read and well paced.