Customer Reviews

Mayday

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Based on a real life incident which many of us remember, this was a most absorbing story. As with most of De Milles books, this gripped you all the way through.

A very realistic aircraft thriller that glued me to my chair.I enjoyed reading the depth of deviousness and dishonesty human beings will become involved in.Personally, I dislike seeing a favourite author tied in all of a sudden with another author.

I received this audiobook for review from Hachette Audio. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

This is my first DeMille novel, and it won't be my last! This heart-pounding thriller will have you gripping the edge of your seat!

I had no idea that this book was actually originally written in the 1970s. In order to update aviation procedures and technology, it was updated and re-released in the 1990s.

A commercial airliner (Trans-United Airlines' Stratton 797) is accidentally struck by a missile launched by the Navy during a secret (illegal) testing operation. Instead of hitting a drone target, the missile blows through one side of the passenger jet and out the other. Some passengers are immediately swept away out the holes of the jet and others are injured in the immediate aftermath but what happens next is what is most frightening: The complete depressurization of the cabin at an altitude of 60,000 feet has left the majority of passengers and crew brain-damaged except for the few that were in pressure-stable areas.

The hero of Mayday, passenger John Berry, is a salesman and "weekend" pilot that has only flown small planes. He is the only person aboard that is capable of attempting to land the plane. Assisted by Flight Attendant Sharon Crandall, the two must defy the odds in order to survive aboard Flight #52.

**SPOILER WARNING

John Berry's only hope to land the Stratton is to have an expert pilot give him explicit landing instructions. John and Sharon manage to contact the airline's headquarters in San Francisco by data-link, which is a computer-messaging system. The vice-president of the company, Edward Johnson, and the company's insurance agent, Wayne Metz, intercept the SOS messages and concoct a plan to derail the Stratton's return to San Francisco, knowing that the payout to the families of nearly 300 brain-damaged individuals will put the company into financial ruin. They want to see the Stratton crash into the ocean, killing all survivors.

The Navy's Commander Sloan, wanting to hide the evidence of their illegal test operation, wants F-18 Pilot Peter Matos to sink the Stratton with the second missile which the Commander wants launched directly into the cockpit.

Not only does John Berry have to contend with government conspiracies, the brain-damaged passengers are "waking-up" due to the drop in altitude and their behaviour is becoming increasingly more violent.

Faults notwithstanding, you cannot help but root for John Berry. At every turn, obstacles are thrown his way but he keeps a clear head for the most part and perseveres. DeMille has created a flawed hero, but that is what makes him so likeable. Berry isn't perfect, which makes him easy to relate to.

But that's not the best part...where DeMille really shines is in his antagonists: Edward Johnson, Wayne Metz, and Commander Sloan are truly despicable. I can't recall when I last read a book containing antagonists who were more loathsome and vile. They are truly contemptible with total disregard for human life. Bravo, DeMille! I loved to hate these villains!

This is also my first experience with Scott Brick as narrator. I thought Brick did a fabulous job, and the urgency in his voice had my shoulders tensed. Brick softened his voice for the female voices, and his reading made it easy to distinguish between characters.

Fans of airline disasters and conspiracy theories will love this novel! If you have high blood pressure, listening to this audiobook is probably not a good idea because the action is pulse-pounding! Likewise, you wouldn't want to listen to this book while you are flying or if you plan to fly at any point in the near future or if you already have a fear of flying!

In the beginning of the audiobook, I had a little difficulty focusing on the extremely detailed aviation lingo. I think my eyes glazed over a bit, and that's the only reason why I'm not giving this 5/5 stars.

MY RATING: 4.5 stars!! I loved it!! Thank you, Hachette Audio!

This book covers everything from military wrong doing, Government cover-up, animal instinct with a large serving of action.
A supersonic passenger jet in distress that everyone but family members wish would crash, but with the heroics of a few passengers they attempt to save the airliner and figure out who is behind the sabotage and save the passengers.
Nelson Demille has been a favorite author of mine for quite some time, but by hooking up with Thomas Block they have created a book that fans of Tom Clancy, David Hagberg and Robert Mccammon will enjoy , with a different spin on the passenger aircraft in distress , Nelson and Thomas blind side you with a unique story line and keep you wanting more.

This is an exciting, air disaster yarn, spun by best-selling author, Nelson DeMille, and his long time friend, Thomas block, a commercial airline pilot and author of aviation adventure novels. Originally published in 1979, becoming a best-seller, it was updated in the 1990s to reflect changes in politics and technology and republished. I am very glad that it was, as it is a page turning tale of terror and suspense that takes place aboard a jumbo passenger jet.

When a missile goes wrong and strikes an airborne jet filled with passengers on their way to Tokyo, the unimaginable happens. With a cockpit occupied by dead or crippled crew members, a few survivors band together to do what they know they must do: land the plane. In their struggle to do so, they must battle the horror within the plane, as well as other forces that conspire against their success.

Those who like to read disaster novels, adventure stories, and novels of sheer suspense will, undoubtedly, find much to enjoy in this gripping tale. Although entirely plot driven with little character development, it is an edge of your seat thriller that will keep the reader riveted to the pages of the book until the very last one is turned.

This book had me from the first page i read. I am the type of person who likes the thought that im actually reading a book. Then , after about 50 pages i put it down for ever. well not with this book. If you are the type of person who gets bored with books or doesnt like reading this is the book for you. This novel would not let me put it down. The plot is constantly changing and keeping me interested until the last page. I highly reccomend this to everyone.

MAYDAY

By Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block

My first thought when I finished this book was damn. Damnit, this is too short and should NOT be ending now, it is TOO good a book to end. I found myself putting it down after a couple of pages to think about it. I was just trying to find a way to stretch it out and delay turning the page and finding that last chapter. Yes, Real Readers, THAT kind of book. Okay, here's the setup: Disaster novel. New supersonic airliner zooming along at 62,000 feet when some Navy clones, pretending they didn't catch the news release about a newly signed treaty AGAINST testing the missile they were about to test, tell their pilot to let er rip. Oh, oops, the pilot saw two images on his radar, but what the hell, had to be a glitch, yes? It worked. Sudden decompression at 62K feet isn't a good thing. Five survive permanent brain damage or being sucked out of the big holes in the side by being in a pressurized space, like the head, when the plane got whacked. One survivor, a good guy, with a private pilots license takes over and the cover-ups start. The Navy covering their butts and the airline covering their butts. Guess what? They want the airliner to crash. Or explode. Or just disappear. Call me a cynic, but I buy into comparing our politicians, bureaucrats, or any high brass with lawyers. If their lips are moving they are lying. The victims don't matter. All that matters is the 'make-it-go-away-save-my-job- for-the-good-of-the-country'[garbage]. The book is so well written and plotted that you will not be able to put it down until you know that bad guys are taken care of and the good guys win. Maybe they win. Buy this book readers. Immerse yourself in vintage Nelson DeMille. You will absolutely love it.

When I read the back cover at the book store, I thought I was buying a good thriller. However, I was soon dissapointed. After reading through half the book, I saw it as I see many bad adventure movies that rely on gore to cover up a bad plot. This could have been a great story but did it need an passenger compliment of brain damaged people to make this story good. Or the fact that almost everyone on the ground is an evil monster. I thought I was going to be reading a good book about desperate people trying to save the passengers with help from the ground. Also, the suspense is lame, I was waiting to find out at the end that he only had 3 minutes to make it to his dinner appointment, and oh my, oh my, oh my, the traffic is heavy, oh my, he isn't going to make it, what is he going to do!! Read the true story of FedEx Flight 705 for a true thriller instead.

If you've read The Gold Coast, Up Country, The Charm School and Word of Honor, you would never guess that Mayday was co-written by DeMille. The characters are flat, their dialog is hollow, and they're devoid of personality. The author tells you how to think and feel rather than the reader making those decisions for themselves. A page turner, but only to get to the end of the book. In fairness, the book started out presenting an interesting scenario of the chaos found when a supersonic plane is hit by a missile but it was all downhill from there.

I read this book in two days. This is actually one of Demille's earlier books that was updated and rereleased in the late 90's. An Airliner very similar to the Concord is accidently hit by a missle while flying above 60'000 feet. The drama that follows is classic Demille. The survivors must deal with villains who would prefer that this plane went down instead of landing safely in order to cover up their crimes.

If you like Nelson Demille this is a must read. If you have not be sure to read Charm School, his best novel.