Shot Down: The Powerful Story of What Happened to Mh17 over Ukraine and the Lives of Those Who Were on Board

by Marianne van Velzen

On 17 July 2014, Malaysian Airlines MH17 was shot out of the sky above Ukraine. Aboard were 298 people, 38 of whom were Australians. No one survived.

Subsequently it was shown that the airliner was almost certainly hit by a Buk surface-to-air missile fired by Ukrainian separatists aided by the Russian military. The debris from the plane's disintegration mid-air was spread over 50 square kilometres, but for weeks rescue teams and investigators were denied access. The Russians have refused to take any responsibility for the deaths.

This is the story of some of the people who boarded that fatal flight and the conflict below them that was doomed to destroy their lives and the happiness of the people they left behind. The fullest account yet published, it is also the story of a continuing clamour for justice. Unsettling, compelling and revealing, Shot Down will provoke both outrage that this criminal act could have happened and deep sadness for the lives lost.

'A compelling account of one of the most appalling aviation atrocities of our time.' JIM EAMES, author of Courage in the Skies

Genres: Aviation, True Crime

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2019

About the author

Marianne van Velzen is a Dutch journalist who lived in Australia for many years. She is the author of Call of the Outback, the story of Ernestine Hill, and Missing in Action, about a father's desperate search for his son's remains after World War I.

Reviews

[The Reading Dandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 17th marked the 10th anniversary of the downing of MH17.Having watched the commemorative documentary “De Echo van MH17" on Dutch National Television, I decided to pick up “Shot Down” by Marianne Van Velsen, the first comprehensive account of the tragedy and it’s aftermath - which sadly still reverberates today, as the geopolitical situation shows.

The passengers and crew were, to my mind, the first international victims in a war that did not involve them. In this book we alternate between the escalating conflict and the people on board the doomed flight, getting to know them and why they were taking that flight.

That makes this read all the more harrowing once the inevitable takes place.

On a personal note, I was staying in the Netherlands for a couple of days that July and witnessed the shock and sudden grief that engulfed the country as a result.

All I can say is that reading this book is an intense experience, but it is a necessary documented story that must not be forgotten.

[Mark Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book, but as I got to the end, I felt depressed at the loss of live that should never have happened

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched and compelling book about MH17 and the events leading up to and after the plane was shot down.

The author looks at the personal stories of some of those who were onboard as well as at the broader events in Ukraine at the time.

The shoot down of MH17 was a sad and tragic event and this book is a fitting telling of what happened and the investigation so far.

Hopefully, one day the families of those killed will have justice.

[Michael Knock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy read. I liked that a number of passengers were introduced prior to the flight and the political situation was well described but it did become confusing sorting between the names. Referred a number of times to MH370 3 or 4 months earlier-not much consistency which was annoying.

[Howard Brooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book. This book should have been 100 pages or less. There's a tremendous amount of unnecessary detail about the individuals who died in this tragedy. The essence of the story could be told in three or four chapters.

[Ivan Lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched account of the downing of MH17. Well written, and easy to read, with great detail on the victims, the alleged perpetrators, and the fight for justice.