What do you think?
Rate this book
Verschwunden: Was geschah wirklich mit Flug MH370?
‘The affair was weird when seen from afar, but seen in close-up, it was it was not possible in 2014 for a Boeing 777 to have simply disappeared…’A remarkable piece of investigative journalism into one of the most pervasive and troubling mysteries of recent 8 March 2014.Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying 239 passengers, disappeared into the night, never to be seen or heard from again.The incident was inexplicable. In a world defined by advanced technology and interconnectedness, how could an entire aircraft become untraceable? Had the flight been subject to a perfect hijack? Perhaps the pilots lost control? And if the plane did crash, where was the wreckage?Writing for Le Monde in the days and months after the plane’s disappearance, journalist Florence de Changy closely documented the chaotic international investigation that followed, uncovering more questions than answers. Riddled with inconsistencies, contradictions and a lack of basic communication between authorities, the mystery surrounding flight MH370 only deepened.Now, de Changy offers her own explanation. Drawing together countless eyewitness testimonies, press releases, independent investigative reports and expert opinion, The Disappearing Act offers an eloquent and deeply unnerving narrative of what happened to the missing aircraft.An incredible feat of investigative journalism and a testament to de Changy’s tenacity and resolve, this book is an exhaustive, gripping account into one of the most profound mysteries of the 21st century.
Pocket Book
First published February 4, 2021
297 people are currently reading
1241 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
June 15, 2022
The Impossible Case of MH370
Actual Rating: 3.5 🌟
On 8th March 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers disappeared into the night without a trail. This mystery has been troubling not just the people directly involved but the journalists, conspiracy theorists and airline enthusiasts all over the world and even after years of investigation, this vanishing largely remains a black hole.
(Image credit: Boston.com)
The Disappearing Act lays out detailed, never-heard-before facts about the fate of the jinxed flight; Florence de Changy does complete justice to her journalism job and investigates meticulously on various leads and conspiracy theories - her investigation takes her halfway across the globe from France to Australia, forcing her to interpret foreign languages, talk to people through all possible modes of communications when she can’t actually meet them in person and sometimes also lands her in awkward and unsafe situations.
Despite the overwhelming flood of information, de Changy manages to keep her account intriguing and crisp without crossing over to boredom which is usually associated with non-fiction. Well done for that! Listing down below what I liked and disliked about the book:
What I liked:
1. Florence de Changy explores all theories and rumours about the disappearance one at a time. She leaves no stone unturned to follow a lead until the very dead-end. From talking to Malaysian politicians to interviewing experienced Boeing 777 technical experts and pilots, she does it all. She uses technical jargons when quoting tech experts but also explains the same in layman’s terms to make the information comprehensible to all.
2. She questions every little fact or theory that is thrown her way, even things she believes. This questioning exposes the defects of some well-established theories which were supported by various governments. de Changy comes out as an extremely bold woman who is not scared to call a spade a spade, you can tell how impressed I am!
3. Lastly, de Changy met with some of the families and friends of the crew members and passengers who boarded the MH370 and based on those conversations, she divulges some personal information about those 239 passengers - information like why were they travelling on that day, what were their temperaments, who was waiting for them on the other side of the journey, and so on. This information helped in establishing an instant connection with those ill-fated people, making the reader more invested in the writer’s cause. Not to forget, it also made me very emotional.
What I disliked:
1. de Changy disappoints by eventually drawing a conspiracy theory without any evidence to back it up. Her theory is as ridiculous as the theories she investigated and mocked through the course of the book. Fortunately, she makes this conclusion in the very last chapter which minimizes the damage to the rest of the brilliant book, but honestly, there was no need to downgrade her hard work by that uncalled conclusion.
2. I hated the repetition of facts and theories over and over again. If we could eliminate the redundant content, we could very well shorten the book by at least 100 pages.
3. There are a bunch of unnamed sources who reveal some heavy-duty hidden information about the governments involved, the airline companies, and suspicious passengers and cargo on board MH370. de Changy acknowledges these sources and confirms that she can’t name them owing to the risks associated with these revelations which could harm them, but we are not talking about one or two names here, it’s a huge list! Unfortunately for me, anonymous sources impact the credibility of the content.
Overall, a well-researched book and if not for the downright preposterous theory de Changy draws at the end, this would have been a great read!
Thank you Times Reads and Putri Fariza for the review copy!
Actual Rating: 3.5 🌟
On 8th March 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 carrying 239 passengers disappeared into the night without a trail. This mystery has been troubling not just the people directly involved but the journalists, conspiracy theorists and airline enthusiasts all over the world and even after years of investigation, this vanishing largely remains a black hole.
(Image credit: Boston.com)
The Disappearing Act lays out detailed, never-heard-before facts about the fate of the jinxed flight; Florence de Changy does complete justice to her journalism job and investigates meticulously on various leads and conspiracy theories - her investigation takes her halfway across the globe from France to Australia, forcing her to interpret foreign languages, talk to people through all possible modes of communications when she can’t actually meet them in person and sometimes also lands her in awkward and unsafe situations.
Despite the overwhelming flood of information, de Changy manages to keep her account intriguing and crisp without crossing over to boredom which is usually associated with non-fiction. Well done for that! Listing down below what I liked and disliked about the book:
What I liked:
1. Florence de Changy explores all theories and rumours about the disappearance one at a time. She leaves no stone unturned to follow a lead until the very dead-end. From talking to Malaysian politicians to interviewing experienced Boeing 777 technical experts and pilots, she does it all. She uses technical jargons when quoting tech experts but also explains the same in layman’s terms to make the information comprehensible to all.
