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Crashers #2
Breaking Point
Three NTSB experts - people brought in to help investigate whenever a plane goes down - find themselves victims and witnesses rather than investigators when the plane they are on crashes.
En route to a conference, three NTSB experts -- known to insiders as "Crashers" -- Tommy Tomzak, a pathologist from Texas; Kiki Duvall, a sound engineer and former naval officer; and Isaiah Grey, investigator and former FBI agent – are aboard a twin turbo prop plane when, just outside of Helena, Montana, the plane crashes into a thickly forested moutainside. But the crash isn't an accident - it was brought down on purpose - and the "Crashers" weren't the target. The plane was brought down by mercenaries, led by an enigmatic, shadowy self-described patriot known only as Calendar, using weapons technology banned by international treaty. The targets - three men who planned to blow the whistle on the weapons technology and the power brokers behind its development.
In a twisty, compelling thriller that goes from the streets of Spain, to the mountains of the western United States, to the heart of the dark, hidden corridors of power where there are dangerous secrets that few suspect and fewer know, the "Crashers" are literally dropped in the middle of a case that neither starts, nor ends, with a plane crash with some of their own on-board. A new team of Crashers fights time, as a fire rages ever closer to the wreckage, conflicting and confusing evidence, and unpredictable outside forces trying to prevent them from uncovering the truth. With alllies - unseen and even unknown - working behind the scenes to help them, the team is trapped in the midst of a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with the deadliest of consquences, a game that not all of them will survive...
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2011
11 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Dana Haynes
10 books99 followersDana Haynes is the author of nine published mysteries and thrillers from Bantam Books, St. Martin’s Press and Blackstone Publishing. His first short story appeared in the 2019 anthology for the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, and the second will hit the stands in 2021 in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. He is an award-winning newspaper journalist and former political speechwriter. His latest series kicked off in 2019 with “St. Nicholas Salvage and Wrecking.” It was followed in January 2021 with the sequel, “Sirocco.” Dana lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Katy King, and their cat, Violet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 17, 2015
cover to cover! I was hoping for a bit more Daria action, I was pleased to see her pop in for the last third of the book. While I find it funny I'm unpleasant by agent Rays misplaced determination to protect Daria.
as for the storyline, I was very surprised by the amount of death. I understood it, but I was certainly not expecting it and to the level of detail. out of the four I've read, I think I enjoy the other books more.
Kiki and Tommy's relationship was very cute and touching to read about :) Renee was just... creepily psychotic. Peter Kim was stubbornly silly as always. Susanne Tanaka was brilliantly efficient - all in all a dynamic and well built crew of characters. even if all the new second characters in this book were killed off, tsk.
as for the storyline, I was very surprised by the amount of death. I understood it, but I was certainly not expecting it and to the level of detail. out of the four I've read, I think I enjoy the other books more.
Kiki and Tommy's relationship was very cute and touching to read about :) Renee was just... creepily psychotic. Peter Kim was stubbornly silly as always. Susanne Tanaka was brilliantly efficient - all in all a dynamic and well built crew of characters. even if all the new second characters in this book were killed off, tsk.
February 10, 2013
If you like action, enjoy an adrenalin rush, Dana Haynes is your guy. It starts out fast, picking up the pace as the pages fly by. High octane could be a good description for Haynes’ writing style. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) calls the teams it sends to investigate when a plane goes down “Crashers”. These are people smart enough and strong enough to sort through the grizzly wreckage to find the truth, to figure out what took that long silver body out of the sky. Pathologist Tommy Tomzak, sound expert Kiki Duvall, and pilot Isaiah Grey are Crashers. They will board flight 78 headed for Seattle Washington where they are scheduled to speak at a conference. They will never arrive. Somewhere outside Helena Montana the plane will be brought down in a remote forest. “Crashers” will be sent to find out why. Haynes puts you right in the cockpit as the pilots battle to keep the plane airborne, a struggle they will lose. He takes you inside the investigation as the crash team keeps finding things that don’t add up. A shadowy mercenary is in the employ of powerful interests in the weapons game, they are more than ready to be brutal in achieving their aims. A computer genius realizes his inventions will be used for nothing but evil and tries to stop the bad guys by spilling their secrets to the press. A beautiful woman must choose between her high-end lifestyle in the country she has adopted and the man she loves. She will choose poorly. And a clever FBI agent will have to put it all together with the help of a former Israeli spy. The story hurtles toward its climatic conclusion.
April 19, 2015
Haynes's second novel centers on the aircraft loss investigative team introduced in "Crashers." This time they are on a plane that crashes in a mountainous area of Montana. The crash was not an accident, and the reader knows that fact from the start. It is interesting to see the investigative team in action with the rest of the National Transportation Safety Board experts, especially when interference with the investigation by the hit men working for a cabal of defense industry and intelligence agency people leads to several deaths. This novel, a combination of aircraft-centered novel and full-bore thriller, is a transition toward the next two novels by Haynes that center on Darya Gibron, the Israeli-Palestinian trouble shooter (and shooter) and her FBI pal, Ray Calabrese. It is an exciting read with a bit better than superficial characterizations of the players.
January 2, 2012
This one read like the screenplay for a thriller with a really REALLY big special-effects budget. Many casualties -- all in bloody detail -- gunfights, plane crashes, bulldozers, the CIA, the NTSB, stabbings, fires, explosions, etc. etc.
Only a couple white hats in the book -- mostly grey and changing as you read. Click, click, click quick switches from scene to scene.
Good idea not to put this book down for too long or it's easy to lose track of all the characters. A little overwritten, but still engaging enough that I will hunt up the first by this writer which evidently involves many of these same characters.
Only a couple white hats in the book -- mostly grey and changing as you read. Click, click, click quick switches from scene to scene.
Good idea not to put this book down for too long or it's easy to lose track of all the characters. A little overwritten, but still engaging enough that I will hunt up the first by this writer which evidently involves many of these same characters.
March 3, 2012
A magnifencent novel- so very well written- Dana Haynes has proved that he is no one hit wonder- CRASHERS was superb, Breaking Point- with the same characters is like visiting old friends- a terrific second book in a MUST READ series. Those who investigate plane crashes are far more than fact finders- they are complex - very human people- and Mr. Haynes captures the very essense of NTSB procedures and the emotional impact on his characters in a very affecting way. This is stick to your seat reading-
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
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THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
March 10, 2012
WOW. Make sure you're well rested when you start this book. It is a sprint from the first word. The action stays high throughout a large majority of the book, with only a few places to take a breath.
If you haven't read this latest book about Tommy, Kiki, and the other "Crashers", take the time to read this one --- and I'm hoping Dana Haynes comes out with a follow-up soon!!!
If you haven't read this latest book about Tommy, Kiki, and the other "Crashers", take the time to read this one --- and I'm hoping Dana Haynes comes out with a follow-up soon!!!
October 15, 2017
I started this book more than a month ago, then abandoned it repeatedly, as ebook library holds came pouring in -- but that's no reflection on the quality of the book. Very similar in style to Crashers, Haynes' first book about the NTSB and the "Go Teams" that investigate plane crashes, Breaking Point now has some of the crashers themselves on board a plane that goes down. Far-fetched? Yeah, definitely. But also a fun, fast read. Action thrillers with espionage and mercenaries and covert operations are not my usual genre, but I do just really enjoy this series for some reason!
December 11, 2018
This was an action packed ride from beginning to end. I once again enjoyed these characters - and loved the unexpected position the author placed them in. Basically, "the Crashers" - crash and this story tells the aftermath of that and the mystery that must be worked out from the clues left before them.
There was definitely technical jargon that had to be waded through - but still that didn't keep me from finishing it in less that 12 hours - I couldn't put it down - needed to make it to the end.
There was definitely technical jargon that had to be waded through - but still that didn't keep me from finishing it in less that 12 hours - I couldn't put it down - needed to make it to the end.
May 17, 2017
Poor sequel
If the author wanted to focus on Daria, then he could have done it better than this sequel. Those characters you cared about in the first book secondary characters or worse in this book.
If the author wanted to focus on Daria, then he could have done it better than this sequel. Those characters you cared about in the first book secondary characters or worse in this book.
April 26, 2018
Fast pace action
Interesting characters, should have Daria play a larger role
Interesting characters, should have Daria play a larger role
May 6, 2018
great cast of characters and interesting examination of plane crashes
November 14, 2020
A sequel to Crashers and just like that book, thriller is too tame a word for Breaking Point. Another Non. Stop. Read.
November 15, 2020
Soo good!
March 24, 2024
New author for me. I enjoyed the plot, characters and ending.
October 27, 2011
They are the Crashers. When a plane goes down, the “Go Team” assembles from across the country to secure the wreckage, investigate the incident, and determine what happened, and what — or who — was to blame. It’s a tough job that can sometimes be hazardous and thankless, and requires a certain amount of emotional distance from the horrible event, itself.
But how do you do that when the Crashers, themselves, are in a crash?
When three of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigators are involved in an accident in Montana, on their way to a conference, the personal and professional stakes are raised. The investigator in charge is a pig-headed egotist, his assistant is well-meaning but untried, and some of their best people have been sidelined by the wreck, or are elsewhere. But, as bad as the wreck and its investigation are, the Crashers have no way of knowing just how bad things are going to get.
They don’t know that the plane was brought down by a sophisticated device that can disrupt all electrical activity on a plane.
They don’t know that the plane was targeted in order to stop one of the passengers from speaking out about the existence of that same device.
They don’t know that the man who brought the plane down is lurking nearby, ready to kill any survivor who knows too much, or any investigator who learns the horrible truth.
They have no clue that a deadly collusion between the defense department, the CIA, and a tech firm turned arms manufacturer is depending on that assassin to keep their secret, and willing to go to any length to ensure he succeeds.
Fortunately, the heroes of Dana Haynes’ previous book, Crashers, are on the case. But this investigation may prove to be more than even they can handle. Can they determine the cause of the crash when their every word is monitored, their chain of evidence is compromised, and every move they make is watched by a killer?
It’s going to be a long and bad trip between the incident and the report, and they may not all survive the flight in one piece…
Crashers was a slam-bang first novel, filled with international intrigue, memorable characters, clever dialogue, and more sharp twists and turns than an out of control roller coaster. More importantly, Haynes was able to do a high tech thriller that didn’t bog the reader down in so many details that the momentum was irrevocably lost in the expositional slog.
With Breaking Point, Haynes has succeeded in crafting a worthy follow-up to his debut novel: a fast-paced and nerve-wracking continuation of the crashers he introduced that makes you want another book as soon as possible. In fact, it was so good that I’m actually going to break one of my own review rules and use a cliche – Once I started reading I really could not put it down.
And if you like an intelligent thriller with compelling characters and non-stop action, I’m betting you won’t either.
Breaking Point is out November 8th. Crashers is out in paperback, now, and should be read first in order to get the full effect. It was reviewed here
(From a review here
But how do you do that when the Crashers, themselves, are in a crash?
When three of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigators are involved in an accident in Montana, on their way to a conference, the personal and professional stakes are raised. The investigator in charge is a pig-headed egotist, his assistant is well-meaning but untried, and some of their best people have been sidelined by the wreck, or are elsewhere. But, as bad as the wreck and its investigation are, the Crashers have no way of knowing just how bad things are going to get.
They don’t know that the plane was brought down by a sophisticated device that can disrupt all electrical activity on a plane.
They don’t know that the plane was targeted in order to stop one of the passengers from speaking out about the existence of that same device.
They don’t know that the man who brought the plane down is lurking nearby, ready to kill any survivor who knows too much, or any investigator who learns the horrible truth.
They have no clue that a deadly collusion between the defense department, the CIA, and a tech firm turned arms manufacturer is depending on that assassin to keep their secret, and willing to go to any length to ensure he succeeds.
Fortunately, the heroes of Dana Haynes’ previous book, Crashers, are on the case. But this investigation may prove to be more than even they can handle. Can they determine the cause of the crash when their every word is monitored, their chain of evidence is compromised, and every move they make is watched by a killer?
It’s going to be a long and bad trip between the incident and the report, and they may not all survive the flight in one piece…
Crashers was a slam-bang first novel, filled with international intrigue, memorable characters, clever dialogue, and more sharp twists and turns than an out of control roller coaster. More importantly, Haynes was able to do a high tech thriller that didn’t bog the reader down in so many details that the momentum was irrevocably lost in the expositional slog.
With Breaking Point, Haynes has succeeded in crafting a worthy follow-up to his debut novel: a fast-paced and nerve-wracking continuation of the crashers he introduced that makes you want another book as soon as possible. In fact, it was so good that I’m actually going to break one of my own review rules and use a cliche – Once I started reading I really could not put it down.
And if you like an intelligent thriller with compelling characters and non-stop action, I’m betting you won’t either.
Breaking Point is out November 8th. Crashers is out in paperback, now, and should be read first in order to get the full effect. It was reviewed here
(From a review here
December 30, 2011
Who are the good guys, who are the bad guys, is the tall blonde bad or the solidly muscled woman with the spiky hair good? Breaking Point by Dana Haynes throws so many characters at you that you find yourself taking inventory from time to time wondering if you have everyone straight and you just know, that by the end of the book, you might just change your opinion of some very interesting people.
“We’ve got false federal agents, a wingless airliner flying under a balloon, air tankers barnstorming us every five minutes, a missing crasher, and a forest fire at the back door. Absolutely nothing could surprise me today.”
When Patriots meet up with science and technology, the lines are a blurred as to what is best for the country. When certain weaponry has been banned for the good of mankind, renegade corporations set out to test the boundaries and when a change of heart comes over them, someone must die and if that someone is on an airplane with other Americans, well that is just the cost of doing business.
Kiki Duvall, Tommy Tomzak and Isaiah Grey are traveling on a midsized aircraft when it plummets from the sky. Being trained Crashers (the NTSB team that goes in after an airliner goes down) they are well equipped to handle the initial parts of the investigation, that is until apparent survivors show curious injuries during their autopsies.
I enjoy this series, the subject is terrifying in its reality and Dana Haynes has a way of describing people and situations to the point that you are right there with them. Start with Crasher and then continue with this book. The intensity will keep you tuned in and the humor will have you wondering if you should be laughing, but to be honest, sometimes humor is what gets you through tough situations.
“We’ve got false federal agents, a wingless airliner flying under a balloon, air tankers barnstorming us every five minutes, a missing crasher, and a forest fire at the back door. Absolutely nothing could surprise me today.”
When Patriots meet up with science and technology, the lines are a blurred as to what is best for the country. When certain weaponry has been banned for the good of mankind, renegade corporations set out to test the boundaries and when a change of heart comes over them, someone must die and if that someone is on an airplane with other Americans, well that is just the cost of doing business.
Kiki Duvall, Tommy Tomzak and Isaiah Grey are traveling on a midsized aircraft when it plummets from the sky. Being trained Crashers (the NTSB team that goes in after an airliner goes down) they are well equipped to handle the initial parts of the investigation, that is until apparent survivors show curious injuries during their autopsies.
I enjoy this series, the subject is terrifying in its reality and Dana Haynes has a way of describing people and situations to the point that you are right there with them. Start with Crasher and then continue with this book. The intensity will keep you tuned in and the humor will have you wondering if you should be laughing, but to be honest, sometimes humor is what gets you through tough situations.
September 18, 2013
The promise that Dana Haynes exhibited in his book, CRASHERS, is more than equaled in book two. BREAKING POINT (ISBN 978-1250011848, paperback, $9.99) has many of the same characters from the first book as well as a new team of NTSB crash investigators. A really malevolent villain named “Calendar” is introduced.
The creative genius behind a high tech company has created a weapon that by all standards is illegal under international agreements. The military weapons company that is partnering with the high tech company has decided on a live trial in Canada. When the inventor has second thoughts about killing people in a trial, he decides to “out” the military company at a high tech conference in Seattle. He boards a plane along with three investigators from book one who are on the way to the same conference.
The military weapons company hears that their project is about to be revealed and changes the target to the plane that is taking the four key figures to Seattle. The plane crashes near Helena, MT. A forest fire ensues making time of the essence. Another “Go Team” is rapidly assembled and heads for the crash and fire site. What happens next is as exciting a sequence of action as I have ever read. A real page-turner and adrenaline producing story.
Thank you Dana Haynes. My advice to readers of this genre: GO! BUY! READ!
The creative genius behind a high tech company has created a weapon that by all standards is illegal under international agreements. The military weapons company that is partnering with the high tech company has decided on a live trial in Canada. When the inventor has second thoughts about killing people in a trial, he decides to “out” the military company at a high tech conference in Seattle. He boards a plane along with three investigators from book one who are on the way to the same conference.
The military weapons company hears that their project is about to be revealed and changes the target to the plane that is taking the four key figures to Seattle. The plane crashes near Helena, MT. A forest fire ensues making time of the essence. Another “Go Team” is rapidly assembled and heads for the crash and fire site. What happens next is as exciting a sequence of action as I have ever read. A real page-turner and adrenaline producing story.
Thank you Dana Haynes. My advice to readers of this genre: GO! BUY! READ!
July 9, 2014
This is a re-read and a follow up to Haynes's previous novel, Crashers, about an NTSB crash investigation team.
While I like the crash investigation aspect of these books, I felt like Breaking Point was missing a lot of the detail that Crashers brought. Quite a few characters were killed off, and Haynes seems to be spinning off a tangential character into her own series rather than focusing on his NTSB stories. It disappoints me just a little, because I feel like there are a lot of action/adventure novels out there about rogue badasses, but this is the first time the NTSB has really been fictionalized. I'm a little bit bummed to not have seen more with the crashers - or, those that are left, anyway.
Regardless, the pacing and humor in this book kept me turning the pages.
While I like the crash investigation aspect of these books, I felt like Breaking Point was missing a lot of the detail that Crashers brought. Quite a few characters were killed off, and Haynes seems to be spinning off a tangential character into her own series rather than focusing on his NTSB stories. It disappoints me just a little, because I feel like there are a lot of action/adventure novels out there about rogue badasses, but this is the first time the NTSB has really been fictionalized. I'm a little bit bummed to not have seen more with the crashers - or, those that are left, anyway.
Regardless, the pacing and humor in this book kept me turning the pages.
November 26, 2012
Like Chasers, Breaking Point centers on the investigation of an airline crash. There are also some other unfortunate similarities: reliance on an unknown weapon that remotely debilitates planes as the cause of the crash, some rather obvious rule-keepers vs. mavericks personality conflicts, and an over-the-top violent ending. Still, the first 80% of this story is a great page-turning chase.
December 12, 2011
I am usually not a fan of pure "thrillers".
Nevertheless, Haynes makes the nerdy world of NTSB crash investigators exciting. Breaking Point is a well written and plotted thriller that actually thrills while maintaining plausiblity and logic (at least up to a point).
Breaking Point brings back smart and brave characters from his debut, Crashers (although reading the first is not necessary to enjoyment of this one).
The climax is definitely (biblically) over the top but I went along for the ride.
Haynes remains on my (short) list of young thriller writers to follow.
Nevertheless, Haynes makes the nerdy world of NTSB crash investigators exciting. Breaking Point is a well written and plotted thriller that actually thrills while maintaining plausiblity and logic (at least up to a point).
Breaking Point brings back smart and brave characters from his debut, Crashers (although reading the first is not necessary to enjoyment of this one).
The climax is definitely (biblically) over the top but I went along for the ride.
Haynes remains on my (short) list of young thriller writers to follow.
December 15, 2011
So not as good as Crashers, but still a fast, action-packed read. I was a little put off at the beginning when right after the major action starts, the author goes back in time, each one further than the last, for 10 chapters. When your commuting, that makes it hard to keep all of the threads of the story together, but if you're not putting it down during that time, maybe you'll have no problem. I didn't get into the characters so much this time, since there were more POVs this time, but I liked that we see Kiki and Tommy and Ray again.
May 4, 2014
Definitely enjoyed reading Dana Hayes' 'Breaking Point', yet I found it to be kind of slow at the beginning and then, suddenly, BAM!, the theory is thought up and the crash is completely figured out. Also, I got a bit lost with all the switching between the crash site, Halcyon/Detweiler and the Go-Team site, in some parts not being able to follow the storyline as I read, having to go back and reread some segments that had me confused. But those things aside, I really liked it, it was a really well-thought out plot, once I got the hang of it, with good characters and plausible events.
September 8, 2016
This was a very good book. Tommy Tomzak, Kiki Duvall, and Isaiah Gray are on a plane when it goes down unexpectedly in Montana. They become unwitting pawns in a murderous plot involving banned weapons and three other people who WERE the targets of the plot. There are many twists and turns in this book and not only will it keep you non the edge of your seat, it will be hard to put down even to take a break.
November 21, 2011
Not QUITE as wonderful as Crashers, but still a pretty darn awesome page-turner. I was impressed that he managed to use a similar concept as his last novel but in a completely new way that still made a lot of sense. My only complaint was that there seemed to be a lot of gratuitous and unnecessary violence/death - reminiscent of a Stiegg Larsson novel.
February 10, 2012
This is the first time I have read anything by Mr. Haynes, and won't be the last. He handles the "thriller" genre like an old pro and I can't wait to read his debut book Crashers.
If I have a nit to pick, he introduces a tad too many characters, but manages to make them distinct enough to stand out.
If I have a nit to pick, he introduces a tad too many characters, but manages to make them distinct enough to stand out.
October 14, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! This is a sequel to "Crashers", also well worth reading! Look for both of them,
once you start, you won't be able to stop until you are finished, and still want more...I contacted the author, he said the next book is coming in March 2013. I will be eagerly awaiting what happens next!
September 20, 2013
I did not like this book as much as the first. It didn't move as quickly. I found it harder to keep track of the characters, and what are the chances of having a second US plane come down so close to what happened in the first book. In the first book you could believe something like the plane crashing could happen. Having something similar happen again to the same people? I didn't buy it.
February 21, 2012
A plane carrying NTSB crash investigators and a brillant scientist who's designed a nuclear weapon (banned by treaty) crashes mysteriously in Montana forest. Rogue CIA group behind the weapon and fighting assassins,fire,flood the survivors and FBI agent solve it.
July 24, 2012
Completely, totally AWESOME!! I read this one first and was totally hooked! Great male and female characters; good, relateable (is that a real word?) relationships; the research is amazing and very well-presented and totally understandable. Would highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews