Paskutinis nusileidimas

by Alex Lake, Aidas Jurašius (Translator)

Po konferencijos septyni didelės kompanijos vadovai sėda į privatų lėktuvą, pasirengę Kalėdoms sugrįžti namo. Galų gale galima lengviau atsikvėpti. Atsipalaidavę jie įninka į dokumentus ir telefonus. Lėktuvas pagaliau atsiplėšia nuo žemės.

Bet skrenda jie ne įprastu maršrutu. Lėktuvas pasuka į rytus – virš Atlanto vandenyno.
Įtampa dar labiau išauga per garsiakalbį pasigirdus pilotės balsui. Ji praneša, kad tarp septynių keleivių sėdi žudikas ir kad šis lėktuvas, nepasiekęs kelionės tikslo, rėšis į Atlanto vandenis, nebent žmogžudys prisipažins įvykdęs nusikaltimą.

Prasideda nenuspėjamas, pavojingas psichologinis žaidimas ore. Kompanijos vadovai pripratę prie derybų įtemptomis aplinkybėmis. Bet kaip bus šįkart, kai ant kortos pastatytos jų pačių gyvybės? Ar moteriai, sėdinčiai prie lėktuvo vairalazdės, pavyks laimėti žūtbūtinę kovą siekiant teisingumo savo šeimai?

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Crime, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Death

419 pages, Hardcover

First published June 8, 2023

About the author

Alex Lake is a British novelist who was born in the North West of England. After Anna, the author’s first novel written under this pseudonym, was a No.1 bestselling ebook sensation and a top-ten Sunday Times bestseller. The author now lives in the North East of the US.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed this author's other books, so I was quite excited to read his latest set in an enclosed space on a hijacked plane that would really rack up the tension.

The execs of a global food company heading home on a private jet ahead of their Christmas break.
Heading the wrong way, the pilot informs the passengers that one of them must confess to murder of the aircraft will crash into the ocean.

The narrative also jumps back to 2018 as the reader learns the reason why someone would hold a grudge after tragic circumstances.

The chapters are short and easily addictive though none of the characters really stood out.
It was pretty obvious how things would connect and the ending felt a little rushed with certain elements not completely covered.

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4.

The blurb didn’t really do it for me, but I thought I’d give it a go. The opening chapters are great and I was hooked. Another positive are the short, fast-paced chapters. In fact, the first three-quarters are pretty good, despite the multitude of POVs.

And then, well…this is where a great book seemed to run out of steam and imagination. The final twists seemed more like ringing out the washing. Squeezed, but still dripping. Unfinished back stories, quick wrap-ups, and I can see the full circle idea, but after so many voices, it felt like only one or two balloons popped.

A good but not brilliant read.

[Knygu_burtai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tai trileris, kuris "įsiurbė" mane nuo pradžios iki pabaigos ir privertęs mane svarstyti - eiti miegoti, ar sutikt saulę su knyga😅🙈 Siužetas labai įdomus - viena pilotė, trokštanti keršto ir 7 žmonės, kurie nieko nenutuokia, kaipgi pakryps jų skrydis ir kuo visa tai baigsis.
Jeigu ne pabaiga, kuri ne visai mane įtikino, sakyčiau, kad tobulas psichologinis trileris🔥 Netrūko nieko - įdomių veikėjų, intriguojančios istorijos, klampumo, dėl kurio negalėjau knygos padėt į šoną, ir įtampos, kuri jautėsi iki pat galo.
Apibendrintai - tikrai labai geras trileris. Rekomenduoju☺️👌

[JR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good revenge tale about a mother whose family is taken away from her and the intricate plan to get back at a food conglomerate.

This was a little slow for me to get into at the start and was a bit long in the end but overall I was on the edge of my seat. I love novels about flying and trouble in the air and this was definately one of those. Could see this being a movie.

I would recommend this!

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept on asking myself "Are We There Yet?", while listening to this book about a tumultuous airplane ride home.

Although I enjoyed the book had some compelling moments, overall, there were problems with the book's pacing and repetitive text.

The book's surprise revenge reveal was eye-rolling.

I listened to the audiobook read by Geoff Sugiyama.

Although Geoff Sugiyama did a terrific job with the narration, the book would have benefited from multiple narrators since it unfolded from multiple POVs.

2.5 stars.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tikrai, geras psichologinis trileris, patiko. ❤️
Perskaičiau per dvi dienas. 😊

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Call is a compulsive standalone psychological thriller set on board a private jet in which Lake ratchets up the tension notch by notch with each turn of the page. Whole Foods is one of the biggest food companies on the globe, so to make life more convenient for their higher-level employees they have a private company jet ready at the drop of a hat when needed. It's coming up to Christmas and the seven seats on board are full as the plane disappears down the runway - heading to Portland, Maine. There is Jill Stearns, the company CEO, who is separated from her husband and has a grown-up daughter, Mila; Charles "Chip" Markham, the CFO who deals with the money side of things; Marcia Fournier, a 60-year-old married alcoholic who was once in a relationship with her boss Chip; Varun Miller is the company lawyer; Kevin Anderson, a 48-year-old Chief Operations Officer and ladies man; Jeff Ramos, who is ex-special forces; and nurse, Mary Jo Fernandez are each on board. However, we learn immediately that their normal scheduled pilot has been targeted by the one now at the helm - she calls herself Sarah Daniels and her plan to take over the plane had been in the making for years. The tension builds as the passengers discover the wifi will not work and then that the plane is going in a direction opposite to the one it should be travelling and panic begins to ensue. It isn't long before Daniels introduces herself and tells them she wants to play a game.

We then transition to chapters set three years earlier in Barrow, Maine in 2018 where Stacy Evanston, her husband Dan and her daughter, five-year-old Cherry, live. The family are about to move to South Carolina in a fortnight and before they leave Stacy is excited to tell Dan she is pregnant as they have been trying to get pregnant again for a while and she had just found out that they have succeeded. One day, she receives a call at work from Carol Smalling, the principal at Cherry's school who said she had taken ill with a fever and vomiting and that had called an ambulance to take her to the hospital as she had become unconscious. From this moment on both plot strands continue to scream with tension, and each continues separately before converging and it becomes clear how they are connected as well as the people in them. This is a gripping, suspenseful read from the moment you pick it up and it doesn't let up with the twists, turns and sudden reveals until the denouement. Lake is in fine form and has penned a fast-paced thriller with short chapters making it very difficult to put down; I finished it within a single night. The characters, like in many stories of this nature, are not particularly likeable for the most part, but that has never bothered me. What matters is they are fleshed out just enough to be engaging. A clever, absorbing read on the power grudges and a need for revenge can have over us.

[Loreta Griciutė · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Iš šalies - ir lėktuvo keleiviams - atrodė,kad tai tik paprastas skrydis. Tiesiog privatus lėktuvas nugabens kelis kompanijos vadovus namo Kalėdoms.
Bet viskas gali būti ne taip,kaip atrodo. Šis skrydis anaiptol ne įprastas, toli gražu. Ir visi esantys lėktuve tai netrukus supras.
Jų gyvenimai pasikeis amžiams.
Tai detektyvinis žaidimas. Turėsime išsiaiškinti nusikaltimą - žmogžudystę. Tarp jūsų yra žudikas,ir mes išsiaiškinsime,kas jis.

Dėl ko visa tai?
Dėl teisingumo.
Dėl sąžiningumo.
Dėl tiesos".

Dėmesį prikaustė nuo pirmo puslapio, įtampa išlaikyta Iki paskutinio,tiesiog neįmanoma buvo atsiplėšti.
Nužudyti šeši asmenys -4vaikai ir du suaugę, vėliau bus dar 4 suaugę. Labiausiai aišku buvo gaila vaikų.
Kai užverčiau paskutinį puslapį, nežinau kodėl tokia mintis aplankė,jei būtų knygos ekranizacija,tai Steisės - pilotės vaidmenį puikiai įkūnytų J.Lopez.

[Zoe Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great., exciting read with short snappy chapters! I have read all of Alex Lakes work and although different this is a really compelling read.

Seven passengers on a private jet with a rogue pilot who wants answers and confessions! It’s difficult to say much more without spoilers but this is a brilliant standalone thriller worth a read.

[Audrey Haylins · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there’s one thing guaranteed to set my teeth on edge when reading a thriller, it’s sloppy plotting. I can’t stand it. And this latest book from Alex Lake is a perfect example. With some baffling inconsistencies and at least one plot hole big enough to drive a tank through, I’m afraid it had amateur written all over it.

And what a shame, as the premise was so enticing.

Food company execs on a private jet are informed by the pilot that they’ve been hijacked, and that unless one of them confesses to murder, their plane will be crashed into the ocean.

Sounds great, right? Confined space, life or death situation, tempers fraying, tension rising, time running out. It seems to have all the hallmarks of a butt-clenching read.

And to a degree, it did.

Lake is very easy to read. Short chapters, dual timelines, multiple POVs. It’s not hard to get drawn into the drama. And for a while I was fooled.

It wasn’t hard to make the connection between the two timelines: the December 2022 hijacking and the 2018 tragedy in Barrow, Maine, where three 5 year-olds die after ingesting a toxic substance. Everything pointed to a mouth-watering revenge thriller.

Until nothing held together.

I didn’t mind that most of the characters on the plane were loathsome, and increasingly so as the story progressed. What I struggled with was the 2018 timeline and in particular the actions of the main protagonist. She simply wasn’t credible. Plus, so much was left unexplained. Even at the end, the loose threads were left hanging.

By all means, read this and make up your own mind. But be prepared to be asked to completely suspend disbelief. Oh, and hold on to those eyeballs. You don’t want them rolling right out of your head.

[Vaida Kurpiene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Istorija įdomi, bet nerealūs siužeto dalykai taip badė akis, kad visa kita nublanko.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this authors work, and this book was no exception. Heart stopping and edge of the seat - a fast paced drama, I really enjoyed it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like thrillers I think this is a decent one, better than the recent Wignall one I read recently. Same rating but this was better. It had characters I could connect with and care about. Short chapters with different points of view keep the story moving at a fast pace. As others have noted, I would have liked the ending to play out a bit differently.

[Silvie Klokgieter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,0/3,5 ⭐️
Recensie volgt nog...

[Aiste Gashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visai nieko ypatinga, įtariau kas ir kaip beveik nuo pat pradžių.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆☆ 3.5 stars ☆☆

The chapters in this were short and punchy, and I loved the reveals. This had the same magic as Lake's other novels, however I'd say it was my least favourite to date - only because of the excessive number of POVs. To the point I lost count and couldn't be fully invested. If you are in need of a quick read, I'd still recommend this, however; unfortunately I don't see this sticking with me.

[Annette Haug]

Jeg leste halve boka så orka jeg ikke mer og ble demotivert til å lese så jeg sa meg ferdig med den

[Iqmat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I really enjoyed reading this; finished it in one sitting. The short chapters and flashbacks to the past intensified the story and kept me engrossed. Filled with mystery, conspiracies and a protagonist desperate for justice with nothing to lose. I just wished certain characters got the consequences they deserved; I felt that the ending let them off easily.

[janinereadsandreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Judy Odom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Call is a quick read that has you turning the pages as quickly as you can to see what happens to the flight of executives that has been hijacked.

The pilot has a mission and wont turn the plane around until someone confesses.

Secrets, red herrings and twists and turns are an Alex Lake trademark and Final Call is no exception.

Just when you think things are resolved wait it for it, there is more coming and the ending was well done and surprising.

Great read to get lost in.

[Karen Shimmin-Munk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

When the execs of a global food corporation are heading home for Christmas on their private jet, a nightmare becomes a reality when they are told by the pilot that she will crash into the ocean unless one of their number confesses to murder.

Switching between the current time and a few years ago when three children died of mysterious liver failure and the doctor treating them committed suicide this makes for compulsive reading.

Yes it may be a little far fetched at times but I loved the inter-twining of the stories and the development of the plot line.

A compulsive, twisty psychological thriller that sometimes inches close to every travellers buried fears, definitely worth a read!

[-Vilma- · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knygos aprašymas buvo daug žadantis, Goodreads įvertinimas virš 4, o ir istorijos, kur kažkas kažką turi išsiaiškinti uždaroje erdvėje, man labai patinka. Vadinasi, imam šią knygą!

Ir kaip nusivyliau pačiu siužetu. Tiek daug nelogiškų sprendimų ir veikėjų elgesio, kad tai tiesiog badė akis.

Per daug neišpasakojant siužeto, keletas tokių fail’ų:
- Užtenka būti kažkiek mačius detektyvinių serialų ar skaičius knygų, kad žinotum, jog bandant išgelbėti gyvybę išgautas prisipažinimas niekada nebus pripažintas kaip įrodymas teisme.
- Steisei prasidėjus persileidimui būnant kavinėje, ji tiesiog nueina iki WC ir toliau daro, ką suplanavus. Net ir neturėdama kitų rūbų persirengti.
- ir dar daugybė kitų situacijų, kurių surašymas labai atskleistų siužetą.

[Charlie Morris (Read, Watch & Drink Coffee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This certainly isn't the first time I've read a thriller set aboard a plane. But it is my favourite!

So much about this story had my nerves on edge, and I found the link between the two timelines very compelling. With short chapters told over two timelines and through multiple narratives, Final Call is a fast-paced read that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.

And while I agree that that the story is wrapped up rather quickly, leaving me with a few unanswered questions, I just had a lot of fun on this journey, and it was definitely the popcorn thriller I was eager for as one of my last reads of the month.

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I may have found a new favourite author! I picked up Final Call this evening with the intention of reading a couple of chapters. A few hours later, I had read the entire book in one go, without even moving from the sofa!

This book had everything I love in a thriller - multiple POVs, two timelines, short gripping chapters and a time limit. Someone on the plane is a murderer and the pilot will crash if the murderer doesn't confess...

I thought the ending was quite obvious, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. Onto the next Alex Lake book!

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The executives of a fast food organisation are on their way home for Christmas, all travelling together on the company’s private jet. But little do they know that it’s been hijacked. By someone who has a particular grudge and is determined to seek revenge…

This was a great fast paced and exciting thriller. I love plane drama! Told from alternating passenger & pilot viewpoints it really kept my interest. I was also fascinated by the sub plot set back in 2018 and couldn’t wait to see how it would all come together.

[Amsaveni Balasubramanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Seven Days, I was completely blown away by Alex Lake’s writing and that’s why I picked up this one. The premise looked great and the progress was good at first. Loved the multiple POVs. After that, it became predictable and the ending felt rushed with many things left unresolved. It’s not great but not bad either.

[Vivien Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book. I can easily say that it's one of the most thrilling books I have read. Such excitement and pace from start to finish. Very talented writer. Shall definitely be looking out for more of his books

[Laurynas Mikalauskas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nuspėjama ir net pasakyčiau vaikiška. Jeigu autorė tikėjosi sukurti pilną įtampos ir nežinios trilerį, tai gavosi šnipštas. Didžioji dalis veiksmo, net nevyksta lėktuve... Lengvas skaitalas vaikams prieš miegą.

[Sabrina Dubé · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the plot of the book and had a hard time putting it down. However I found the ending to be very rushed and lacked detail. I expected there to be a last minute plot twist, but it never happened, leading to me, as the reader, to be very disappointed

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The last fifty pages felt a little unnecessary, but it was so good!