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Alex Shanahan #3
First Class Killing
Corruption. Deceit. Cold-blooded murder. These skies are far from friendly.Tough, resourceful, and beautiful, Alex Shanahan survived the cutthroat corporate world on her own terms. But now, she's using her hard-earned experience for herself -- as a private investigator. Alex is hired to check out an airline that's been serving more than just complimentary peanuts: there's a high-end prostitution ring catering to first-class passengers. Alex goes undercover as a flight attendant to infiltrate the group, and gets more than she bargained for as she gets closer to the cunning and dangerous woman who runs it...close enough to kill. When her cover is blown, she knows it's only a matter of time before her next flight is her last....
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
13 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Heitman
12 books17 followersLynne Heitman was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She attended Southern Methodist University where she completed her bachelors and masters degrees, both in business administration, and spent one season as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
After graduating, she went to work for a major airline in the finance department. Her career in the airline business spanned fourteen years and included a variety of assignments in finance, operations, and human resources. Her last assignment was as the airline's general manager at Boston's Logan Airport. Logan became the setting for her first novel.
Lynne left the airline and moved to the Pacific Northwest to take a job with a small engineering consulting firm. When the company announced plans to relocate two years later, she chose to stay in Seattle, took a severance package, and used the time off to launch her writing career. She drew upon her experiences in the airline business to create the character of Alex Shanahan, the airline-manager-turned-PI, featured in her four thrillers. The second book in the series, PARTS UNKNOWN (previously TARMAC), was named by Publisher's Weekly as one of the year's best, and her short story EXIT INTERVIEW was published in the BOSTON NOIR anthology.
After six years in Seattle, Lynne moved back to the Boston area where she lives today with her family.
After graduating, she went to work for a major airline in the finance department. Her career in the airline business spanned fourteen years and included a variety of assignments in finance, operations, and human resources. Her last assignment was as the airline's general manager at Boston's Logan Airport. Logan became the setting for her first novel.
Lynne left the airline and moved to the Pacific Northwest to take a job with a small engineering consulting firm. When the company announced plans to relocate two years later, she chose to stay in Seattle, took a severance package, and used the time off to launch her writing career. She drew upon her experiences in the airline business to create the character of Alex Shanahan, the airline-manager-turned-PI, featured in her four thrillers. The second book in the series, PARTS UNKNOWN (previously TARMAC), was named by Publisher's Weekly as one of the year's best, and her short story EXIT INTERVIEW was published in the BOSTON NOIR anthology.
After six years in Seattle, Lynne moved back to the Boston area where she lives today with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 11, 2018
What a story!!
The twists and turns were perfectly placed. The flow of the story was impeccable! I'm loving this series and now its onto Pandora Key
The twists and turns were perfectly placed. The flow of the story was impeccable! I'm loving this series and now its onto Pandora Key
May 31, 2020
Exciting
This book was exciting, but it never hooked me. I didn't care to continue reading the series at the end.
This book was exciting, but it never hooked me. I didn't care to continue reading the series at the end.
July 8, 2024
Would enjoy reading more books by this author.
December 23, 2013
RATING: 2.5
At one time, Alexandra Shanahan was the general manager of an airline in Boston. The third book in this series finds her preparing to become a private investigator. She is working undercover as a flight attendant to uncover a prostitution ring that involves first class passengers. She's too old and straitlaced to infiltrate the ring itself; instead, she capitalizes on her management background to offer services that will be of value to the person running the ring, Angel. Just like any other business, Angel is facing competition and losing her top "salespeople". Alex is able to offer some solutions that will help her succeed.
Alex is mentored by a PI by the name of Harvey Baltimore. Harvey has multiple sclerosis and performs the research for the cases that they take on while Alex does the leg work. In this situation, Alex faces a lot of danger. Angel is a tough woman, and it is rumored that she has killed to keep her empire going. Alex is fortunate in that she works with another flight attendant, Tristan, who takes it on himself to serve as Alex's guardian angel. In the interest of getting the job done, she betrays him terribly. Alex is an extremely stubborn woman, possibly her own worst enemy in both her professional and personal life. During the course of the book, she meets up with her long-estranged brother; and they battle each other mightily over their past history.
FIRST CLASS KILLING was very much a mixed bag for me. For everything that I liked, there seemed to be something that didn't work so well. Heitman has a very unique setting for her books, choosing to have them take place in the world of the airline industry. The other 2 books in the series capitalize on that in the situations that Alex faces. Choosing to have this book focus on prostitution by flight attendants just didn't have enough gravitas to make it compelling for the main plot line.
The same dichotomy exists in the characterization. Tristan is a great character; Alex is interesting and well developed. Angel, on the other hand, could easily have been a blow-up doll. The dialog for the well-drawn characters is far more lifelike than that of the lesser characters.
I really liked how Heitman portrayed the troubled relationship between Alex and her brother. Their exchanges were emotionally complex and involving. But these scenes were diluted by the other scenarios where Alex moved into full-blown amateur sleuth mode, facing dangerous situations on her own and never learning from them. And the way that Alex obtained information from Angel's web master was downright unbelievable.
My overall opinion of the book? Not a thumbs up, not a thumbs down—thumbs sideways?
At one time, Alexandra Shanahan was the general manager of an airline in Boston. The third book in this series finds her preparing to become a private investigator. She is working undercover as a flight attendant to uncover a prostitution ring that involves first class passengers. She's too old and straitlaced to infiltrate the ring itself; instead, she capitalizes on her management background to offer services that will be of value to the person running the ring, Angel. Just like any other business, Angel is facing competition and losing her top "salespeople". Alex is able to offer some solutions that will help her succeed.
Alex is mentored by a PI by the name of Harvey Baltimore. Harvey has multiple sclerosis and performs the research for the cases that they take on while Alex does the leg work. In this situation, Alex faces a lot of danger. Angel is a tough woman, and it is rumored that she has killed to keep her empire going. Alex is fortunate in that she works with another flight attendant, Tristan, who takes it on himself to serve as Alex's guardian angel. In the interest of getting the job done, she betrays him terribly. Alex is an extremely stubborn woman, possibly her own worst enemy in both her professional and personal life. During the course of the book, she meets up with her long-estranged brother; and they battle each other mightily over their past history.
FIRST CLASS KILLING was very much a mixed bag for me. For everything that I liked, there seemed to be something that didn't work so well. Heitman has a very unique setting for her books, choosing to have them take place in the world of the airline industry. The other 2 books in the series capitalize on that in the situations that Alex faces. Choosing to have this book focus on prostitution by flight attendants just didn't have enough gravitas to make it compelling for the main plot line.
The same dichotomy exists in the characterization. Tristan is a great character; Alex is interesting and well developed. Angel, on the other hand, could easily have been a blow-up doll. The dialog for the well-drawn characters is far more lifelike than that of the lesser characters.
I really liked how Heitman portrayed the troubled relationship between Alex and her brother. Their exchanges were emotionally complex and involving. But these scenes were diluted by the other scenarios where Alex moved into full-blown amateur sleuth mode, facing dangerous situations on her own and never learning from them. And the way that Alex obtained information from Angel's web master was downright unbelievable.
My overall opinion of the book? Not a thumbs up, not a thumbs down—thumbs sideways?
October 28, 2016
It's a good book but I didn't like it as much as the first two in the series.
This isn't due to a bad plot or bad writing. The qualities are still present.
However I found the main villain bordering on the grotesque and the story quite depressing. Some things are funny, like the FFP. There are also some facts that needed explaining and the reader is left wondering about them. To me the end doesn't bring any closure.
My personal opinion is that Alexandra has become too complicated a character, her psychological issues are annoying and her partner isn't as interesting as the previous one.
It definitely is a darker novel than the previous ones.
It does not mean it is not a good thriller. Once you've started it, you can't put it down. I read it in two sittings yet I felt annoyed and frustrated all the way.
This isn't due to a bad plot or bad writing. The qualities are still present.
However I found the main villain bordering on the grotesque and the story quite depressing. Some things are funny, like the FFP. There are also some facts that needed explaining and the reader is left wondering about them. To me the end doesn't bring any closure.
My personal opinion is that Alexandra has become too complicated a character, her psychological issues are annoying and her partner isn't as interesting as the previous one.
It definitely is a darker novel than the previous ones.
It does not mean it is not a good thriller. Once you've started it, you can't put it down. I read it in two sittings yet I felt annoyed and frustrated all the way.
September 22, 2009
Since I had so much to do (packing) and so few options for procrastination, I couldn't help but grab this cheap thriller that almost got tossed in the trash bin. I read about a cool flight attendant who really is an undercover spy working to bust a large, lucrative, and dangerous prostitution ring of exclusive flight attendants. Although somewhat predictable, I found it an easy yet compelling read at 2, 3 o'clock in the morning. I guess it's the third of three or four adventures with Alex (Alexandra) Shanahan. Two or two and a half stars, I'd say.
June 14, 2009
This is the last of the latest book by this author, until more books come out in the future. This has action-packed scenes, plenty of drama and great intrigue through each scene and chapter. Another great thriller.
Read
January 30, 2010Pretty good book from an author I never heard of prior to be given the book from a friend. Enjoyed enough to read the author again. Not compelling but I love a mystery.
July 30, 2011
Enjoyed this book, good story and a great holiday read!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews