Title: After the Crash
Author: Michel Bussi
ISBN: 9780316309677
No. of Pages: 384
Genre: Thriller
Origins: Hachette Book Group
Release Date: 5 January 2016
Synopsis:
“A night flight from Istanbul bound for Paris, filled with 169 holiday travelers, plummets into the Swiss Alps. The sole survivor is a three-month-old girl–thrown from the plane onto the snowy mountainside before fire rages through the aircraft. But two infants were on board. Is the miracle baby Lyse-Rose or Emilie? Both families step forward to claim the child–one poor, one powerful, wealthy, and dangerous.”
My Thoughts: After the Crash came to my attention through a marketing pitch from the publisher. Unlike most pitches though, this one included the prologue and the first chapter of the book. By the time I finished them, I knew I had to read this book to find out what happens. It is one of those books that is the very definition of “unputdownable.”
That’s not to say that the book is without fault. If anything, there are some major issues with the book. The ending is fairly predictable and some of the plot twists are equally so. The characters are somewhat lacking in development, and there are some holes in the plot which make the scene and character narratives a bit difficult to follow.
However, you can easily overlook those deficiencies for the intriguing mystery at the heart of the story. It starts with the crash and immediately heads into a tantalizing hint at the toll this eighteen-year mystery has wrought on those tasked with uncovering the truth. There is also the psychological toll that the miracle baby must face with the uncertainty surrounding her true identity. It is a taut scenario that has major repercussions for multiple characters and what is at the heart of the suspense.
Thrillers make for the type of novels that are just fun to read. There are usually no great expectations of you as the reader, and the story naturally moves at a pace that entices you to keep reading. A good thriller will give you insight into the human mind. Most importantly, they are just entertaining. In that vein, After the Crash more than lives up to its genre.
BOTTOM LINE: A fun thriller that may not keep you guessing but will keep you turning the page as rapidly as you can
