Murder at 30,000 Feet

by Susan Walter

Under the cover of turbulence, a killer strikes. With nowhere to land and nowhere to hide, who will save the passengers from this nightmare at 30,000 feet?

It’s a ticket to paradise. Flight 868 has nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over a dozen tipsy passengers are off to a destination wedding. A team of high school baseball players are headed to a tournament. The plane is packed with people eager to escape their lives, and others who can’t wait to return to their beloved home.

But sweet anticipation turns to terror when a lightning strike short-circuits the avionics and plunges the plane into darkness. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found brutally murdered, with only a bewildered air marshal to solve the crime. He soon realizes that several passengers are harboring dark secrets, but the identity of the murderer eludes him. There’s only one The killer is on the plane.

Thousands of feet above the earth with thunderstorms closing in, the danger outside is as grave as the mounting threat within. Can the captain outrun the storm? Or will the murderer among them bring the plane down first?

Passion, betrayal, and murder collide in this high-stakes, locked-room mystery. A must-read for fans of T. J. Newman and Jeneva Rose.

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 17, 2026

About the author

Susan Walter is a recovering screenwriter and film director who started writing books to kill people because it was frowned upon in real life. Her first two novels, “Good as Dead” and “Over Her Dead Body” are set in the movie business, but then she discovered there are places that are even more dangerous. She is now murdering people on airplanes, on ski hills, and in safehouses while on the run from organized crime.
A sometimes director, her Netflix movie ALL I WISH, which she also wrote, stars Sharon Stone and Tony Goldwyn and won a screenwriting award that you have never heard of, but that she is proud of nonetheless. Her latest novel, "Letters from Strangers," is based on the real-life mystery that riddled her own childhood. You can learn more about Susan at www.susanwalterwriter.com, and thanks for stopping by!

Reviews

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! I'm obsessed. This was such a great read. A locked room murder mystery that takes place on a plane. There's a thunderstorm that knocks out the electricity for a moment and when the lights come back on, one of the passengers is brutally murdered, and the only air marshall on board must figure out which passenger committed the murder. This was seriously so suspenseful and twisty. I had no idea where this was going or how it was all going to play out, and I loved every minute.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa Kusel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindled.

Other than needing to suspend an enormous amount of disbelief (particularly regarding the titular "murder"), I had a lot of fun reading this book. Sure, the crime(s) and tragedies bordered on silly, as did the solves and saves (that prop plane--wth?). But Ms. Walter's writing skills most definitely kept propelling me forward, fast and furiously, all the way to the tidy bow-tied ending. Phew.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably not the best idea to read this a month out from a long haul flight to Japan really!! Haha. This is one wild and bumpy ride and I loved every second of it. All of Susan Walter’s books are amazing and this might be my favourite so far.

This is a locked room murder mystery on another level! 30,000 feet in the air on a plane headed for Puerto Rico, a man is murdered in the bathroom and nobody saw or heard a thing. It happens while the plane is in total darkness after a bad bout of turbulence through a wild storm. It could have been anyone on the plane, but who and why?

Once I picked this book up I couldn’t stop reading. It is super fast paced and I had to remember to breathe whilst reading this. I had no idea how it was going to all end up and I was shocked by the conclusion.

Highly recommend this book and this author. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for my early copy to read. Published on February 17th.

[OutlawPoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time I'm writing this, the reviews are overwhelmingly great. I'm sitting here in my little 3 star corner wondering what book everyone else read...and can I have a copy?

This is a fun, but highly illogical, everything-but-the-kitchen sink book. While I appreciate an author who ramps up the danger and the action, my reaction should not be 'LOL what now???'.

It's a small town mystery set on a plane. This plane apparently has a magical lavatory that is not only big enough to pee in without problem (I want to fly that plane), but is also big enough to commit a violent murder. While I won't tell you the exact details of the murder, it wasn't as simple as "ooh let's join the mile high club and I'll slit your throat when you're a bit preoccupied". This murder took some room to move.

While I appreciated what the author tried to do with the identity of the victim, it was all too telegraphed for any real surprises on that end.

