So this was a quick little read. A little different from my usual, but I’m doing things differently this year so I’m here for it. Freefall is a story told from the alternating perspectives of Allison and Maggie Carpenter, daughter and mother, respectively. The story starts with Maggie being informed that the plane that Allison was on has crashed in to the Rocky Mountains and that despite the fact that no body has been found, Allison is presumed dead. What follows is Allison’s ordeal down the Rockies and back to civilization while being chased by the reason behind the plane crash, and Maggie’s belief that her daughter isn’t dead despite the fact that they haven’t spoken in 2 years. Maggie, in her goal to learn everything possible about who her daughter is now and who her daughter was with when the plane crashed, ends up learning a lot about the daughter she thought she knew.
The chapters for this book were very short which made the pacing super quick. While this book is pegged as a Mystery and a Thriller, I would definitely peg it as more of a mystery, though replace the concept of crime with the plane crash. There really was no overwhelming, believable, sense that a greater misdeed was going to occur (like there usually is with Thrillers) until maybe about 50%-60% of the way through the book. I totally did not see the twist coming, but with hindsight, I guess it could be obvious to those who are more adept at mysteries than myself.
One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was the relationship between Allison and Maggie. No, they haven’t spoken for 2 years, but neither of them let that get in the way of doing what needs to be done. It takes a strong person to rise above pettiness and both Allison and Maggie were able to do so in this book. It serves as a little testament to the love that exists between mother and daughter despite distance, space, and regrets. Overall, I liked this book.
Mysteries and thrillers aren’t my favorite genre. I’m not sure I can even think of a mystery or thriller that I’ve given a 5-star rating to. 🤔 GR says The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith – but that could just be my love for Rowling’s story-telling coming through.
The Aries Atlas 