Falling

by Clair M. Poulson

After the devastating loss of his fiancée, war veteran Major Corbin Daniels has left the military behind and retreated to the tiny desert town of Moab, Utah, determined to pick up the pieces of his life. Corbin’s work as a helicopter pilot allows him to do what he loves, and his side business as a private investigator provides plenty of low-key intrigue. But when a routine flight over the desert reveals the body of a prominent Moab citizen, Corbin’s quiet civilian existence slips through his fingers. Pulled into a murder investigation that draws on his military and PI skills, Corbin teams up with Sheriff Lisette Statton to solve the case. As the pair delves into the harrowing search for a killer, Corbin finds himself increasingly distracted by his partner—Lisette is competent, capable, and completely irresistible. In short, she’s the kind of woman who makes it difficult to continue his pursuit of a bachelor’s life. But with bullets flying and a murderer at large, there’s little time to consider his feelings. And as the investigation leads to an explosive climax, Corbin will face his ultimate solve the mystery, or die trying.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Christian Fiction, Romance

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Clair M. Poulson was born and raised in Duchesne, Utah. His father was a rancher and farmer, his mother a librarian. Clair has always been an avid reader, having found his love for books as a very young boy.

He has served for forty years in the criminal justice system. Twenty years were spent in law enforcement, ending his police career with eight years as the Duchesne County Sheriff. For the past twenty years Clair has worked as a justice court judge for Duchesne County. Clair is also a veteran of the US Army where he was a military policeman. He has served on various boards and councils during his professional career, including the Justice Court Board of Judges, Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah Judicial Council, Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, an FBI advisory board and others.

In addition to his criminal justice work, Clair has farmed and ranched all of his life. He has raised many kinds of animals, but his greatest interest is horses.

Clair has served in many capacities in the LDS church, including fulltime missionary (California Mission) bishop, counselor to bishop, young men president, high councilor, stake mission president, scoutmaster, High Priest group leader, etc. He currently serves as a Sunday School teacher.

Clair is married to Ruth, and together, they have five children, all of whom are married: Alan (Vicena) Poulson, Kelly Ann (Wade) Hatch, Amanda (Ben) Semadeni, Wade (Brooke) Poulson, and Mary (Tyler) Hicken. Between them they have twenty-three children. Clair and Ruth met while both were students at Snow College and were married in the Manti temple.

Clair has always loved telling his children, and later his grandchildren, make-up stories. His vast experience in life and his love of literature has always contributed to both his telling stories to children and his writing of adventure and suspense novels.

Reviews

[Amanda Merrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the best books I've read before.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me quite awhile to read Falling. Although I was interested in finding out who was causing the problems, I never connected to the characters and could put the story down for days at a time. The first person POV felt like a much older man than the main character, and it came across like the thoughts and writing of a novice-which surprised me since the author has had quite a few books published. Maybe the editing was lax on this one. The word (or non-word as it is) "eviler" slipped through.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written. The main character had a fairly stereotypical man’s dream life (girls all want him, he saves the day, private investigator, pilot, former military, etc). And every female was described by how pretty they were (or for the “uninteresting” ones, how plain they were).

[MykeWeber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve long been a fan of Clair Poulson’s books, so it hurt to be so disappointed by this book. I listened to the Audio version. It was intriguing as Poulson’s books usually are and kept my attention throughout, but I also felt a deep sense of disappointment all through the book. Perhaps some of my dismay came as a reaction to the reader’s performance. He applied his doofus voice to all of the Oil Field Workers in the story and something quite similar to every other distasteful character. I saw that as judgmental and stereotyping. Being thus sensitized to blanket characterizations it seemed to become rampant throughout the story.

Poulson addresses through his protagonist some serious issues of our time concerning the economy and the environment. I was disappointed that he approached those subjects like the sum total of his exposure to the issues came from Tucker Carlson. That lazy approach to complex and nuanced circumstances seemed disrespectful to his audience. He seems to assume that his readers are all MAGA fanatics, who joyfully endorse his deep resentments of those who seek to protect the environment. Name calling and dehumanizing those who disagree are part and parcel of today’s polarized society. The author appears to endorse that with a hero who takes that approach. There are little comments that also depict the hero as being subtly misogynistic.

The story winds up justifying the prejudices depicted in this particulars tale. But, environmentally conscious people are not all hypocritical lowlifes with greasy hair looking for a free ride. Neither are Oil Field workers a bunch brutish, uneducated doofuses. It would have required effort to make this book meaningful and worth my while. Effort that was not made.

[Macie Praag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling is about a man named Corbin who is 42 years old and lives in Moab, Utah. He is a pilot and he flies workers down in a oil drill back and forth between shifts. One of the days he's flying, one of the men that is with him spots something on the ground in the middle of nowhere. They fly down to it and it ends up being a body. Corbin is also a detective so he got out of the helicopter and went to check it out. He finds out that the man is dead and calls the sheriff to come and check it out. The story revolves around him trying to figure out what happened to this man and who may have murdered him.
This book was really well written. I think that the author used his writing skills very nicely. He had a good sense of detail and showed what was happening very well. The way that the author showed the search/case was very good. He didn't give anything away and made the reader feel like they were in the mystery case as well. One of the questions that I thought of when reading this book was why and how this whole thing got brought up to him? Did he make it all up or did he have someone tell the story to him and he made it into a book/novel? An issue that is brought up in this book is murder/suicide. A lot of people do it today and it's a big issue in teenagers and young adults especially. It made me think of what happens in this world today.
I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially if you like suspenseful mystery readings. I always wanted to keep reading to see what was gonna happen next.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former Black Hawk pilot, Major Corbin Daniels, moves to Moab, Utah and buys himself a Jet Ranger helicopter. During a routine flight, a dead body is spotted. The major becomes totally involved in the investigation--being a private investigator. Along the way, Corbin and his Jet Ranger, become targets. Military instinct saves his life and those he comes to care about. Love waits at the end of the journey.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was still a good read. I wasn’t able to get attached to it as much as the other books of his. I wanted to see what they would find in the end, so it was easy to keep reading here and there. I would say the ending of this book is probably the most excitement for me. The chase in the two helicopters until the end made the book. Even though it was a slow starting book I still enjoyed it.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very interesting story. While I liked Corbin's character he sure seemed to have a lot of leeway when interviewing suspects. A lot of people died because of their bad choices.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good stuff.

[Betty Ann Baer · Rating 4 out of 5]

People are threatening the workers at the oil company. A dead body is found. How did it get there? The book keeps moving right along.

[Lawana Sisam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it again for book club and I enjoyed it again!

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting story - oh what evil lurks in the hearts of men and women! Fortunately there is good all around.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this book at 3.5 stars. Nothing really suspenseful – pretty easy to guess. I enjoyed listening to it, but it almost felt too long.

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Corbin, better known simply as "Major" for his previous position as a Black Hawk pilot (which is explained too many times to count in the book), ends up in the middle of a oil drilling conflict and two potential relationships (though of course only one wins in the end) when he thought he was a confirmed bachelor after losing his fiance in war. He didn't account for the draw he'd get with Jarbi and Lisette. Then there's Crystal's romance (kind of on the sidelines). It is interesting to get a "romance" story from a man's perspective as they are more common in books with a strong female lead. Perhaps because of this, a lot more of the focus is on the mystery and action. The case that Corbin and Lisette are working on has so many layers and people involved, it's a bit of a miracle they manage to sort it all out. Of course with that many kidnappings, bombs and guns, you know not everyone is going to get away unscathed on either side of the battle.

Lowered the rating because the romance, such as it is, feels more like an afterthought than anything, even though it's supposedly a huge part of the main character given the constant references to the first battle we're drawn into. As if that isn't enough, the constant fiance references and re-hashing of his old position and why he changed to his current occupation are so frequent it's a little annoying. Yes, we get that this is a big part of the character and why he is how he is now. It still does not needed to be repeated in (what feels like) every single chapter or every time a new person needs an introduction.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I SO LOVE A GOOD MYSTERY/SUSPENSE BOOK!
AND THIS ONE DELIVERS!

Major Corbin Daniels has put behind him his life in the military along with the devastating loss of his fiance.

He is happy with his single life in Moab, Utah where he flies his helicopter and has a private investigator business.

Then one fateful flight changes it all as one of his passengers notices a body out in the desert.

Corbin feel obligated to land and see what has happened.

Little does he realize the tangled web of lies and deceit he will find himself in as he discovers the body is the opponent of the local sheriff, Lisette Statton.

Lisette is a great sheriff and knows she won the election fair and square. She is smart and attractive and completely competent.

Corbin is more than happy to turn this over to the police...

That is until he gets a client looking for the cause of her father's death.

Yes, Corbin and Lisette are now working on the same case...

Well, it never hurts to have a second pair of eyes and hands...

People will be kidnapped...
Bullets will fly...
More bodies will be found...

And admist it all love will bloom...but between whom?

Twist and turns will keep you guessing who did it and why and who is really behind it all.

GREAT. GREAT. STORY!
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!

[Carli Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major Corbin Daniels retires from the military after losing his fiancée and co-pilot on a mission in Afghanistan. He decides to slow life down by starting a duel business as a private investigator and transporting tourists and oil-rig workers in Moab, UT. On one of his flights carrying workers from the rig back into town a passenger sees what looks like a body on the desert floor beneath them. Deciding to land and check it out is what starts Major Daniels down a road of murder, kidnappings, bombs, break ins, and death threats. Drawing on his military experience, he helps the attractive and independent Sheriff Lisette Statton track down the killer and put all of the "bad guys" either in jail or in the ground.



This book starts with action on the very first page and doesn't slow down until the last. Poulson has a way of grabbing your attention and keeping it until long after you've finished the book. It is a quick and clean read and I would highly recommend it for readers of all ages.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not quite sure how to rate this book. There were parts of the book that I was totally engaged. I wanted to know what would happen next. But, then the romance was kinda wishy washy. I would have liked to see Major spend more time with both of the ladies that he was interested in before he made a choice about who to like. (sorry--trying to not give away anything) I would call it a love triangle, but it wasn't nearly that! Overall it was an enjoyable read.
language: clean, heat level: mild

[Loriann Fish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was ready to give this book 4 stars until I found a factual error toward the end of the book. A law abiding citizen like Corbin would not have morphine in his first aid kit. He would have no legal reason to have it in his possession or to administer it.


I am surprised that a former law enforcement professional did not know that and that the error was not corrected by his editor.

That being said, I really enjoyed this story. Very suspenseful and engaging.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book reminded me why I liked this author's books so much, but at the same time I felt like the book was rushed- so much so that there was too much summary and not enough details. There are also definite holes and/or gaps in some of the story, as if the audience missed out on explanations or whole conversations. I still liked the mystery and adventure of the storyline though :)

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Clair Poulson's books and look forward to each new book, this was no exception. A good read. My favorite part is always the law enforcement procedure part of the story. I rate this 3.5 and I'm rounding up to 4.

[Dezi Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was painful to read. Filled with cliches and redundancy. The author needs to 'show' more instead of stating. And the first-person voice sounded like a 60+ old man, not the 42 year old he was supposed to be.

[Ralynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had figured out who did it, but boy was I surprised at the end. Never would of guessed the person responsible for all the death, kidnapping, near death, bomb blowing up just to name a few things that happen in the book. excellent read!!!!!!

[Lisa Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but since I read it through the Christmas holiday my time to read it was somewhat scattered. So, I forgot some of the details, but it has good action and a good story line. I like the chase scenes in the canyons of Moab.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book club book, so not something I would probably ever pick up on my own.
Still, it was a decent read. Not very well written and not very good editing, but not terrible. It's always interesting to see a romance from a male perspective. In my mind, this one left something to be desired.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love his writing.

[Susan Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this as all of his books. Kept wanting to read to see how it ended.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one quite a lot. I think Poulson is better than most in the LDS fiction genre.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Clair poulson's books. Just the right touch of mystery, romance, and detective work! Liked that woman characters were in authority positions and were competent. Great read!

[Kandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling in so many ways.

never would of guessed the mastermind behind the terror. kept me guessing, who doesn't love a bit of love thrown in, mystery and more.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual Clair Poulson has written another fantastic book....