There were, however, plenty of other surprises after the murder. I think the only things that didn't happen to that plane or its passengers were nuclear war or an alien invasion. The author threw every other thing they could think of at that plane, though. It devolves into nonsense.

Look, the book is definitely entertaining, but the small town murder mystery is incongruous with the rest of the story.

It's a fast read and a popcorn read, but at times it made my head hurt.

* ARC via Publisher

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at 30,000 feet
By: Susan Walter’s
Pub day: February 17, 2026
Publisher: Blackstone
Your: Thrillers Book Lovers THE PULSE

5✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

Get ready for one heck of a bumpy ride!!!! Walter’s also packs a lot into her books and this is now my new favorite.
✈️
Flight 868 is heading to Puerto Rico and is filled with action. A baseball team, grieving mother, a Federal Air Marshal, and many more passengers filled with secrets.
✈️
When the plane looses power, a murder occurs. The victim has their own past and secrets create chaos.
✈️
There is also a wedding party aboard this plane. Lots of secrets past and present might just bring this plane down!
✈️
This epic flight is one that will keep you reading to find out who might be next or will the passengers land safely. After all, there is a killer among them.

[Suzi (Lil Bit Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flight 868 is on a non-stop route to Puerto Rico with an assortment of interconnected passengers, including a high school baseball team, a grieving mother, and a bridal party on its way to a destination wedding. After a lightning strike kills the power to the plane, a gruesome discovery is made in the plane’s bathroom - one that means there’s a murderer in the passengers’ midst.

My friends at Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse have been loving Susan Walter’s books, so I just had to see what the fuss was about! And wow, did this book deliver! This multiple POV thriller is so propulsive and twisty, with compelling characters connected in ways I never saw coming. That murder? It’s just the tip of the iceberg of a wild ride, and I couldn’t put this book down until I had devoured every second of the action!

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a ride (literally) 30,000 feet up!

This book grabbed my attention from the first chapter and kept a hold of it like a vise grip throughout every chapter through to the end. Never once was I was bored, in fact, I was actually sad to reach the end because of how much I enjoyed this heart pounding story.

Susan does an expert job at making so many people look like a suspect. Nearly all of the passengers aboard flight 868 have some sort of motive. The dual pov is perfectly done and the time line jumps weave the story together at a great pace.

I predicted one thing just to be "slapped" by a few other twists that I did not see coming.

I honestly got goosebumps in this one, it's a thrilling ride you don't want to miss!

[Stephanielikesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fellow Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse readers enjoyed this one and I can see why!

This entertaining popcorn airplane thriller had so many pulse-pounding moments; I’m glad I’m not flying anytime soon.

With multiple POVs, flashbacks to the past about the hit-and-run death of a young baseball player, small-town secrets, grudges, and murder on an in-flight plane, this one was a fun read. The author nailed the intense plane scenes.

For readers of popcorn thrillers that pull you into the story (but require some suspension of belief at times).

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.

[dianas_books_cars_coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Walter has quickly become one of my favorites! Her thrillers are amazing, and so is her general fiction! This is her newest thriller; it will be out in April, so make sure you preorder it because it is absolutely fantastic!

Pioneer Flight 868 is en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, carrying passengers that include a high school baseball team with their chaperones and a wedding party, who are already tipsy for the flight to the upcoming celebration. Things are going smoothly until the plane encounters a storm. The turbulence has everyone sick, and when lightning strikes the plane, the avionics system is disrupted. The plane goes completely dark for a few minutes. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found in the lavatory brutally murdered. Luckily, there is an air marshal on the flight. He'll need to keep things in order until they land. But this also means there is a killer on the flight. He feels compelled to try and find the culprit. As he starts to investigate, he realizes several of the passengers are harboring some dark secrets. Will he be able to piece things together before the killer takes another victim?

Told in multiple POVs with multiple plotlines, this book kept me on my toes. I didn't think a lot could happen on a plane, but boy was I wrong! Everything you can imagine going wrong did! The twists were crazy and totally blew my mind! I was completely captivated by the immersive writing, which held my attention from the very beginning and kept me engrossed throughout the entire book. This book was fast-paced, exciting, and a total page-turner! I loved how everything tied together in the end. This was a completely entertaining, thrilling, wild, locked-room mystery that I would HIGHLY recommend! 🩷

[ASH (ASHisallbookedup) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✈️𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗧 𝟯𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗧
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙵𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟷𝟽, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟼
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟜.𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤! ★★★★✮
ʳᵒᵘⁿᵈⁱⁿᵍ 🆙 ᶠᵒʳ ᴳᴿ

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...The title is enough just know it’s packed full of way more than just that!

✈️𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢....HELL YES! 👏 This book was a total adrenaline blast!! 🎉 I read 📕her in a day & I wish I could get that pumped up feeling back. 👊It is packed full of so much more than just a murder on a plane! 😳Multiple POVs…numerous backstories….secrets🤫 & twists 🌀galore! Oh! 🤩And, the best part is they all get tied up & come together at the end. I sure do love a bow tied ending 🎀 If you are a thriller junkie like me this is a must read!

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at 30,000 feet by Susan Walter is yet another excellent thriller from the American author who I discovered two years ago through Lie By The Pool . If you're looking for a new-to-you author with an excellent backlist I highly recommend Walter, who is also a screenwriter and director... which I think is evident in her writing - placing readers firmly in the midst of the novel's events through its narrative or 'the action', rather overly descriptive place-related prose. Here that action is fast-paced and, though we jump about in time a little, Walter ekes out the who and the why, creating tension and suspense.

On a routine flight a plane hits turbulence and power is lost when lightning strikes, a body discovered once the lights come on. So it's certainly not a premeditated murder, rather one of convenience... or perhaps desperation and we wonder if so many coincidences are feasible or if fate has intervened in a Bermuda-triangle-like way to cause the events here. Air Marshall Carlos realises his role is limited to keeping those on the plane safe, but with the FBI on the ground giving instructions he starts questioning some of the other passengers... and secrets are revealed.

This is an excellent read and Walter again delivers great characters and a complex addictive plot that kept my spidey senses on overdrive.

4.5 stars


Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with heart thumping suspense!

Flight 868 is headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, a non stop trip to the tropics. Among the 132 souls on board there is a tipsy wedding party as well as a high school baseball team. When the plane flies through a wild storm and is hit by lightening, the lights go out plunging them into darkness for two long minutes. When the power is restored, one of the passengers is found brutally murdered and the distracted Air Marshall has his hands full keeping the passengers calm while trying to determine who on board is a murderer.

I always enjoy this author’s books, they are fun and twisty!

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 17, 2026

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Locked room mystery on a plane? Yes please. As someone who’s terrified of flying, I was nervous about picking this one up. Do I really need more reasons to fear airplanes? Apparently yes—because I like to make myself suffer. But honestly, it was worth it. I ended up absolutely loving this book. My butt was clenched the entire time, new fears were unlocked, and yet it was a bloody brilliant read.

This is a cleverly written, twisty story where multiple threads weave together in the most thrilling way. The setup is pitch perfect: a delayed flight, a last-minute crew change, a brewing thunderstorm, suspicious behavior, and a cast of characters with dark secrets. There’s a lot happening, but it never feels overwhelming or hard to follow.

I need more books like this.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at 30,000 feet by Susan Walter

As most of you know I’m a big romantasy fan and typically stay mostly in that genre. I was feeling a little too underwhelmed with romantasy lately so decided to read a good old fashioned thriller and y’all let me tell you, this was a great one!
This is basically a locked room mystery but bigger stakes. I, at the beginning was super confident in my guess of whodunnit and why. Well guess what? I was wrong. Eventually I figured it out but it was fairly last minute.
The thrills of this book. Wow. I was in tears and I had anxiety. I was so into this book. It’s not just a who killed who scenario. We’re on a huge flying machine. What do huge flying machines sometimes do? Yah. Just thinking about what I would do and what I would do if my kids were with me, woof. The good news is, this story does not feature any young children so wipe those anxiety driven sweating mama foreheads.
The characters. This author knows how to develop characters. I felt for each character. Sometimes not great things but I felt for them. My favorite character was the pilot. I told myself if he died I would boycott lol. He didn’t (spoiler I guess? Sorry,) so we’re not boycotting yay!
The story involved a small group of people mostly from the same town on one flight to San Juan. Most were teenagers going to a baseball tournament with their chaperones, others were there for a destination wedding. We hear voices from each group, a mom who lost her teenage boy three years ago in a hit and run, a girl who was assaulted by her ex boyfriend, her ex boyfriend, her best friend, a federal Marshall, the pilot, a flight attendant, and the baseball leagues president. Each one has a very in-depth story to tell. Then when the plane hits turbulence, the lights go out and a murder happens. The Federal Marshall wants to solve the mystery before they land, but will they land safely with a murderer in their midsts?

Y’all this book had me in a tight grip and you all need to read it!

Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the arc.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Ebook

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨ (3.5/5)

“Why they would serve deep fried flatulence to people crowding into a hermetically-sealed, flying soda can is beyond me, smells bad enough in there already.”

“He was beginning to think the devil was trolling him. It was the only possible explanation. He couldn’t blame his binge drinking for people getting hurt – the boy dying, his ex crying rape—because then he’d have to admit the devil and his drinking for one and the same.”

This one has A LOT going on and a ton of characters so if you pick this one up it’s something you’ll want to read quickly so you remember who is who and all of the subplots. I struggle with that so it might be a “me” thing. So that being said I struggled with this one a bit. I’ve been reading it for like 2 months. I also wish the characters would’ve said “say more” a whole lot less in the story. It interrupted the flow of the story bc it was said so frequently.

I loved the concept of this one and totally couldn’t tell you WHAT I would do if put in this situation. It was truly a nightmare scenario from start to finish.

I wouldn’t call it a page turner but it has a solid even pacing which is necessary when you have a lot going on like this sorry did.

I thought the story ended nicely.

[Pav S. (pav_sanborn_bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you afraid of flying? How about a murder mystery in the air, where there’s nowhere to escape? Spooky! If you’ve been following my reviews, you know I was hooked by the cover!

In "Flight 868," passengers headed to San Juan face terror when a lightning strike causes a power failure, resulting in the murder of one aboard. An air marshal must uncover the killer while navigating dark secrets among the passengers. As a storm looms, the captain races against time to prevent disaster from both the weather and the murderer on the plane.

This book is impressively crafted in both setup and execution. I was glued to the pages from the moment we took off! We meet several characters from different backgrounds, each on the plane for their own reasons. To uncover the details, you'll need to read this; it will keep you busy piecing together events and characters as you approach an unexpected landing. It’s a mystery within a mystery, and you'll find yourself anxiously counting down the seconds, hoping to help solve these intricate murder puzzles! I didn’t see much coming and was completely stunned by the clever ending.

Just imagine a group of passengers with dark secrets, and suddenly, the power goes out. You know someone’s bound to end up dead, and then chaos ensues as fuel runs low? What? My heart didn’t stop racing until I reached the last page. I felt the pressure to think quickly and make progress.

This read is perfect for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, claustrophobic thriller filled with intriguing characters, where secrets are revealed as everyone either confesses or denies at the same time. It may feel overwhelming, but stick with it—it only gets better! With plenty of twists to keep you engaged, I’d bet this counts as a cardio session because your heart will get quite the workout! You better add this book to your TBR, I’ll be checking!

Thank you, Blackstone Publishing, for the ARC digital copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at 30,000 Feet by Susan Walter. Thanks to @blackstone for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flight 868 should be an easy non stop flight to Puerto Rico but lightening hits the plane, short circuiting the power momentarily. When the lights come back, flight attendants find a body in the lavatory. A murderer is somewhere on the plane.

If you enjoy locked room mysteries, you’ll like this one. It has a hit and run cold case in its history. The plane is full of characters that were involved, witnessed, or know more than they are letting on. It was clever to have a school sports team on the plane. The mystery turns into a thriller towards the end, adding intensity as the plane has issues.

“Honesty may be a virtue, but consequences are what kick you in the ass.”

Read this if you like:
-Locked room mysteries
-Aviation thrillers
-Differnt POV’s
-Cold case investigations
-Small town mysteries

Murder at 30,000 Feet comes out 2/17.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I always love a good plane mystery/thriller, and this one was definitely a wild ride. You really need to suspend your disbelief because it reads more like a movie in the sense that it’s not super realistic, but either way I had such a hard time putting it down. There’s a lot of characters and a lot of stories to keep straight but I like how it all tied together in the end. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that kept me on the edge of my seat and this one really did it for me.

[Jacklyn B · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love locked in mysteries, this needs to be on your tbr!! I was hooked right from the prologue - once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I loved the use of multiple POVs to tell the story - it was interesting to get all the different perspectives. The author does a fantastic job dropping these hints…and I still had no idea how it was going to end!!

Airplane travel can be stressful - add in some storms and murder, and we see the passengers start to spiral! There is a sports team and a wedding party…and there some big secrets to uncover!!

I don’t want to give anything away - and I highly recommend going into this one blind!

✨What To Expect:
🔐Locked Room Mystery
✈️Airplane Setting
🔪Murder Mystery
⁉️Thriller
💥Suspense
🥀Secrets & Betrayal
🛫Multiple POV

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about an intense, locked room mystery! On a flight Puerto Rico, a high school baseball team and guests on their way to a wedding get derailed. And an air Marshall gets more than he ever bargained for. The opening to this story was intense and the action never let up! A lightening storm, a murder, emergency landing - I seriously wasn’t sure which way was up but I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on! It turns out there are secrets on this airplane, and one woman refuses to stop until the truth comes out. Susan Walter is one of our favorite authors at The Pulse, and this book shows exactly why - she spun an action packed thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars, rounded up.

Murder at 30,000 Feet is a "locked-room" mystery, although in this case, it's a "locked airplane" flight to Puerto Rico!

I struggled with the beginning of the book when there were multiple chapters, with each one providing a different character's background and perspective. Plus, there were two different timelines. Neither of those things are my favorite plot devices. However, I decided to stop trying to keep everyone and their secrets completely straight, and I kept reading. And then I was hooked!!

Murder at 30,000 Feet is filled with passion, betrayal, and a plane ride from hell. As long as you are able to suspend belief at times, pop some popcorn and sit back for the ride!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Rape, terrifying plane ride

Thank you, #BlackstonePublishing, for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Murder at 30,000 Feet has an expected publication date of March 03, 2026.

#Crime #Mystery #Murder #Suspense

[Marisha (MarishaReadsALot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to author Susan Walter for sending me a signed and personalized ARC! Grateful doesn't begin to cover it.

It's been TOO long since I've been so utterly enthralled with a book. I was sucked into the story immediately and stayed up way past my bedtime so I could finish it. This is thriller writing at its best!

There is a mystery within a mystery taking place on a flight that passes through a terrifying storm. Talk about locked room on steroids! I was very satisfied with how everything played out, and I think fans of Walter's previous books will love this one as well.

Murder at 30,000 Feet pub date is February 17, 2026.

[Kristin (Readwithdubs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for the ultimate “locked room” thriller, look no further!! Susan Walter absolutely KILLED it (no pun intended) with Murder at 30,000 Feet. There were quite a few storylines to follow and multiple POV’s throughout but this was written flawlessly, making it easy for the reader to follow along.

This book is fast paced, action packed and impossible to put down. There were so many red herrings brilliantly placed throughout and every twist and reveal was just as shocking as the one before it.

This was my first read by this author but it certainly won’t be my last!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Susan Walter’s 2026 novel. The story centers around a murder committed on a commercial flight to Puerto Rico. The suspects are endless: a wedding party, a high school baseball team and their chaperones, as well as other travelers and a flight crew that all seem to have secrets. I had no idea where Walter’s book was headed and every time I thought I’d identified the murderer, there was another twist. If you like well-written, fast-paced mysteries, Walter delivers.

[Randi (randi_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride this story is! I was initially drawn in by the title, because I love locked room mysteries, but it is so much more than that! A lot of the passengers on Pioneer flight 868 to San Juan are connected in some way and the author weaves their story together perfectly. There are multiple POVs in this story and all are handled wonderfully.

This is a page turner and I just had to know the outcome. This would make for a great movie!

Thank you to Thrillerbookloversthepulse and the author for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A flight delay. A crew change. A thunderstorm brewing. The building blocks for chaos are set. And then there's the troubled cast of characters. A groom with a terrible secret. The ex who's threatening to tell it. A baseball team struck by tragedy. A grieving mother who wants revenge.

The intrigue is sky high.

And then the storm closes in. A lightning strike short circuits the lights. In the turbulence and darkness, one of those passengers seizes the opportunity to kill. They're over the ocean, the plane can't land, and there's only am inexperienced air marshal to figure out whodunnit and save the passengers and his job, because he should have been paying attention, this is kind of his fault.

If this sounds intriguing, it is. But it just gets better. Because the worst thing that can happen at 30,000 feet happens, and things go off the rails quickly and completely. But in all the fast-paced action, you never lose your connection to these people, who are flawed but so sympathetic, so well-drawn they could be people you know.

I won't spoil the ending, just say it does not disappoint. Unlike other cozies that tend to feel small, this locked room mystery goes from claustrophobic to explosive. This should be a movie!
Thank you to the author and the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

[booked.with.julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is what it sounds like, a high stakes, claustrophobic thriller set midair, and I was completely along for the ride!!
When a shocking death occurs during a flight, chaos erupts, and suddenly everyone on board is a suspect. As the investigation unfolds, secrets start spilling faster, and I found myself side eyeing every single character. This wasn’t just about the murder…it’s about guilt, secrets, and how far people will go to protect themselves (or the people they love). It’s fast paced, cinematic, and just twisty enough to keep you guessing!

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading Susan Walter and I’m already looking forward to reading more from her! Murder at 30,000 Feet is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that blends a locked-room-style murder mystery with the high-stakes tension of a plane in crisis (think TJ Newman style).

What I really loved was the dual POV format of this suspenseful whodunit. It kept the tension high and added depth to the story as secrets began to unravel from different perspectives. Lots of people on board the aircraft seemed to have a motive revolving around an unsolved hit-and-run accident in their hometown that killed a teenager. I could never guess who the culprit was because the plot was so twisty and purposefully misleading at times to keep up the mystery and suspense. Susan does an amazing job peeling back the layers of a tangled web of lies, secrets, and connections, wrapped up in one doomed flight to Puerto Rico.

Many thanks to Susan, Blackstone Pub, NetGalley, and Thriller Book Lovers Pulse for the opportunity to early read!

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The team at Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse is really raving about this one!!

Nonstop flight 868 is headed to Puerto Rico and on board are over a dozen passengers on their way to a destination wedding and a team of high school baseball players headed to a tournament. However, their excitement turns to terror when a lightning strike short-circuits the avionics and plunges the plane into darkness. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found brutally murdered without anyone noticing, and the Air Marshall on board is confused about how it happened on his watch. He realizes that he doesn’t have much time to solve the crime and that many of the passengers are keeping dark secrets!
Thousands of feet in the air with thunderstorms closing in and uncertainty about how much longer the plane can stay in the air, danger looms. Can the captain outrun the storm? Or will the murderer among them bring the plane down first?

Wow! This was soooo good! Locked room thrillers are one of my favorite tropes and this one was filled with tension, suspense, secrets, lies, murder and all of it happening 30,000 feet in the air! The story is so cleverly written, as we learn about the different passengers and what is going on in there lives. As the story unravels, we learn that many of them are connected to each other and that the murder on this flight isn’t the only mystery to solve. I loved that the victim wasn’t even revealed until later in the book, yet I still found a reason to suspect everyone! This story so brilliantly unravels as we realize how the lives of the passengers intersect and the story comes together. I read this in two sittings and absolutely couldn’t put it down! I’m already looking forward to seeing what Susan Walters comes up with next!

Thank you to Susan Walter, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this advance reader copy!

[AOKayy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the truly sweetest Susan Walter for giving me early access to Murder at 30,000 Feet!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

When I say I want a thriller that's a complete page-turner and keeps me guessing until the very last page—this is exactly what I mean!

Susan Walter has a true gift for storytelling. She masterfully weaves multiple perspectives, immersing you in each character’s emotions and situations. The title alone grabs your attention, but add in a cold case hit-and-run, aircraft tampering, and a small town with big secrets—and you’ve got a recipe for an absolutely compelling read.

I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend adding this to your most anticipated reads for 2026!