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Flight 19

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How would you cope if, in a matter of minutes, everything you had—was no longer yours?

Pacific International Airlines Flight PI019—Flight 19—leaves Honolulu airport on a routine trip to Los Angeles on Thursday, January 17th, 2019.

Two hours in, with 210 people on-board, the plane vanishes into thin air. An exhaustive search finds no trace of Flight 19, its passengers, or its crew, and the disappearance becomes modern aviation’s greatest mystery.

Five years later, an incoming plane asks for permission to enter LAX airspace. But there’s something unusual about this apparently routine request. It’s the missing Pacific International flight.

What’s more, those on-board don’t yet know the year is now 2024. The last five years have passed them by in a matter of minutes.

Flight 19 takes you through the months just after these people learn of their their husbands and wives remarried, houses sold, jobs lost, possessions given away or disposed of, and loved ones dead and buried.

This is a story that will touch everyone who cares about the life they have.

Their jobs and possessions. The places they call home. The people they love.

Read Flight 19 and see how the passengers and crew react when they lose it all.

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2018

174 people are currently reading
390 people want to read

About the author

Grant Finnegan

14 books28 followers
When I’m not writing, I’m devouring books like they owe me money — about one every week or so.

Stephen King, Matthew Reilly, Dean Koontz, LJ Ross, early-day Clive Cussler, James Patterson, and Lee Child have all shaped my imagination or inspired me to keep writing.

I snowboard whenever life allows (not often enough), and when Bali calls, you’ll find me on a sun-lounger debating life’s mysteries with my wife — such as whether extra-crispy bacon qualifies as a legitimate personality trait. I love cooking, especially on a barbecue.

A whole world awaits, and I fully intend to explore it — one adventure, one story, one questionable life decision at a time.

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5 stars
216 (45%)
4 stars
130 (27%)
3 stars
95 (19%)
2 stars
27 (5%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
Profile Image for Katie.
239 reviews56 followers
November 1, 2018
Same concept as the TV show Manifest but it looks like the book went in a different direction. It ended suddenly without resolution so I am wondering if there are sequels.
Profile Image for Tapasya.
366 reviews
December 18, 2019
Flight 19 was believed to have crashed five years ago, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California. Many search-and-rescue operations were held to find Flight 19 but it was never found.

After 5 years, a plane fitting the description of Flight 19 reappeared in the same airspace where the original Flight 19 disappeared.

The premise was very interesting. As a person who loves series like Manifest and Lost, this was a must read for me.
But the book is not on level with these series for sure. Atleast for me.

The book is quite messy with so many characters. I wasn’t that interested with the passengers lives. Didn’t feel any connection with the characters. To be honest, I kept on reading to know the mystery surrounding the flights reappearance after 5 years. That’s it. But even that is not fully disclosed yet as the book ends in a cliffhanger.
So now I will have to read book 2.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
2,429 reviews68 followers
October 8, 2018
What would you do?

On a sunny day in 2024, an unidentified aircraft appears in the sky outside of Los Angeles. After asking for identifiers from the pilot, Air Traffic Controllers are skeptical because it appears that Flight 19 that disappeared on a Australia-Hawaii-California flight five years ago to the day has just as unexplainedly reappeared in the sky five years later and wants permission to land.

The aircraft and passengers are shunted to Vandenberg Air Force Base and kept in isolation while questions are being asked of passengers and crew. The other major twist - the passengers and crew think it's still 2019.

This book was a fun, thought-provoking story about the "what ifs." What would be waiting for you if five years disappeared out of your life?

The premise of this book reminds me a lot of the new television series MANIFEST. I'm enjoying the TV series and I enjoyed the book.
Profile Image for Denise.
2,424 reviews102 followers
August 13, 2019
Note: I have read comparisons of this book to Manifest (the TV series) and 4400 (another TV series) but I think this is quite different and that anyone who loves a mystery with some weird stuff going on will like this one!

