Danielle Steel has been accused of writing fluff. Critics often say her books are awful. As someone who has read this book, I have to disagree.
What drew me to Accidental Heroes was its cover. Until I saw this book sitting on the shelf at my local store, I hadn't heard of Danielle. My childhood interest in planes was what prompted me to pick up this book and read the blurb, then go home and research the author, and find out who she was and what she wrote. Seeing that she was a Romance author, I initially thought I wouldn't enjoy the book. Then I reminded myself that I had said the same thing about Nora Roberts before I read Year One and decided to give this book a try. I bought it, along with several other Steel books, for my grandmother for Christmas, with the intention that I would read them when she was done with them.
So far, I'm impressed.
The book opens with a group of people, who are unrelated to each other, heading to work at JFK. Flight crew, a TSA worker. We also briefly meet some of the passengers. Then, just after the flight takes off, TSA worker Denise discovers a post card that frightens her. She is not believed by her colleagues, but calls Homeland Security anyway. What follows is a difficult waiting game as the flight heads toward what could either be nothing, or San Francisco's own 9/11.
It is true that Steel's stories are not complex, but this works perfectly for this book. Rather than a constant flow of elaborate sentences and trick imagery, we get a straight forward story that anyone can pick up and read, and enjoy. It is not a perfect story, but it is a damn good one.
I should point out that this is no romance. It is a thriller. But there are elements that will still satisfy Romance readers and Steel's fanbase.
My advice would be to put your assumptions to one side and but this book. I did, and I got a kick out of it. It is a simple, straightforward, and enjoyable book that will have you turning the pages consistently, and if you pout it down at night, the first thing you will think of in the morning is picking it back up.