I love a good murder mystery. Or, in the case of Flight by Fran Dorf, a good attempted-murder mystery. Because in this book, the intended victim didn't die. She just ended up in a catatonic stupor for twenty years before awakening. I also love when a good story is told from multiple angles. In this case, there are multiple narrators, telling the story from multiple time periods.

Basic Plot

Lana wakes up to discover that she's in a hospital bed, with no memory how she got there. Imagine her confusion when she finds out that twenty years have passed; she's been in a catatonic trance ever since she was pushed from a 200 foot cliff. They tell her that her boyfriend Ethan was convicted of the crime, and served 13 years in prison for the crime. Lana doesn't remember anything about that fateful day, but in her heart, she can't believe Ethan would have done such a thing. Yet all evidence, and two witnesses say otherwise.

After the initial set up of the story, the rest of the book spends its time bouncing around in three different time periods.

We read Lana's story, from 1960 through that day in 1969 when her life was changed forever. We watch her fall in love with Ethan. They are teenagers growing up in the 60's, their lives full of drugs, sex, and music, and, of course, a journey to Woodstock.

Ethan has his point of view, as well. We meet him in 1982 as he's released from prison. Thirteen years behind bars has changed him. The man we get to know in 1982 hardly resembles the Ethan we got to know from the 60's. Now that he's a free man, he has only one thing on his mind - revenge for the witnesses who put him behind bars. Still, we the readers have no idea - did Ethan actually do the crime, or not?

The story is also told during the present day. As Lana's memory slowly returns, old friend and newspaper reporter Jack Wells takes a major interest in her story. Together, they try to put the pieces of the puzzle together, to figure out what really happened that day.

Good and Bad

This is a great attempted-murder mystery - with twists and turns along the way, so you're constantly kept guessing. That fact that the victim's brain contains all the info, but she can't remember it, except in little pieces, makes the journey towards the end an exciting one.

I liked learning the facts a little at a time, in the three different time periods. That's a much more interesting approach than simply telling the story in chronological order. And the switches happen quickly - sometimes only a few pages before it switches again. That made the book very enjoyable to read - I was always rushing to turn the page and see what's going to happen next, and in which time period.

Characters were very well defined; we learn their backgrounds and histories, and can completely understand their motivations for all they do. This is very important in a story like this one. When people do bad things to others, I like to at least understand what drove them to such extreme measures.

I only have one complaint with the book, and it's a minor one. Many of the chapters start with a quotation, written in italics at the top of the page. The quotations are all from the time period the chapter represents. Sometimes it's a lyric from a song, other times it's a headline, or a direct quote from a figure at the time. I found that they added nothing to the story, and in fact they were a distraction. Like I said, it's a minor complaint.

Overall, this is a great book, one I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a good murder (I mean attempted-murder) mystery.


Recommended: Yes