Flight

by Anne L. Watson

#1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN ADVENTURE LITERARY FICTION (NOV. 2013)One day she is Linda Farley, a senior in a San Diego high school, with a talent for art, an annoying younger brother, two loving parents, and a prospective boyfriend. Three days later, she is Lainie Foster, hiding with her mother and brother in Olympia, Washington.That's how fast things change after Linda's mother tells her that her father has been caught by the feds in a Mafia money laundering scheme and that the rest of the family has been placed in the Witness Protection Program. By the rules she's given, she must stay out of school, cut off contact with anyone back home, and never tell anyone what has happened.Linda -- now Lainie -- does her best, but in navigating her new life, she faces a number of questions. How could her father do something so contrary to her image of him? Why is her mother so familiar with their new city? How can she pursue a career in art without going to school? What must she do to save her brother from the worst effects of the upheaval? And who is that dark-haired woman she keeps spotting in front of the house?Then there's the biggest question of Is she Linda or is she Lainie? Because, in the end, is the choice really anyone's but hers?/////////////////////////////////////////////////Anne L. Watson, a retired historic preservation architecture consultant, is the author of numerous novels, plus books on such diverse subjects as soapmaking and baking with cookie molds. A former resident of Olympia, Washington -- the main setting of "Flight" -- she currently lives in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband and fellow author, Aaron Shepard./////////////////////////////////////////////////SAMPLE"Lainie," Mom said, her voice a little gentler, "we have to follow the rules, whether we like them or not.""The rules are nuts, Mom," I protested. "Like making us keep our old initials. So the Mafia is too stupid to check the passenger lists for trains and planes leaving Southern California? You think they won't look for two A.F.'s and an L.F. with one-way tickets to the same place?"Mom moved to the right to let a tailgating Jeep speed ahead. "That's one reason we're splitting up," she said. "WITSEC has never lost anyone who followed the rules," she said."WITSEC?" I yelped. "Who the hell is that?""The Witness Security Program. That's its other name."Sheesh. WITSEC. Like the FBI was such a buddy, we needed to give them a nickname. My face itched, and I rubbed it hard."Don't do that," Mom said. "You'll rub off your makeup.""It feels like dirt. I don't know how you put up with it.""You get used to it. Especially when you have more important things to worry about."Well, we had that, in spades. I'd just dumped someone I really wanted to go out with. I wouldn't be going to art school next year, because that's what Linda Farley would have done. I had to be someone else, probably forever. Compared to that, grease all over my face really was a detail.I gave up and quit talking about it. Whining wasn't going to do any good. Mom kept quiet too, watching the traffic. In the front seat, Alan sang some dumb song from a TV kids' show, over and over. But, as Mom had said, I had more important things to worry about.We took the Alameda Street exit and pulled into the train station.

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2013

Reviews

[Wes F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving his book 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I liked the premise & story, though some of the characters could have been fleshed out more. I thought one of the main take-aways was how we need to be careful in taking things at face value & in believing everything people tell us--in other words, their stories for why they are doing something or why something has happened in their lives. What's the story behind the story--the real story?

[Sandy Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad

This was an intriguing story but so sad. There isn't much happiness in it, even at the end. But it's interesting to read about what Lanie/Linda goes through and the lies she deals with.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

A great story and a really good read. I loved it. I'd definitely recommend it to friends. Definitely worth a shot.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is 2.5 stars. I wanted to like this book more, but it really lacks quite a bit. The following is spoilerish.

...

1. I was frustrated that Linda/Lainie didn't question her mother more about the mafia/witness protection program stuff. She's 17 years old - nearly 18. I have a hard time imagining that a kid like Linda would not have asked more questions about having to run off into hiding like that.

2. Related, why didn't she wonder why she never met any US Marshals? Even at the age of 17, I would have expected to be briefed on my new life by representatives of the program. I would not have believed that we were just on our own to hide with no documentation, a back story for cover, etc.

3. Same thing when she tried to find information about her dad and couldn't. I realize her mom wasn't available, but she could have pushed harder for more information, done more research, etc.

4. I'm supposed to believe that she's going to develop a relationship with Rafe? Also, his part of the story was odd for there not to be more about his friendship with Lainie. I mean, he just decided to open up to her about his OCD? I don't see it.

I could go on, but I won't. And the ending just happened; like the author got bored with the story so it ended.

There was potential unrealized with this one. It needed more work.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's times like this when I can be glad that I am a blurb person as well as a cover person as to be completely honest, this is one of the most BORING covers I have ever seen and if it wasn't for the blurb write-up sounding intriguing and having my favourite words jumping out at me , I would not have bothered with it at all. Flight takes us into the world of Linda Farley who is seventeen and hating high school . One day her Dad doesn't come home and then the next day and soon she wonders what has happened to him. Then Linda's world comes crashing down for the first time when her mother says that her father is in prison and that they are moving into the Witness Protection Programme and they must up and leave now and change everything. Linda now has a new name Lainie Foster and is living in the smalltown of Olympia . However soon things with her mother don't start adding up and Lainie discovers that not everything her mother has told her is the truth ?
What is really going on and if her father isn't the bad man that her mother is making him out to be then where is he and why did they have to flee their old lives ?
Flight is a great read for those who love the Witness Protection Type novels and the creation of New IDs.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Lainie

Sometimes adults do the most tortuous things to solve the simplest problems. Instead of going directly from point A to point B, we take detours through the rest of the alphabet to satisfy emotional urges such as vengeance, hatred, jealousy, lust, and all things in between.

In this story, Lainie is the new identity that Linda has to build after her Mother moves her and her brother all the way North up the coast of the U. S. to Washington. Through Lainie and her emotionally clear context, we see her pick herself up and build a new life - with all the joy, sorrow, fabrication, law breaking and hiding entailed with that. So many secrets, so little time.

While I can't say the ending was a surprise, I can say that the ending scene was perfect. A+

[Maryann Fox]

Things aren't always as they seem. Linda Farley a high school senior is told by her mother that she and her younger brother will have to go into the Witness Protection Program and move from San Diego to Olympia,Washington.

They get name changes and are told that the mafia is looking for them (their dad is in prison for money laundering). She is told she cannot go to school but must take care of the house and her younger brother.

Gradually as she gets used to her new life she begins to wonder about her dad and why her mother is so familiar with the new area that they live in.

She goes back to San Diego to find answers and finds some shocking news.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even thought this was listed as a young adult book, I was interested in the story line so I bought it. I was enjoying the story very much until all of a sudden it just ended. The author did a good job for the first 95% of the book, elaborating enough to get the tale told and to get you interested in all of the characters, but then it just ended. Period. I think she could have easily added another 50 pages to the end story to complete it. As it was it just left us hanging. Although the copyright is 2013, it didn't hint to another book on the horizon. Too bad :(

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the interesting turns this book took. The characters were not stereotypes. They were all likeable, well almost all likeable and the author made them seem very real. Life does have its twists and turns and Flight exposed some of them. This is a book I would most definitely recommend to my friends.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for this honest review. While this one was free I will be purchasing more books by this author.

[Bear Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Great writing, believable characters, and even knowing/suspecting a plot twist did not deter from the flow of this story. My only complaint is with the rushed ending - this could have easily gone a bit further, I would welcome more story! I look forward to more from this author.

[Nannette Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up

a fast moving story with love and losing faith in parents but finding the truth and a way to make it work