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The third book in the Occupational Hazards series, a laugh-out-loud novel about a group of strangers flying from Atlanta to Amsterdam
Blissfully unaware that Atlantica Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam is about to make aviation history, First Officer Danny McSweeney focuses his energies on navigating the turbulent personalities of an eccentric female captain, a co-pilot with a talent for tactless comments and conspiracy theories, and a lead flight attendant with an outsized attitude that definitely exceeds the limits for carry-on baggage.
On the other side of the cockpit door, the unscheduled in-flight entertainment includes a potbellied pig, a jittery diamond courier, and the recently jilted Lucy Meredith, whose personal mantra of “What Would Oprah Do?” will be challenged by the sudden appearance of her ex and his new traveling partner. On her left sits Hank Hazard, whose unusually polite but constant requests--prompted by his covert role as a spy for the airline--test the limits of the crew’s customer service.
But as Lucy and the rest of the crew discover, Hank’s odd behavior is linked to a quiet faith that may play a key role in the fate of everyone on board. Especially when an unexpected traveler sets this already bumpy flight on a course toward the unfriendly skies.
Blissfully unaware that Atlantica Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam is about to make aviation history, First Officer Danny McSweeney focuses his energies on navigating the turbulent personalities of an eccentric female captain, a co-pilot with a talent for tactless comments and conspiracy theories, and a lead flight attendant with an outsized attitude that definitely exceeds the limits for carry-on baggage.
On the other side of the cockpit door, the unscheduled in-flight entertainment includes a potbellied pig, a jittery diamond courier, and the recently jilted Lucy Meredith, whose personal mantra of “What Would Oprah Do?” will be challenged by the sudden appearance of her ex and his new traveling partner. On her left sits Hank Hazard, whose unusually polite but constant requests--prompted by his covert role as a spy for the airline--test the limits of the crew’s customer service.
But as Lucy and the rest of the crew discover, Hank’s odd behavior is linked to a quiet faith that may play a key role in the fate of everyone on board. Especially when an unexpected traveler sets this already bumpy flight on a course toward the unfriendly skies.
325 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2008
10 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Rene Gutteridge
44 books270 followersRene Gutteridge is the award-winning and best-selling author of more than eighteen novels, including the beloved Boo Series and Heart of the Country, her novelization release with director John Ward and Tyndale House Publishers. Her recent suspense titles include Listen, Possession and the award-winning Seven Hours project Escapement. She's been published by Bethany House, Tyndale House, WaterBrook Press, Thomas Nelson and B&H and novelized the successful motion picture The Ultimate Gift. She is teaming again with screenwriter Cheryl McKay for the romantic comedy Greetings from the Flipside from B&H and releasing her new suspense title, Misery Loves Company from Tyndale in 2013. Her romantic comedy Never the Bride won the 2010 Carol Award for Best Women’s Fiction. Her upcoming literary projects include the novelization of the motion picture Old Fashioned with Tyndale House Publishers and filmmaker Rik Swartzwelder.
Her adaptation of her novel My Life as a Doormat is in development with Kingdom Pictures and she is also a creative consultant for Boo, a film based on her best-selling novel, in development at Sodium Entertainment with Cory Edwards attached as director and Andrea Nasfell as screenwriter. She is also co-writer in a collaborative comedy project called Last Resort with screenwriters Torry Martin and Marshal Younger. Her screenplay Skid is currently in production and scheduled to begin filming in April of 2013. Find her on Facebook and Twitter or at her website, www.renegutteridge.com
Her adaptation of her novel My Life as a Doormat is in development with Kingdom Pictures and she is also a creative consultant for Boo, a film based on her best-selling novel, in development at Sodium Entertainment with Cory Edwards attached as director and Andrea Nasfell as screenwriter. She is also co-writer in a collaborative comedy project called Last Resort with screenwriters Torry Martin and Marshal Younger. Her screenplay Skid is currently in production and scheduled to begin filming in April of 2013. Find her on Facebook and Twitter or at her website, www.renegutteridge.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 27, 2010
I thought this book was cleverly written. I read Rene Gutteridge's "Boo" series of books and enjoyed those thoroughly. These however are much quirkier and have a more interesting band of characters, from a "dead" lady, a pig, and a diamond smuggler to a disgruntled flight attendant and jilted girlfriend. There is enough here to keep you entertained. It's not too deep, it's not too long, it's a great fun book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
February 12, 2009
Fabulous!! It was full of fun and thought-provoking ideas at the same time from cover to cover. It is a little confusing at first but totally worth the time it takes to get into the main plot. If you like reading about pigs, women who seem dead, and a little diamond theft on an airplane, you will love this book!
February 15, 2022
I want to say this was the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a long time!
It was full of so many crazy events!
This is the first book I’ve read written by Rene Gutteridge and it will NOT be the last! I totally enjoyed all the dialogue, crazy characters, and drama that happened in this book.
It will forever change how I view flying on a plane, and I will forever be watchful of individuals that are seated around me.
This story had me laughing and shaking my head. It was hard to breathe from one event to the next!
Rene Gutteridge is a gifted writer, and she truly brings life to the characters and their stories. The whole book flowed along smoothly as if carried away on a cloud!
Now I think I want to go back and read all the other books in this series! What funny things will we find with each of the Hazard family members?
I highly recommend you pick this book up, just be careful if you try reading it while traveling on a plane! HEHE!
It was full of so many crazy events!
This is the first book I’ve read written by Rene Gutteridge and it will NOT be the last! I totally enjoyed all the dialogue, crazy characters, and drama that happened in this book.
It will forever change how I view flying on a plane, and I will forever be watchful of individuals that are seated around me.
This story had me laughing and shaking my head. It was hard to breathe from one event to the next!
Rene Gutteridge is a gifted writer, and she truly brings life to the characters and their stories. The whole book flowed along smoothly as if carried away on a cloud!
Now I think I want to go back and read all the other books in this series! What funny things will we find with each of the Hazard family members?
I highly recommend you pick this book up, just be careful if you try reading it while traveling on a plane! HEHE!
April 6, 2021
3.5 Stars. Book had its funny moments. I felt that the book ended abruptly, like the author needed another chapter to properly wrap everything up and she was like...."ehh we're good."
Book had its funny parts. And the typical stupid people doing stupid stuff...Does make one curious about which of the story lines were actual events of the authors flight attendant friends though.
Book had its funny parts. And the typical stupid people doing stupid stuff...Does make one curious about which of the story lines were actual events of the authors flight attendant friends though.
August 5, 2022
A fun book I happened upon knowing I had read and enjoyed this author's books before. I didn't know it was part of a series until part way through the story, but it didn't really effect anything. It was a cute story with funny scenarios and a lot of characters. I am just glad all my flights have been uneventful compared to the one in this story.
September 10, 2017
When pigs fly...
This book was hilarious! Without giving anything away...well, it's funny, tense, and awesome. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
This book was hilarious! Without giving anything away...well, it's funny, tense, and awesome. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
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August 22, 2020This was a fun read. Hard to put down. Quirky with lots of twists and turns.
September 29, 2020
Very funny book; author has a great way of creating characters; her humor is in the description of the characters as much as what they do!
February 2, 2009
Skid is, hands down, the best entry in Rene Gutteridge's Occupational Hazards series and probably a close second - maybe even tied for first - with my favorite Gutteridge novel, My Life as a Doormat: In Three Acts. Hank is the third Hazard sibling to have his career misadventures chronicled in this series and he is the most fully realized, interesting, and sympathetic sibling to be featured to date. After a brief introduction in Snitch where he helped his police officer sister break up an auto theft ring, Hank decides to pursue a career involving flying and gets a job working undercover for an airline. Little does he realize the drama that will unfold in the skies when an incredibly diverse and quirky assortment of characters find themselves confined in a jet on their way to the Netherlands. Each and every character in Skid leaps living and breathing off the page. From First Officer Danny, in a career funk and depressed over being dumped by his girlfriend, to Lisa, a polka dot loving woman on the rebound obsessed with Oprah and The Secret, to Jake, a paranoid diamond courier on a mission to connect with the grandmother he never met and to return stolen gems, every member of crew and passengers has a fascinating, fully realized story to tell. With every character Gutteridge manages to strike the right balance between humor and poignancy, finding the laugh-out-loud moments in everyday life while also making each character sympathetic and relatable.
I absolutely loved how Gutteridge gently satirizes those who obsess over fads like The Secret and every word that comes from Oprah's mouth...the moments are laugh-out-loud funny, but she manages to never come across as cruelly mocking of those who follow the latest craze. Instead, in her most effective use of humor to date, she uses those pop culture phenomenons to reveal the holes those people are seeking to fill in their lives and how they can be pointed to the truth of Christ. The one character I didn't care for was the other copilot, James - his character does this about face halfway through the novel where he goes from being a complete jerk to the biblical voice of reason - and that abrupt of a change appeared to come totally out of left field. That one misstep aside, Skid is a thoroughly enjoyable cross between Airplane! and A&E's reality show Airline (yes, I've watched a few eps of that...LOL), laced with thought-provoking observations about human nature and one's faith walk. One of Gutteridge's most satisfying novels to date - highly recommended.
I absolutely loved how Gutteridge gently satirizes those who obsess over fads like The Secret and every word that comes from Oprah's mouth...the moments are laugh-out-loud funny, but she manages to never come across as cruelly mocking of those who follow the latest craze. Instead, in her most effective use of humor to date, she uses those pop culture phenomenons to reveal the holes those people are seeking to fill in their lives and how they can be pointed to the truth of Christ. The one character I didn't care for was the other copilot, James - his character does this about face halfway through the novel where he goes from being a complete jerk to the biblical voice of reason - and that abrupt of a change appeared to come totally out of left field. That one misstep aside, Skid is a thoroughly enjoyable cross between Airplane! and A&E's reality show Airline (yes, I've watched a few eps of that...LOL), laced with thought-provoking observations about human nature and one's faith walk. One of Gutteridge's most satisfying novels to date - highly recommended.
June 23, 2014
Pilot Danny McSweeney is wrapped up in a recent split from his fiancée when he prepares to board an international flight to Amsterdam where he will act as First Officer.
What he didn't expect was a flight full of crazies: a pilot who famously landed in the Bermuda Triangle and peppers her windshield with Post-It notes; a crew that includes a flight attendant with hot flashes and another officer with hypoglycemia and a cutting tongue; a woman traveling with her pig; a criminal being escorted back to Amsterdam; a man smuggling his grandmother's diamonds back to her; Lucy, recently jilted and trying to spread her wings; and Hank, recently hired by the airline to do a little bit of spying.
These characters all come together to make a novel full of laughs and antics - and a little bit of religion, too. The serene Hank, polite while asking for a fluffier pillow, counsels Lucy on faith in between helping out the crew with a runaway pig, a hysterical criminal, and an elderly passenger. While the novel could have been too kooky for words, it comes together nicely. Gutteridge's writing is superb and her grasp of conversation excellent. My mom's been a long-time fan of the Christian author and now I can't wait to pick up a few more of her works! I'll start with the first two in this series so I can learn more about Hank!
While I was a little disappointed with the ending, the fact that it is a series leaves room for further interaction between the characters. I was left deeply wanting to know what happened in Amsterdam and afterwards. I'll look forward to the next book in the Occupational Hazards series.
What he didn't expect was a flight full of crazies: a pilot who famously landed in the Bermuda Triangle and peppers her windshield with Post-It notes; a crew that includes a flight attendant with hot flashes and another officer with hypoglycemia and a cutting tongue; a woman traveling with her pig; a criminal being escorted back to Amsterdam; a man smuggling his grandmother's diamonds back to her; Lucy, recently jilted and trying to spread her wings; and Hank, recently hired by the airline to do a little bit of spying.
These characters all come together to make a novel full of laughs and antics - and a little bit of religion, too. The serene Hank, polite while asking for a fluffier pillow, counsels Lucy on faith in between helping out the crew with a runaway pig, a hysterical criminal, and an elderly passenger. While the novel could have been too kooky for words, it comes together nicely. Gutteridge's writing is superb and her grasp of conversation excellent. My mom's been a long-time fan of the Christian author and now I can't wait to pick up a few more of her works! I'll start with the first two in this series so I can learn more about Hank!
While I was a little disappointed with the ending, the fact that it is a series leaves room for further interaction between the characters. I was left deeply wanting to know what happened in Amsterdam and afterwards. I'll look forward to the next book in the Occupational Hazards series.
October 2, 2013
This was a bizarre book. It started out with a scene from the Hazard clown business, which seemed to have no relevance to the rest of the book. Is this something that makes more sense when you read more of this series?
In addition, the story was funny and I definitely learned more about how places fly - but then God starts factoring into the story?! One character talking about God makes sense but there are three men who suddenly start spouting how God is the only thing that matters in life. One of them goes from being this jokey funny guy to someone who becomes very serious.
The story just seemed very all over the place and I'm glad it was a short book so I didn't have to work to finish it. I don't think I'll be reading any more of Gutteridge's books; Christian fiction isn't my cup of tea. I wish there was a way to discern this type of book; this is the second time this year where I've ended up reading a Christian book by accident!
In addition, the story was funny and I definitely learned more about how places fly - but then God starts factoring into the story?! One character talking about God makes sense but there are three men who suddenly start spouting how God is the only thing that matters in life. One of them goes from being this jokey funny guy to someone who becomes very serious.
The story just seemed very all over the place and I'm glad it was a short book so I didn't have to work to finish it. I don't think I'll be reading any more of Gutteridge's books; Christian fiction isn't my cup of tea. I wish there was a way to discern this type of book; this is the second time this year where I've ended up reading a Christian book by accident!
June 26, 2013
I love Rene's Occupational Hazards series, and this one did not disappoint. I traveled to Canada and brought it along as a light read, and the flight attendant laughed aloud when he saw the cover (I stand by my claim that it wasn't a bad omen to bring it along). The first half was very enjoyable, but the real gut laughs started about halfway through. I mean, a crazed hog with a penchant for chewing plastic and sedatives, hot flashing flight attendants, a serious case of the hiccups, and craziness at every turn. I loved the first two books so much I wasn't sure if Skid could live up to my expectations. But the fact that I was trying desperately not to laugh aloud in the silence of the plain says it all. Love Rene's ability to elicit outright laughter from me wherever I am!
October 30, 2012
I love Rene Gutteridge books, having said that I could only give this 3 stars which is still good to my standards. I found this book funny but not like her other books. Maybe I loved the "BOO" series so much it may have tainted this book. Still liked it though and can't wait to see the movie. Happy Reading :)
July 9, 2015
Enjoyed this one from Rene Gutteridge. It's from her Occupational Hazard series. This one details a rather peculiar air flight that includes a diamond thief, someone smuggling diamonds onto the flight to return them to his grandmother, and a distraught passenger who brings a trained pig on board with her. If you liked any of the other two books in this series, you'll enjoy this one!
August 29, 2008
This book should probably get 1 1/2 stars, but there is no option for that. Despite the fact that it isn't a great book, very formulaic and completely unrealistic, it was perfect for the 2 days I was sick with a cold and needed something easy and distracting.
March 23, 2009
Another cute installment about one of the Hazard children from Rene Gutteridge. This one involving Hank being an undercover agent for an airline to see how their customer service is. As usual in the lives of the Hazard children the unexpected happens and hilarity ensues.
August 13, 2010
Everything that could happen on a transatlantic flight, happened in this story! And even with a different structure from Scoop, this still incorporated another Hazard sibling -- Hank -- in an entertaining way.
May 24, 2011
Perfect book! It is a hilarious book! :3 Like it says on the cover the laughing never stops until the wheels touch the tarmac! I recommend it to anyone who likes planes or humor type books. It is a MUST read for Caleb and Jacob.
October 10, 2012
I thought this was a fun story. I've really been enjoying this series. Although I'm reading them slightly out of order, since I accidentally grabbed books 1 & 3 rather than 1 & 2. I like that its kind of lighthearted and funny.
June 21, 2008
1 1/2 stars? There's humor, and then there's just silliness. This is most definitely the latter.
April 27, 2011
Fun, just plain fun.
June 9, 2011
Very funny - but I wish that there could have been more at the end.
December 29, 2011
I loved this book not to mention the whole series. Fun, meaningful, and completly enjoyable. I would add this book to my shelf.
January 26, 2012
Light, fun and easy reading. The "Occupational Hazards" is a cute series but doesn't quite reach the fun of the "Boo" series. Still worth the read.
January 31, 2019
SO funny! I Iaughed out loud many times. Great characters!
January 15, 2014
I'm sorry. It's hard to write a book so I hate to be critical but this was hard to get into. What was the first chapter about?
July 30, 2014
BEST OF THE SERIES! It is also being made into a movie—I can hardly wait!
August 1, 2016
This is a very light-hearted, funny book with a serious undertone. I enjoyed it.
December 22, 2008
It was funny. Christian based. But funny. I would read others by this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews