MH370: The Secret Files: The Truth Behind the Greatest Aviation Mystery of All Time

by Nigel Cawthorne

On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport bound for Beijing. Less than an hour after take-off, somewhere over the South China Sea, the plane simply vanished. One eyewitness saw a burning object crash into the sea. But confusing radar signals trace tracked an aircraft taking an erratic course across the Malaysian peninsula, then on to the Andaman Sea. Did it crash there? Or did it fly on to land safely in disputed lands of Central Asia, or the top secret CIA "black site" on Diego Garcia? Two years later, the Australians are still search—at the cost of billions—and have found nothing. Was the search in such a remote place part of a cover-up to distract the world’s attention because the US Navy had, in fact, shot the plane down? The answer must be out there. Or, perhaps, hidden within the pages of the secret files.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published September 28, 2016

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Augustine T · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, there is no Secret file. The title is a marketing gimmick.

The book contains nothing other than all conspiracy theories bundled into one. Lots of editing mistakes, repeated paragraphs, you name it..

If you are into technical stuff, don't but it.. It contains nothing technical more than what to already know..

If you are into the story, don't buy it.. There's no story told. Whatever told is just a hurried piece of writing. Nothing good.

If you are looking for the secret.. Don't buy it.. There is no secret file...

As the author himself admits, it is a hurried piece of writing.. Not a good read.. Seriously.. I'm gonna put a sticker on it saying "Not worthy of a read".. Atleast my children shouldn't waste time on this book...

[VJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been way shorter than it is, and I think at some point the data gets very confusing to keep track of.

But nevertheless I admire the effort gone into disseminating this information

[Kashish Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a good book to read on the plane but did that. Clearly a mystery which is disturbing. Unfortunately will never know what happened to MH 370. Too many probabilities of what could have gone wrong. Really feel sad for the family of the passengers

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not a book to read in any departure lounge! The title 'MH370 The Secret Files' is very misleading, as is the sub-title, 'At Last...The Truth Behind the Greatest Aviation Mystery of All Time'.
Perhaps the greatest aviation mystery is accurate, but the truth remains hidden from the reader, unless I missed something. At the time of reading Nigel Cawthorne's book, in 2019, some five years after the complete disappearance of this flight, and its passengers and crew, I have not come across any further information on this case.
The facts that are known of MH370 are extremely weird to say the least. Certainly this author has collated all that it was possible to have obtained, along with the very many theories of how this Boeing 777 could have flown to who knows where. At times the text becomes somewhat repetitious, as well as requiring some editing. Equally scary are the many examples of mishaps and tragedies in the skies.

[Tina Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant presentation of the evidence gathered in relation to the disappearance as well as the surrounding data that could validate the claim. This book was extremely informative with regards to the aviation technology currently in use. The collection of all the major aviation incidents brings the reader up to speed with how far we have come in aviation safety. The open ended question in the last few chapters provides food for thought with all the data being delivered around the theories. I would definitely read it again simply to gain more knowledge on the technology of the past and the present. Also because we may never find out what actually happened to the MH370

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the early morning of March 8, 2014 MH370 disappeared from ATC screens. Thus begins a 8 year mystery. A large B777 with 227 passengers and 12 crew cannot simply vanish.. Data from the Rolls Royce engines indicates the plane might have ditched somewhere in the South Indian Ocean. The weather and currents in Southern Indian Ocean are so bad, the plane wreckage may never be located
Was this the intent? But since the invention of radio, radar, satellite navigation, the mystery of MH370 must be out there. An engaging read but in need of better editing. The book seemed rushed with many grammatical errors.

[RickyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book but would have been a great book if the author had included some maps and some pictures. There was a lot of detail about flight paths and accidents involving other planes and a history of aircraft accidents and it was really interesting to read about, but a lot of the geographic information especially wasn't clear until I did online searches and looked up maps and photos. Even the debris that was mentioned in the beginning of the book - there was no photo of this. I had to look this up online to see what he was talking about and only then did it make sense.

[Chan Oga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that I resisted sleep for, because it is too close to home, with people I know who knew someone onboard.

It is one of our generation’s greatest mystery, and the lives of 239 onboard as well as their family- not to be forgotten.

I’ve learned so much about aviation accidents and sabotage. Learned a lot about the lives and minds of people flying and maintaining planes. It did not feel right not knowing.

Wishing we will find this plane one day.

[PJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash. Mind-numbingly repetitive, traverses aviation disasters from the 50s onwards with no connection to MH370, repeats conspiracy theories with no basis in the known facts, and there is absolutely no secret file with respect to this disaster (or if there is it does not feature in this book). The complete lack of fact checking or editing make this a very tedious read and I think it is very disrespectful to the families of those killed. I wish I hadn't wasted my time on this.

[Rida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be so emotional and I cannot fathom what the relatives of the victims had to go through. And god forbid if the theory of those passengers became victims of politics is true, I’m going to be so mad

[Leo Biebuyck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously much left in the sphere of speculation and mystery. Good recount of events though.

[Roshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

MH370 The Secret Files gives a detailed account of the investigative measures employed on the shocking and mysterious case of the disappearance of the passenger airplane, a Malaysian Airlines flight. The book authored by Nigel Cawthorne stands out for its elaborating, implicating inscription of minutest details regarding the mystery surrounding MH370. In conjunction to the aforementioned, the author's writing includes an insight on the intense, expansive search for MH370 undertaken by airliners of many countries the world over; Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, China to name a few. In addition to these investigation the book analyzes and explores various possible angles in the mystery surrounding the long lost airplane. The theories herein jolt the senses of ethics with the tentative interpolating suspicions presented ranging from a plane hijack to a plane mishap due to fault in the air controllers. Also, the author mentions several similar instances of plane accidents of past and derives various possible perspectives on the misfortune that hit Malaysia Airline flight MH370 on 8 March 2014, thereby drawing parallels with the airliner incidents of the past and the MH370 mystery. This book is a unique reading experience for book lovers can look forward to a date with several technical aviation jargon and the technicality involved in many passenger aircraft's functional components. Nigel Cawthorne's work could be interpreted as a book enclosing conspiracy theories in their mildest form. The fact that the author engages so many instances of airplane accidents of the past to draw inconclusive conclusion on the fate of MH370 keep the book enthusiasts on their toe until atleast the last chapter wherein he hits the final nail on the coffin revealing to the readers, the most probable possible truth underlying the greatest mystery of modern day aviation.

The author's effort is commendable in terms of the evident collaboration of artefact from several events of aviation history. The Secret Files are indeed the honchos leading and driving the narration forward besides serving as the driving force for a reader during the reading experience. There is a hint of humor element in the book which could be attributed to the incapability and helplessness of Malaysia's aviation department and the chief executives in providing a genuine justification to the passengers' relatives waiting for updates right through the entire tragic episode, surrounding the loss of MH370 under mysterious circumstances. The world is lost. A few contradicting analysis and conclusions provided by aviation experts from across the globe act as an interim material making the read all the more interesting and engrossing. A food for thought kind of abrasive matter tactfully presented and dealt with, if one is allowed to review the compilation in a brief manner. Further, the author's mincing of words while expressing the grief and trauma experienced by the relatives of missing passengers is laudable, given the fact the articulating challenges that confronted him were no short of a controversial, mysterious, and tragic event.

MH370 The Secret Files by Nigel Cawthorne overtly read a mysterious 4/5 points from my file allocation table and write it as an excellent absorbing read. Recommending this book is not an offense. Picking the read for a read is no delusive a venture. To complete the compilation is a reasonable challenge. Reviewing the finished is a difficult task on hand. Nigel Cawthorne's work on one of the greatest modern aviation tragedy is more than that meets the eye in this review. The multifaceted readers with an added repertoire of curiosity on aviation matters can look forward to sit back and embark on a journey to discover the unveiling of truth surrounding the long lost MH370 - A mystery bygone. A good read widely disclosing the truth behind the tragedy.