What it's about: An Airbus 380 (Flight 19) takes off from Hawaii in January of 2019 bound for Los Angeles and never makes it. Lost on radar. Massive expensive fruitless search. Five years later, the plane again appears on radar and is directed to land at a local Air Force Base. Everyone is in shock. The 210 passengers and crew are handled gently when they disembark but life has changed for them since they'd been declared dead. This novel explores the various ways in which the main characters' lives have been totally altered and the consequences of their absence. NO SPOILERS.

Why you should read it. First of all, this is a fun read that ticks all the boxes. Characters are compelling, writing is good, situation is fraught. Who doesn't love a novel that addresses the question -- what would you do if your loved one was "lost" for 5 years? How would you feel getting off that plane having missed 5 years of your life? You haven't aged a bit, but nothing is the same. Everyone is trying to move on and come to terms but definitely things have changed for the passengers and for those left behind. Five years is a long time! I enjoyed the stories of the featured "passengers" and could definitely identify with the crisis and the aftermath. I certainly wondered, "How could this even happen?" And can't wait to read the sequel as this ends on a cliffhanger -- darn you Grant Finnegan. When is the next book due out? I must have the rest of the story.

I saw mention of this book on a Facebook post and had to have it! I love a good "disaster" story and this definitely hit the spot.
Profile Image for Jaime Andrews.
Author 2 books14 followers
January 14, 2023
I enjoyed the story tho I seriously thought they made a TV show of it ... The fact the internet says this book and the show Manifest have no correlation, blows my freaking mind.

This could have been a fantastic book with some editing. A lot of editing.

Honestly, no book needs this many characters and this many perspectives and SOOOOOO many with similar names! Why dude, why???

So many characters, so many POV, jumping between first person and 3rd person POV and mixed up names all added up to an insanely frustrating read. Add in the cliffhanger and I'm annoyed. I hate a dramatic cliffhangers designed to force you to continue a series.

nope.
I tap out
Grrr.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alyssa Berman.
221 reviews6 followers
October 19, 2023
If you’ve seen manifest this is as close as you’re going to get to it. An airbus goes missing off the coast of Hawaii with 210 passengers on it and miraculously reappears 5 years later to the day. But everything has changed and only one man knows why. The passengers struggle to readapt to life as it was, because it will never be the same.

Had me on the edge of my seat.
Couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
I can’t wait to see where the author takes this.

4⭐️
Profile Image for Pauline Coulthard.
78 reviews2 followers
October 23, 2018
Brilliant! I couldn't' put this book down every chapter seemed to end on a cliff hanger and I just had to read on, there just has to be a second book I want more please.
Profile Image for Big Time Book Junkie.
794 reviews47 followers
November 24, 2018
After reading the reviews, I believe I'm in the minority, but I stand by what I think. This could be a great novel, it really could be.

I've struggled with how to review this book I borrowed from my library's Overdrive system. The story was good, it kept my interest and I wanted to find out what would happen. Several of the characters were very good and I'd have enjoyed more time spent on them in order to flesh them out more. Yes, there is a but coming. But... Flight 19 could use a good editor. I say this hoping the author will read the reviews and realize that this book could be so much better if a good developmental editor took a look at it.

There are also missing words here and there or something that doesn't make sense, as if an error was left in place. Not a lot, but enough that it annoyed me. These are the reasons I feel it needs a good edit. I'd also, quite honestly, look at the price. That's a high price for a Kindle book from a mostly unknown (to most people) author. Just my opinion, obviously.

I did not care for the cliff hanger ending. I feel like books, even if they are in a series, can have an ending without ruining the series. I would have loved to see further character development as there were some very interesting characters in this book. I can easily see how the story could support a continuation novel, but I'd love an actual ending on this book.

To the author, you have a great premise here, I just hope you can see your way clear to asking for help to make this book all it can be.
November 17, 2022
An outstanding read. I was hoping that the story lived up to the cover and title because that’s what drew me in initially and it totally did. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m going to have a look and see what other books he’s written although I’ve just spotted the sequel to this book and that’ll definitely be my next read. This is a real
page - turner and there’s a multitude of emotions swimming about. I loved the characters and the way they turned out was amazing and very easy to like or dislike. This book is a riveting read and I loved it.
Profile Image for Katie O'Keeffe.
30 reviews2 followers
June 21, 2020
Really enjoyed reading this book. Story was great and loved the characters. Feel a bit cheated by the ending though, hope there's a follow up 🤞
Profile Image for Booksandemma.
110 reviews1 follower
February 1, 2019
Another christmas book read in a day!! Loved the premise of this book, my hubby is a huge aviation fan and this book popped up on my facebook feed

Pacific International Airlines Flight PI019—Flight 19—leaves Honolulu airport on a routine trip to Los Angeles on Thursday, January 17th, 2019. Two hours in, with 210 people on-board, the plane vanishes into thin air. An exhaustive search finds no trace of Flight 19, its passengers, or its crew, and the disappearance becomes modern aviation’s greatest mystery.

Five years later, an incoming plane asks for permission to enter LAX airspace. But there’s something unusual about this apparently routine request. It’s the missing Pacific International flight. What’s more, those on-board don’t yet know the year is now 2024. The last five years have passed them by in a matter of minutes.

I was sucked in and kept enthralled the whole time
but wow what a disappointment the book endeds suddenly With no resolution☹, character stories are left, some turn back up with no explanation, i have still no idea what is going on or why!! THERE MUST A SEQUEL!!!!!! Just so i can fully understand is going on!! 😡😰 #books #booksofinstagram #bookish #read #reading #bookstagram #lovebooks #bookreviews #reader #readersofinstagram #bookshelf #amreading #bookworm #mylifeinbooks

Follow me on instagram @booksandemma
Profile Image for Laura.
316 reviews
May 20, 2025
Pacific International Airlines Flight 19 from Honolulu to LA disappears with 210 people on board in 2019. No trace is ever found. Five years later, it reappears coming in for a landing in LA, and no one on board knows that the year is now 2024. The passengers are coming back to lives changed, loved ones moved on or gone, and their homes sold. How will they react when they lose it all? And what really happened to Flight 19?

This was such an intriguing and unique book! I really liked it. The first half was five stars, and I loved hearing about the events of Flight 19, the passengers, and how they dealt with the shock of losing five years in minutes. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but the author does a really good job of making it easy to follow. I didn’t even have to make a list. In the second half, the action slowed down some, but I was still fully invested in finding out what happened next. The author follows a handful of passengers to find out how they deal with the loss of loved ones and the fallout of being missing and then returning. I haven’t heard of this author, but I am very impressed with his writing. This book does end very abruptly, but I have Part II ready to go, so thankfully I don’t have to remember all of the details for very long. I’m eager to see what happens next, and I recommend this engaging read!

4.5⭐️
Profile Image for Kathy.
430 reviews1 follower
January 1, 2019
I want to first say, this is nothing related to Manifest, on NBC. Not sure why people think it is. I lost interest in Manifest 5 episodes in. Ok, that’s off my chest.

I really love the book. Only thing I don’t like was the ending. I was like WTH?? Kept going back to and rereading the pages to see if I missed something. Nope, didn’t miss anything. I talked to the author and he said there will be a 2nd book. Maybe a heads up? I will get next book, after a bit as price is rather high for a new to me author.

Story draws you in. A plus. Negative is character development is somewhat lacking. You really don’t feel close to the characters as very little development. I like to root for characters, either love or hate them and there truly is no development. The skipping from this point to this point got a tad confusing too.

I really, really wanted to give this a 5. But couldn’t. Here’s hoping next one will be a bit better with character development. Grab the book and enjoy. I truly did. ❤️❤️
Profile Image for Hope Gerhardstein.
507 reviews
January 12, 2023
What would happen if you were gone and presumed dead for 5 years? You suddenly resurface. How have things around you changed? This is what the 210 passengers and crew of flight 19 face. They are on a 2 hour flight but due to a time warp, it is 5 years later when they arrive in Los Angeles. We follow several of the passengers and crew to learn of their “new normal” as they face the changes to their life. Some partners have remarried. Some deaths have occurred. Jobs and fortunes have been lost. 6 months later and we are left with a cliff hanger. I prefer a book to have an ending. This leads us to the sequel to find out what happens to the characters. I did find it a bit confusing when jumping from one character’s story to the next character. It was a good book and kept my interest but the lack of editing was distracting as I read. Words were missing or or unnecessary words added.
Profile Image for Theresa.
54 reviews2 followers
March 30, 2025
This is Book One of Two, so I’m not able to write a story review until I read Book Two, but I will share my feelings on the Author’s writing style & how I feel thus far …

I like Grant Finnegan’s writing - he’s got an easy colloquial style of writing & this comes through in the characters of this story, & I think he’s the type of person I could easily sit at the bar wasting time with - he seems pretty interesting.

I guess for me this story lacked technical details. I love to read about the nuts & bolts of the machines (in this case the beautiful Airbus 380) because for me they are the star of the show, but in this case, the A380 was only part of the story - not the main character.

I feel that Grant has created an intriguing Part One, so now I’m compelled to read Part Two …

For anyone interested in this story, I would say that, if you’ve watched the Netflix series Manifest & enjoyed it - you will enjoy this book.
562 reviews26 followers
October 19, 2018
Loved the book...

But hated the ending! The storyline was interesting, it kept my attention. The characters were good, but didn't make me feel empathy for many of them.
Flight 19 took off from Hawaii on it's way to California. In a matter of hours it has disappeared. No trace of it can be found. Five years later it mysteriously reappears en route having no idea that they were presumed lost. What follows are stories of some of the passengers and their inability to connect with family & lives left behind.
I'm not sure what happened to the plane but one passenger has an idea. They decide to retrace their route to see if the same thing reoccurs.
A sequel to this book would be wonderful. I'd love to find out what happened...😊
77 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2019
I really liked this book. It was amazing, especially the first 13 chapters or so. I couldn’t read fast enough. Can you imagine being on a flight that isn’t recognized but is only recognized as the plane that’s been missing for 5 years?? (A Twilight Zone moment!!) But what kept me from rating it a 5 is the fact that the author kept switching from one character to another and I had a hard time keeping up or remembering who they were...as mentioned in earlier chapters. If I were to read this book in a shorter amount of time, that would have helped, but I coudln’t. But it was still a great book. I had read where the author is working on another book that continues this story.
1 review
October 16, 2018
Flight 19

Flight 19 grabbed me from the very beginning and kept me interested with the lives and interactions of the various passengers who had the misfortune of being on the plane. The plot had me thinking about the consequences of what would happen to passengers lives if a plane did disappear for five years.The characters were developed well enough that it was fairly easy to keep passengers and their respective lives separate even though their lives became entangled throughout the book. This is a quick, entertaining and thought provoking read .
189 reviews
February 2, 2019
Wow! One can only imagine.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. Going backward or forward in time is usually an interesting storyline for me. This one was great! I would like to know what happened to the people. Did they get back? Did the couples remain couples ? I know I would enjoy a sequel as much as I enjoyed this. I want to know what happens to begin with to cause this and I want to why. What about the other planes ? This story will be one of those that stay with me for a while. I sincerely hope for a sequel.
37 reviews
February 6, 2019
I came to this book via several mentions on a manifest fan group on Facebook, while there are many similarities between this book and the TV series (too many to be coincidence???) it is different enough to keep me interested. great story, interesting characters, if a few too many, in the main. however it probably could have done with a few rewrites here and there, some of the passages and dialogue are eye rolling clichéd but I enjoyed it all the same. ending is a bit abrupt so here's hoping for a sequel
Profile Image for Julie .
690 reviews15 followers
June 29, 2019
Fright Flight

I really liked the story a lot but was held back from giving it a 5 star because of the "to be continued".
While I do like the idea of a continuing series, I do not like leaving one story hanging while another begins. The characters are a virtual myriad of personalities, idiosyncrasies, psychotic narcissism and just plain weird....but actually, all together, make for an interesting and wildly entertaining read. Just would have preferred real closure on this flight before tackling the mystery of the next one.
287 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2025
Wow! This review will be short because I must get to part two as soon as possible! I started reading Flight 19 about five hours ago. I couldn't put it down. It was edge-of-your-seat thrilling in it's mysteries, complexities, and many dramas, not to mention tragedies. The whole concept is mind bending, but so much fun to read and to contemplate. If it's not obvious, I loved this book, and can hardly wait to read the second book in this duet. Fast-paced, great colourful characters, twists and turns aplenty... again, just so much fun to read.
Profile Image for Sora.
19 reviews
September 14, 2025
3.8 stars... i picked this book after watching the show manifest. is it the same? well not entirely, it does have the same concept of the plane missing but other than that it is different.
When i started this book it was quite interesting, it did made me wanna DNF it in the middle but i kept pushing myself to finish it and it was worth it. it is quite a mystery thriller and the ending did made me wanna read the second part and see all the mystery uncover.. so i am definitely gonna read the second part soon.
Profile Image for Ben Hourigan.
Author 4 books25 followers
November 2, 2018
Readers of Grant Finnegan’s debut novel, The Seventh List, may find themselves pleasantly surprised by Flight 19, which sees him expand his range from action-driven thriller to a character-driven story with an ensemble cast. As the blurb promises, this isn’t just about the mystery set up from page one, but about how the characters involved respond to having their lives turned upside down. The ending begs for a sequel---let’s hope Finnegan doesn’t keep us waiting too long!
Profile Image for renee.
67 reviews
November 12, 2018
From the first page

I loved this book...Will buy the second one only so I can find out what happens next. I hope this Author goes into more background detail of what made the flight disappear....What are the stones? Where did they come from? And where has Ben been? Need more background on what Tim was talking about to better understand....but....I couldn't put the book down....So kudos to the Author.....
Profile Image for Linda.
52 reviews3 followers
November 29, 2018
Wow! Read this!

I kept seeing this book come up in my recommendations, but I'd never heard of the author. I usually wait for a book by someone unknown to me to go on sale or make a bestseller list, so I opted for a sample. That was it! I was hooked. There were great characters, well developed, who were lovable - or not - as needed. The motivations were clear and understandable. The mystery believable and nicely drawn out. I really enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Ron.
229 reviews8 followers
August 18, 2022
Grant Finnegan is another great Australian writer. This novel takes your breath away, impossible to put down and read in under six hours. Twist after twist, surprise after surprise, shock after shock, just brilliant, suspense right through to the end and I have already started Flight 19 - Part 2. Highly recommended read of this sensational novel and well worthy of five stars. Check out Grant's website for free books.
292 reviews3 followers
October 15, 2018
Excellent Read!

Well written story that absolutely will grab and hold your attention from beginning to end! Only question is will there be another book since this one leaves you hanging and wonder what will happen next!! Please write another book so we find out what happens! Excellent Read for sure!!
Profile Image for Lisa Morris.
74 reviews2 followers
November 1, 2018
Oh my goodness!

Each brilliant storyline within this book could be a Hollywood Blockbuster. The characters are finely drawn, empathetic and real. The premise, though based on ‘historical context’, is fantastic in both senses of the word. I need to know what happens next .....Brilliant!
Profile Image for David.
9 reviews
May 15, 2019
To Be Continued .........

The concept of losing 5 years of your life within moments and having to pick up pieces of your life consequently is powerful and superbly woven into a gripping novel by Grant Finnegan.
What spoilt it for me is the last page which says ‘to be continued’ with no warning before purchase and no sign of a sequel so 4 stars instead of 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews

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