2. She questions every little fact or theory that is thrown her way, even things she believes. This questioning exposes the defects of some well-established theories which were supported by various governments. de Changy comes out as an extremely bold woman who is not scared to call a spade a spade, you can tell how impressed I am!
3. Lastly, de Changy met with some of the families and friends of the crew members and passengers who boarded the MH370 and based on those conversations, she divulges some personal information about those 239 passengers - information like why were they travelling on that day, what were their temperaments, who was waiting for them on the other side of the journey, and so on. This information helped in establishing an instant connection with those ill-fated people, making the reader more invested in the writer’s cause. Not to forget, it also made me very emotional.
What I disliked:
1. de Changy disappoints by eventually drawing a conspiracy theory without any evidence to back it up. Her theory is as ridiculous as the theories she investigated and mocked through the course of the book. Fortunately, she makes this conclusion in the very last chapter which minimizes the damage to the rest of the brilliant book, but honestly, there was no need to downgrade her hard work by that uncalled conclusion.
2. I hated the repetition of facts and theories over and over again. If we could eliminate the redundant content, we could very well shorten the book by at least 100 pages.
3. There are a bunch of unnamed sources who reveal some heavy-duty hidden information about the governments involved, the airline companies, and suspicious passengers and cargo on board MH370. de Changy acknowledges these sources and confirms that she can’t name them owing to the risks associated with these revelations which could harm them, but we are not talking about one or two names here, it’s a huge list! Unfortunately for me, anonymous sources impact the credibility of the content.
Overall, a well-researched book and if not for the downright preposterous theory de Changy draws at the end, this would have been a great read!
Thank you Times Reads and Putri Fariza for the review copy!
April 27, 2021
Clever cover
Fascinating book
We all know the story of flight MH370 and probably like me have an opinion on what happened, why and who was responsible ( if anyone ), this author has taken every scenario, rumour, ‘fact’ and discussion and thoroughly ( and I mean thoroughly ) dissected and researched each one, giving not just her view but the factual evidence for and against each, she has travelled round the world, met hundreds of people and read thousands of words to bring this near encyclopaedic study, she has done it carefully and methodically as leaves no stone unturned in her quest to try and give her answers
It is important to say she does reach a conclusion, of course am not going to say what it is, but on the way to this she leaves the reader no option but to believe it as every other possibility for the disappearance is covered factually disproving each one until we reach the shocking conclusion, I can’t emphasis the ‘factually’ bit enough, it’s not a book of fanciful ramblings but everything is numbered and listed to be referred to at the end of each chapter ( and whilst reading each ), I guess in this way a book book is better than an e book for using this
It is a surprisingly easy read for saying so much information is thrown at you on every page although not a quick read, I think at 5 days this is my longest in time read for many years!
I loved the way she started the book more or less saying this plane did not just disappear, it happened in 2016 and to think so is crazy and her slightly bemused narrative that anyone actually believes it did just vanish carries on, it actually works really well and very quickly you realise just how implausible it was that we all believed it had
There is reference to many other air disasters in a separate and sobering chapter but she relates and cross references them to this case, nothing she says is ‘conspiratory’ as I keep putting she bases it all on fact
It is an astonishing case and this is an astonishing book, the work that has gone into it is amazing and at the end there really is no other conclusion to draw other than the one she offers
10/10
5 Stars
Fascinating book
We all know the story of flight MH370 and probably like me have an opinion on what happened, why and who was responsible ( if anyone ), this author has taken every scenario, rumour, ‘fact’ and discussion and thoroughly ( and I mean thoroughly ) dissected and researched each one, giving not just her view but the factual evidence for and against each, she has travelled round the world, met hundreds of people and read thousands of words to bring this near encyclopaedic study, she has done it carefully and methodically as leaves no stone unturned in her quest to try and give her answers
It is important to say she does reach a conclusion, of course am not going to say what it is, but on the way to this she leaves the reader no option but to believe it as every other possibility for the disappearance is covered factually disproving each one until we reach the shocking conclusion, I can’t emphasis the ‘factually’ bit enough, it’s not a book of fanciful ramblings but everything is numbered and listed to be referred to at the end of each chapter ( and whilst reading each ), I guess in this way a book book is better than an e book for using this
It is a surprisingly easy read for saying so much information is thrown at you on every page although not a quick read, I think at 5 days this is my longest in time read for many years!
I loved the way she started the book more or less saying this plane did not just disappear, it happened in 2016 and to think so is crazy and her slightly bemused narrative that anyone actually believes it did just vanish carries on, it actually works really well and very quickly you realise just how implausible it was that we all believed it had
There is reference to many other air disasters in a separate and sobering chapter but she relates and cross references them to this case, nothing she says is ‘conspiratory’ as I keep putting she bases it all on fact
It is an astonishing case and this is an astonishing book, the work that has gone into it is amazing and at the end there really is no other conclusion to draw other than the one she offers
10/10
5 Stars
February 9, 2021
What happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370? How could a Boeing 777, crammed with electronics, with 239 passengers and at least as many telephones, vanish without the knowledge of radars and satellites in one of the most strategic areas of the planet? Two years later, relatives of the missing are still waiting for a plausible explanation. On the basis of learned mathematical calculations, they are told that the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean. But there is no tangible evidence to support this official version. Was the Boeing carrying suspicious passengers? Secret cargo? On the sidelines of the investigations off Australia, the whole world followed in the footsteps of the plane: secret services, private investigators, scientists and enthusiasts of all kinds. Millions of dollars have been swallowed up. In vain. The mystery has become a thriller. Correspondent for Le Monde and RFI in Asia-Pacific, Florence de Changy dismantled rumors one by one, explored all avenues, from Kuala Lumpur to the Maldives. Through fascinating research, she had access to confidential documents and met crucial witnesses.
His conviction: flight MH370 has not disappeared. People know. States hide certain facts. The truth bothers. The Disappearing Act is a bold, fascinating and extensively researched deep dive into one of the most profoundly unexplainable airplane disappearances in recently memory; not because it really is unexplainable in the sense that there aren't several theories that could ring true but more because in this day and age, with all of the technology, radar and special search equipment, people feel uneasy that a DEFINITIVE cause cannot be given. God knows the families of those on board certainly deserve an answer as to why they will never see their loved ones again. Bringing the latest research, documents, experts and witnesses together, de Changy pens a terrific forensic investigative piece bringing together all that is known plus some information that wasn't and building a picture of the likelihood of each theory. I just hope in time we will perhaps know more. RIP. Highly recommended.
His conviction: flight MH370 has not disappeared. People know. States hide certain facts. The truth bothers. The Disappearing Act is a bold, fascinating and extensively researched deep dive into one of the most profoundly unexplainable airplane disappearances in recently memory; not because it really is unexplainable in the sense that there aren't several theories that could ring true but more because in this day and age, with all of the technology, radar and special search equipment, people feel uneasy that a DEFINITIVE cause cannot be given. God knows the families of those on board certainly deserve an answer as to why they will never see their loved ones again. Bringing the latest research, documents, experts and witnesses together, de Changy pens a terrific forensic investigative piece bringing together all that is known plus some information that wasn't and building a picture of the likelihood of each theory. I just hope in time we will perhaps know more. RIP. Highly recommended.
March 17, 2021
The Disappearing Act is one of the most intricate, involving and meticulous pieces of investigative journalism that I’ve read and I’ve read a fair few.
The missing flight MH370 captured the imagination of the world – what followed in the media, the speculation, the conspiracy theories, the obfuscation, soon meant that the human tragedy became secondary and the families seeking an answer were somewhat left behind.
Enter Florence De Changy, who after covering the case herself, took on the seemingly impossible task of unraveling the myths and bringing focus to the facts. The results of this incredible in depth analysis is here in The Disappearing Act, it is fascinating, melancholy and utterly gripping.
Reading like a thriller in a lot of ways, the author looks at everything, no matter how obscure or unlikely and measures it against realistic possibilities and known facts. A lot of what you’ll find here you likely won’t have heard before and the disconnect between what was presented by authorities and actual realities is often stunning.
Eventually Florence De Changy will offer you a story that sits away from the white noise, away from the spotlight and she’ll do this whilst never losing sight of the huge human loss at the centre of this mystery.
A massive accomplishment and highly recommended by me.
The missing flight MH370 captured the imagination of the world – what followed in the media, the speculation, the conspiracy theories, the obfuscation, soon meant that the human tragedy became secondary and the families seeking an answer were somewhat left behind.
Enter Florence De Changy, who after covering the case herself, took on the seemingly impossible task of unraveling the myths and bringing focus to the facts. The results of this incredible in depth analysis is here in The Disappearing Act, it is fascinating, melancholy and utterly gripping.
Reading like a thriller in a lot of ways, the author looks at everything, no matter how obscure or unlikely and measures it against realistic possibilities and known facts. A lot of what you’ll find here you likely won’t have heard before and the disconnect between what was presented by authorities and actual realities is often stunning.
Eventually Florence De Changy will offer you a story that sits away from the white noise, away from the spotlight and she’ll do this whilst never losing sight of the huge human loss at the centre of this mystery.
A massive accomplishment and highly recommended by me.
October 2, 2021
“Good night, Malaysian three seven zero”
A profound, heartbreaking final moment before the flight MH370 disappeared from the radar seven years ago on 8 March 2014.
It was the final signing off of the plane right before it entered Vietnam airspace when it disappeared and lost contact with the Air Traffic Control, both in KL and Ho Chi Minh.
This book covers a lengthy about the investigation of the disappearance of the flight MH370 through the perspective of the author as a journalist.
Much of the information revealed in this book is very shocking that had never been exposed in the public, whether by the media or the authorities.
Even when this book comes out, people still remains in a black hole since there isn’t any solid answer to the cause of this tragedy. Thus, the author is only capable of ruling out her own theories and possibilities that might happened to the plane 7 years ago due to her long years of investigation and own study towards this case.
I sometimes find myself agree with the author yet sometimes I was annoyed by the sarcastic comments she made regarding the investigation.
From my personal perspective, this tragedy involved a lot of parties and it got tampered by the government as well as politics. So many lies, lack of transparency, fabricated info, coverups and inconsistencies in delivering the truth.
I also saw incompetency on how the government and the authorities handled this case. When it got interfered from the outsiders, this only deepened with confusion and misleading info.
Overall, it’s a very worth reading for anyone who wish to dig deeper into this tragedy.
Thank you so much @putrifariza and @times.reads for giving me the review copy in exchange for an honest review💓
A profound, heartbreaking final moment before the flight MH370 disappeared from the radar seven years ago on 8 March 2014.
It was the final signing off of the plane right before it entered Vietnam airspace when it disappeared and lost contact with the Air Traffic Control, both in KL and Ho Chi Minh.
This book covers a lengthy about the investigation of the disappearance of the flight MH370 through the perspective of the author as a journalist.
Much of the information revealed in this book is very shocking that had never been exposed in the public, whether by the media or the authorities.
Even when this book comes out, people still remains in a black hole since there isn’t any solid answer to the cause of this tragedy. Thus, the author is only capable of ruling out her own theories and possibilities that might happened to the plane 7 years ago due to her long years of investigation and own study towards this case.
I sometimes find myself agree with the author yet sometimes I was annoyed by the sarcastic comments she made regarding the investigation.
From my personal perspective, this tragedy involved a lot of parties and it got tampered by the government as well as politics. So many lies, lack of transparency, fabricated info, coverups and inconsistencies in delivering the truth.
I also saw incompetency on how the government and the authorities handled this case. When it got interfered from the outsiders, this only deepened with confusion and misleading info.
Overall, it’s a very worth reading for anyone who wish to dig deeper into this tragedy.
Thank you so much @putrifariza and @times.reads for giving me the review copy in exchange for an honest review💓
November 9, 2021
08-Mar-2014 and a Malaysia Airlines jetliner goes missing. It is a Boeing 777 carrying 239 people. Missing? In this day and age? That is impossible as the title of this book poses. The author is a journalist with Le Monde, and she goes deep. It had disappeared and an international search and rescue is not having much luck in finding it.
The blame game starts immediately. Was it the pilot? He was politically motivated and had family problems. Maybe it was hijacked by two Iranians on board who had false passports. What were two pumped up Ukrainians doing on the plane from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing? Did the plane perform a U-turn and take a completely different course from that what was planned? Why can’t the 26 countries involved in the search find the plane? Why are Malaysia airlines and the Malaysian government being so cagey? Are they trying to cover-up something or maybe they are just hiding an embarrassing truth or are they plain incompetent? Maybe it was something to do with the fruit in the cargo? What other cargo was the plane carrying? Many questions. It is all so mysterious and incomprehensible.
Parts of planes wash-up in different areas and the author, always with an open mind, would go and investigate. It is a real conundrum. A Boeing 777 with 239 people on has just vanished. It is such a conundrum that the author becomes suspicious. Very suspicious. She takes us on a journey to two theories. It will certainly make you think. You don’t have to agree with her but it is well worth reading what she has to say.
This is a very great piece of investigative journalism. It does get a bit bogged down about three-quarters of the way through but read on and it will pay off. There are so many things that don’t add up or maybe they do if you go with one of her theories. I’ll leave it there. This is becoming a very cryptic review as I do not want to give anything away.
Do not read any of the online articles with the author as they give her theories away. I think it is worth waiting for if you are reading the book because she spends a long time laying out the facts.
The blame game starts immediately. Was it the pilot? He was politically motivated and had family problems. Maybe it was hijacked by two Iranians on board who had false passports. What were two pumped up Ukrainians doing on the plane from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing? Did the plane perform a U-turn and take a completely different course from that what was planned? Why can’t the 26 countries involved in the search find the plane? Why are Malaysia airlines and the Malaysian government being so cagey? Are they trying to cover-up something or maybe they are just hiding an embarrassing truth or are they plain incompetent? Maybe it was something to do with the fruit in the cargo? What other cargo was the plane carrying? Many questions. It is all so mysterious and incomprehensible.
Parts of planes wash-up in different areas and the author, always with an open mind, would go and investigate. It is a real conundrum. A Boeing 777 with 239 people on has just vanished. It is such a conundrum that the author becomes suspicious. Very suspicious. She takes us on a journey to two theories. It will certainly make you think. You don’t have to agree with her but it is well worth reading what she has to say.
This is a very great piece of investigative journalism. It does get a bit bogged down about three-quarters of the way through but read on and it will pay off. There are so many things that don’t add up or maybe they do if you go with one of her theories. I’ll leave it there. This is becoming a very cryptic review as I do not want to give anything away.
Do not read any of the online articles with the author as they give her theories away. I think it is worth waiting for if you are reading the book because she spends a long time laying out the facts.
March 14, 2021
The truth is somewhere in between all of this, the problem is there’s a lot of this to begin with. As fascinating a read as this is, I’m glad to be done with it so it’ll hopefully stop haunting my thoughts and dreams every day. She makes a good case for her theory but it relies on 1) a lot of anecdotes being true that could just be people flapping their gums who don’t know what they’re talking about, as people tend to be very good at doing, and 2) a lot of people, in several different countries and governments, including BARACK OBAMA (it goes all the way to the TOP much as I hate one more conspiracy theory that involves him because it gives air to all the extra-crazy bullshit ones) being able to keep a whopping big secret, as people tend to be not so good at doing.
I think she was a bit hasty in her total dismissal of pilot responsibility, mainly because if you apply Occam’s razor, which she mentions at one point as well, that definitely seems to me to be the option with the least amount of assumptions. I also wasn’t convinced by her evidence that he was such an outstanding person - not convinced that he wasn’t either, but that’s the point. It’s like what Gavin de Becker says in the Gift of Fear: basically just that no one knew anything helpful. But she makes a good argument against blaming someone who can’t defend themselves, and there’s precedent for that.
I did have trouble following every explanation - like the one about why the information about the pilot’s home simulator was wrong (if anyone who’s read this can explain that to me, thanks in advance). And there’s just a lot of information here in general, and sometimes math was involved (I’m gone) but that glut of information sometimes made it tough to follow or really understand a point being made. When it gets back on track it’s endlessly compelling though. How disappointing that as she explains, if the black box is ever even found it won’t make much of a difference in solving the mystery. Drat.
Oh and one last thing - she references Orly Taitz at one point, who apparently filed a FOIA for something related to this, and calls her a “celebrity lawyer”. O rly? That’s a very nice way of saying “racist birther conspiracy theorist,” apparently. Never, ever use Orly Taitz in any way to support any argument. It torpedoes your credibility immediately. That makes me raise my eyebrows at everything else in this book and I want to believe you!
And god, Orly Taitz would be all over this if she knew Obama was potentially even the slightest, peripherally little bit involved (the author just alleges that he knew what happened to the plane in an action that went awry and allowed the coverup/silence around it to take place). But Orly will turn that into Obama crouched on the Chinese border shooting the plane down himself with his Connecticut vampire eye-lasers, I suppose, and then suggest we dig up his dead father again.
I think she was a bit hasty in her total dismissal of pilot responsibility, mainly because if you apply Occam’s razor, which she mentions at one point as well, that definitely seems to me to be the option with the least amount of assumptions. I also wasn’t convinced by her evidence that he was such an outstanding person - not convinced that he wasn’t either, but that’s the point. It’s like what Gavin de Becker says in the Gift of Fear: basically just that no one knew anything helpful. But she makes a good argument against blaming someone who can’t defend themselves, and there’s precedent for that.
I did have trouble following every explanation - like the one about why the information about the pilot’s home simulator was wrong (if anyone who’s read this can explain that to me, thanks in advance). And there’s just a lot of information here in general, and sometimes math was involved (I’m gone) but that glut of information sometimes made it tough to follow or really understand a point being made. When it gets back on track it’s endlessly compelling though. How disappointing that as she explains, if the black box is ever even found it won’t make much of a difference in solving the mystery. Drat.
Oh and one last thing - she references Orly Taitz at one point, who apparently filed a FOIA for something related to this, and calls her a “celebrity lawyer”. O rly? That’s a very nice way of saying “racist birther conspiracy theorist,” apparently. Never, ever use Orly Taitz in any way to support any argument. It torpedoes your credibility immediately. That makes me raise my eyebrows at everything else in this book and I want to believe you!
And god, Orly Taitz would be all over this if she knew Obama was potentially even the slightest, peripherally little bit involved (the author just alleges that he knew what happened to the plane in an action that went awry and allowed the coverup/silence around it to take place). But Orly will turn that into Obama crouched on the Chinese border shooting the plane down himself with his Connecticut vampire eye-lasers, I suppose, and then suggest we dig up his dead father again.
February 18, 2021
This is a detailed investigation into the disappearance of Flight MH370. On Friday, 7th March, 2014, the Boeing 777 set off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, on route to Beijing. It was nearly midnight and everything seemed routine, with a sign off as the plane left Malaysian airspace and then seemed to simply vanish… Of course, tragically, there are still no definite answers for the families of those on board. The author asks the question that reverberated around the world that day – how can a plane, with 239 people on board, simply disappear?
Florence de Changy does an excellent job of giving the reader all of the available evidence. From the initial, confusing statements and press conferences, from Malaysian Airlines, through to the later speculation and conspiracy theories. She travels around the world speaking to anyone who was even remotely involved. Those who claimed to see a low flying plane, or witnessed lights, or knew members of the crew or passengers. Although her research is painstaking, she does not make this a dry read. It is obvious that she is invested in uncovering the truth and following every lead.
Therefore, we taken through events. She points out that it is often easier for those investigating such tragic events to blame the pilot – exonerating the plan, airline or airline manufacturers. So, was it a pilot suicide? Electrical failure? Engine failure? Why was some of the cargo not scanned properly before being loaded? Were any of the passengers suspicious? Could there have been a bomb, a fire, a suicidal crash into the sea? Although the author cannot give a definitive answer, she weighs up all the evidence and saves her own suggestion for the end of the book, as she goes through all the possibilities and outlines her own scenario. A fascinating read and, let’s hope, at some point the relatives have a definitive answer.
Florence de Changy does an excellent job of giving the reader all of the available evidence. From the initial, confusing statements and press conferences, from Malaysian Airlines, through to the later speculation and conspiracy theories. She travels around the world speaking to anyone who was even remotely involved. Those who claimed to see a low flying plane, or witnessed lights, or knew members of the crew or passengers. Although her research is painstaking, she does not make this a dry read. It is obvious that she is invested in uncovering the truth and following every lead.
Therefore, we taken through events. She points out that it is often easier for those investigating such tragic events to blame the pilot – exonerating the plan, airline or airline manufacturers. So, was it a pilot suicide? Electrical failure? Engine failure? Why was some of the cargo not scanned properly before being loaded? Were any of the passengers suspicious? Could there have been a bomb, a fire, a suicidal crash into the sea? Although the author cannot give a definitive answer, she weighs up all the evidence and saves her own suggestion for the end of the book, as she goes through all the possibilities and outlines her own scenario. A fascinating read and, let’s hope, at some point the relatives have a definitive answer.
February 5, 2021
This book brought to mind a quote I enjoy (which is often misattributed to George Orwell): “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want published; everything else is public relations.”
In her many years of investigating the mystery of MH370, chronicled in The Disappearing Act, Florence de Changy puts to rest much of the PR-esque fast news which has sought to explain the story since the Malaysia Airlines flight vanished from the sky in March 2014. In lieu, she puts forward her own account of what may have happened, a narrative which is the product of logical deductions and unique primary sources, with unnerving implications.
It reads like a thriller and is the product of good old-fashioned, old school investigative reporting, reminiscent of Tintin's adventures in Flight 714 to Sydney. Highly recommended to all those who value the pursuit of truth against all odds, and appreciate things aren't always as they first appear...
In her many years of investigating the mystery of MH370, chronicled in The Disappearing Act, Florence de Changy puts to rest much of the PR-esque fast news which has sought to explain the story since the Malaysia Airlines flight vanished from the sky in March 2014. In lieu, she puts forward her own account of what may have happened, a narrative which is the product of logical deductions and unique primary sources, with unnerving implications.
It reads like a thriller and is the product of good old-fashioned, old school investigative reporting, reminiscent of Tintin's adventures in Flight 714 to Sydney. Highly recommended to all those who value the pursuit of truth against all odds, and appreciate things aren't always as they first appear...
July 21, 2021
This is yet another conspiracy theory book on MH370, the Malaysian airliner that disappeared in 2014. This time, the premise is that all the evidence behind the "official narrative" - namely, that the pilot hijacked the plane and crashed it in the Southern Indian Ocean - was all fabricated as part of a giant plot, that the plane never turned back, and thus there is no evidence that the pilot did anything wrong.
Unfortunately, this book is a confused mess. It is apparently an update to a previous book written by the same author (in French) and published in 2016. Since then, much new information about MH370 has become available, particularly the final report from accident investigation team ("Safety
Information Report"), which supersedes an interim report that had been released in 2015. However, while the final report is acknowledged in the new book, much of the book is still based on the old interim report. As a consequence, several consipracy allegations regarding hiding of information (the mysterious 3 or 12 serial numbers found inside the flaperon; the unseen serial number of the outboard flap; the unseen entries of the Watch Supervisor Logbook) are no longer valid since all that
information is found in the final report. In addition, information from other sources is also now available, including the complete Inmarsat satellite logs for the flight, the civilian ATC radar data, a more complete version of the ACARS logs, and the ADS-B data, all of which Changy seems to be unaware, thus rendering yet more of her conspiracy allegations invalid. Finally, a book on MH370 by the Australian DSTG, which had access to the military primary radar data, has been released, inadvertently leaking new information about what the radar data contain, yet, once again, Changy does not mention it.
Changy has a propensity to be careless with "facts." She blasts Prime Minister Razak repeatedly for allegedly calling the disabling of the communication systems on the plane a "deliberate act". But if you listen to his presentation from March 15, 2014, he never said that - Changy just made it up. She claims that "... Inmarsat's sophisticated calculations had the plane turning back at waypoint IGARI ..." Except they didn't - once again, Changy just made it up.
Changy wants to make sure everyone knows that she left no stone unturned, traveling the globe to dig up information for the book - I count a dozen countries at least. Having no expertise in technical matters, she was forced to rely on outside experts and sources. But far too many times the ones she
cites are anonymous and unnamed, sometimes involving double and even triple hearsay, the sketchier the source, the more credible it is. Other sources turn out to be well-known MH370 nutcases with their own weird ideas and conspiracy theories, some of which make it into the book as well. She actually met with one in person and then devotes 8 pages in the book to discussing his theory - long discredited - and considers his work to contain "several important clues ..."
This book has received overwhelming positive reviews. Just be aware that one of the experts cited in the book who has read it declares it to be "... a book of pure fiction."
Unfortunately, this book is a confused mess. It is apparently an update to a previous book written by the same author (in French) and published in 2016. Since then, much new information about MH370 has become available, particularly the final report from accident investigation team ("Safety
Information Report"), which supersedes an interim report that had been released in 2015. However, while the final report is acknowledged in the new book, much of the book is still based on the old interim report. As a consequence, several consipracy allegations regarding hiding of information (the mysterious 3 or 12 serial numbers found inside the flaperon; the unseen serial number of the outboard flap; the unseen entries of the Watch Supervisor Logbook) are no longer valid since all that
information is found in the final report. In addition, information from other sources is also now available, including the complete Inmarsat satellite logs for the flight, the civilian ATC radar data, a more complete version of the ACARS logs, and the ADS-B data, all of which Changy seems to be unaware, thus rendering yet more of her conspiracy allegations invalid. Finally, a book on MH370 by the Australian DSTG, which had access to the military primary radar data, has been released, inadvertently leaking new information about what the radar data contain, yet, once again, Changy does not mention it.
Changy has a propensity to be careless with "facts." She blasts Prime Minister Razak repeatedly for allegedly calling the disabling of the communication systems on the plane a "deliberate act". But if you listen to his presentation from March 15, 2014, he never said that - Changy just made it up. She claims that "... Inmarsat's sophisticated calculations had the plane turning back at waypoint IGARI ..." Except they didn't - once again, Changy just made it up.
Changy wants to make sure everyone knows that she left no stone unturned, traveling the globe to dig up information for the book - I count a dozen countries at least. Having no expertise in technical matters, she was forced to rely on outside experts and sources. But far too many times the ones she
cites are anonymous and unnamed, sometimes involving double and even triple hearsay, the sketchier the source, the more credible it is. Other sources turn out to be well-known MH370 nutcases with their own weird ideas and conspiracy theories, some of which make it into the book as well. She actually met with one in person and then devotes 8 pages in the book to discussing his theory - long discredited - and considers his work to contain "several important clues ..."
This book has received overwhelming positive reviews. Just be aware that one of the experts cited in the book who has read it declares it to be "... a book of pure fiction."
March 8, 2024
Maart 2014, een nachtvlucht van Malaisian Airlines stijgt op in Kualalumpur met bestemming Peking. Er zijn 239 passagiers aan boord. Na een uur vliegen verdwijnt het toestel van de radar, zonder dat er ook maar één noodsignaal is opgevangen. Radiocontact op de gebruikelijke frequenties is ook niet meer mogenlijk.
In de daarop volgende dagen en weken wordt er moeizaam gecommuniceerd over wat er met vlucht MH379 zou kunnen gebeurd zijn. Een communicatie die zeer verwarrend is en vaak moet bijgesteld worden.
De auteur (Verre Oosten correspondent voor de Franse krant Le Monde) was in 2014 ter plaatse, maakte het allemaal vanop de eerste rij mee en heeft het sindsdien niet meer losgelaten.
Tien jaar lang raadpleegt ze allerlei bronnen en merkt dat de officiële versie van de gebeurtenissen met serieuze haken en ogen aan elkaar zit. In dit boek toont ze stapje voor stapje aan waar de fouten zitten in de officiële versie, welke getuigenissen aan de kant zijn geschoven, welke elementen niet in het verslag werden opgenomen, om uiteindelijk tot de conclusie te komen dat er toch wel redelijk wat argumenten zijn om aan te nemen dat wat men aan het publiek verteld heeft toen, niet de ware toedracht van de feiten is.
Hoe is het dan wel misgegaan met het vliegtuig en zijn passagiers en bemanning. In het laatste hoofdstuk vertelt de Changy een alternatief verhaal - goed gedocumenteerd, alhoewel het met niet helemaal heeft overtuigd - dat mij wel koude rillingen bezorgde, een scenario voor een goede (of slechte) James Bondfilm.
Mijn grootste verbazing was : als de officiële versie niet klopt - en daar zijn echt wel redelijke argumenten voor - en als van de alternatieve versie ook maar de helft waar zou zijn of misschien ligt de waarheid nog ergens anders - hoeveel regimes, firma's, mensen houden dan elkaar de hand boven het hoofd. Gaan die eeuwig en voor altijd blijven zwijgen zoals ze nu al tien jaar gedaan hebben.
En wat met de rechten van de nabestaanden met de slachtoffers?
Heel knap staaltje van onderzoeksjournalistiek, al was het alleen maar voor het gedeelte waarin elke letter van de officiële verklaring uitpluist en beargumenteerd wordt.
Ook een heel uitgebreide bronvermelding.
Degelijk werk.
PS. 2014 was echt wel een annus horibilis voor Malaisian Airlines want enkele maanden na dit debacle werd een ander vliegtuig uit hun vloot (MH17) boven Ukranië uit de lucht geschoten.
"Good night, Malaysian 370": na 10 jaar is het mysterie van vlucht MH370 nog steeds niet opgelost
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/03/...
In de daarop volgende dagen en weken wordt er moeizaam gecommuniceerd over wat er met vlucht MH379 zou kunnen gebeurd zijn. Een communicatie die zeer verwarrend is en vaak moet bijgesteld worden.
De auteur (Verre Oosten correspondent voor de Franse krant Le Monde) was in 2014 ter plaatse, maakte het allemaal vanop de eerste rij mee en heeft het sindsdien niet meer losgelaten.
Tien jaar lang raadpleegt ze allerlei bronnen en merkt dat de officiële versie van de gebeurtenissen met serieuze haken en ogen aan elkaar zit. In dit boek toont ze stapje voor stapje aan waar de fouten zitten in de officiële versie, welke getuigenissen aan de kant zijn geschoven, welke elementen niet in het verslag werden opgenomen, om uiteindelijk tot de conclusie te komen dat er toch wel redelijk wat argumenten zijn om aan te nemen dat wat men aan het publiek verteld heeft toen, niet de ware toedracht van de feiten is.
Hoe is het dan wel misgegaan met het vliegtuig en zijn passagiers en bemanning. In het laatste hoofdstuk vertelt de Changy een alternatief verhaal - goed gedocumenteerd, alhoewel het met niet helemaal heeft overtuigd - dat mij wel koude rillingen bezorgde, een scenario voor een goede (of slechte) James Bondfilm.
Mijn grootste verbazing was : als de officiële versie niet klopt - en daar zijn echt wel redelijke argumenten voor - en als van de alternatieve versie ook maar de helft waar zou zijn of misschien ligt de waarheid nog ergens anders - hoeveel regimes, firma's, mensen houden dan elkaar de hand boven het hoofd. Gaan die eeuwig en voor altijd blijven zwijgen zoals ze nu al tien jaar gedaan hebben.
En wat met de rechten van de nabestaanden met de slachtoffers?
Heel knap staaltje van onderzoeksjournalistiek, al was het alleen maar voor het gedeelte waarin elke letter van de officiële verklaring uitpluist en beargumenteerd wordt.
Ook een heel uitgebreide bronvermelding.
Degelijk werk.
PS. 2014 was echt wel een annus horibilis voor Malaisian Airlines want enkele maanden na dit debacle werd een ander vliegtuig uit hun vloot (MH17) boven Ukranië uit de lucht geschoten.
"Good night, Malaysian 370": na 10 jaar is het mysterie van vlucht MH370 nog steeds niet opgelost
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/03/...
October 11, 2022
this book was decent but the epilogue really pissed me off. a lot of conspiracy being thrown around.
March 25, 2022
„Goodnight, Malaysian Three Seven Zero.“ Mit diesen fünf Worten meldete sich Flugkapitän Zaharie Ahmad Shah am 8. März 2014 um 1.19 Uhr bei der malaysischen Luftverkehrskontrolle in Kuala Lumpur ab, kurz bevor er den Luftraum des südostasiatischen Staates verlassen würde – es sollten die letzten Worte sein, die man von einem Menschen an Bord des Malaysia-Airlines-Fluges MH370 jemals hören wurde. Kurz danach riss die Verbindung zum in Kuala Lumpur gestarteten Flugzeug ab, welches niemals an seinem Ziel in Peking ankommen sollte.
Flug MH370: Das größte Rätsel in der Geschichte der Luftfahrt
Statistisch betrachtet zählt das Flugzeug zu den sichersten Verkehrsmitteln der Welt und die Wahrscheinlichkeit, bei einem Flugzeugunglück ums Leben zu kommen, beträgt ungefähr 1 zu 7 Millionen. Dennoch oder vielleicht gerade deswegen sorgen Abstürze immer wieder für ein gewaltiges Medienecho, dabei ist es viel wahrscheinlicher an einem Insektenstich zu sterben (ca. 1 zu 60.000) oder vom Blitz tödlich getroffen zu werden (ca. 1 zu 470.000). Flugzeug-Katastrophen sind also extrem selten, doch der Fall des Fluges MH370 ist zusätzlich so außergewöhnlich, dass er eigentlich undenkbar ist: seitdem der Kontakt zur Maschine in der schicksalhaften Nacht ziemlich exakt an der Luftraum-Grenze von Malaysia zu Vietnam abbrach, gilt das Flugzeug nämlich als vermisst – ebenso wie die 239 Menschen an Bord der Boeing 777. Auch die nachfolgende langwierigste und teuerste Suchaktion aller Zeiten führte bisher zu keinem Ergebnis und das Verschwinden des Fluges MH370 gilt so als das vielleicht größte Mysterium der Luftfahrtgeschichte – denn bei der heute möglichen detaillierten Flugüberwachung und dem aktuellen Stand der Technik sollte es theoretisch nahezu unmöglich sein, dass ein derart großes Flugzeug einfach so von der Bildfläche verschwindet.
Eine Journalistin auf der Suche nach der Wahrheit
Die französische Journalistin Florence de Changy lebt seit 30 Jahren in Hongkong und gehörte als Korrespondentin der Asien-Pazifik-Region für die Zeitung „Le Monde“ zu den ersten, die im März 2014 über die Tragödie berichteten. Auch in den Jahren danach sprach de Changy immer wieder mit Angehörigen, Experten und Verantwortlichen über das rätselhafte Verschwinden von MH370 und hat ihre Ergebnisse im Buch „Verschwunden – Was geschah wirklich mit Flug MH370?“ gesammelt. Zwar erschien das Werk auf Französisch bereits im Jahr 2016, wurde für den internationalen Markt aber nun noch einmal überarbeitet und ergänzt, sodass das Sachbuch nun auf dem Stand von Anfang 2022 ist.
Was geschah in der Nacht vom 8. März 2014 im Himmel über Malaysia?
Die Autorin beginnt ihre Reportage mit einer minutiösen Schilderung der Ereignisse aus der Nacht vom 7. auf den 8. März 2014, zumindest so weit sich diese anhand von Funksprüchen, Radarüberwachungen und anderen Quellen und Dokumenten rekonstruieren lassen. Dabei geht de Changy gewissenhaft und detailliert vor und lässt kaum ein Detail aus, ebenso bei der Berichterstattung über die anschließenden Aufklärungsversuche in den Tagen nach dem Abbruch des Kontakts zur Boeing 777. Für die Lesenden bedeutet dies eine Vielzahl an Informationen wie die Namen der Beteiligten, Abkürzungen von Organisationen, Geräten oder Wegpunkten und technische Details, die in der Regel jedoch gut erklärt bzw. verknüpft werden, sodass man den Zusammenhängen gut folgen kann. Schon früh macht die Französin dabei auf Ungereimtheiten in der offiziellen Darstellung aufmerksam, wodurch das Buch trotz der sachlichen Auseinandersetzung auch schnell ein gewisses Spannungsniveau aufbaut.
Zwischen Fakten und Verschwörungstheorien
In der zweiten Hälfte von „Verschwunden“ geht Florence de Changy dann auf mögliche Theorien zur Aufklärung des Mysteriums ein. Aufgrund der vielen ungeklärten Fragen bietet das Unglück von MH370 natürlich reichlich Nährboden für Verschwörungstheoretiker auf der ganzen Welt, dennoch bemüht sich die Autorin um eine glaubwürdige Darstellung der denkbaren Geschehnisse und greift nicht blind das Geschwurbel von Menschen in fragwürdigen Internetforen auf, sondern sammelt Argumente für und gegen geäußerte Theorien und widerlegt auch absurdere Erklärungsversuche bestimmt. Das Buch endet letztlich mit ihrer eigenen Vermutung, die sie anhand der über Jahre gesammelten Informationen anstellt, ohne diese jedoch als in Stein gemeißelt zu betrachten.
Verstörend, unfassbar, hochspannend – eine Reportage wie ein Thriller
Insgesamt ist „Verschwunden“ eine beeindruckende Reportage, die trotz des doch beachtlichen Umfangs von knapp 500 Seiten und einer Fülle an Details und Informationen durchweg fesselnd geschrieben ist und alle erdenklichen Aspekte des Mysteriums um den Flug MH370 abzudecken scheint. Der Aufwand hinter diesem Buch scheint gigantisch, wenn man die jahrelange Recherche der Journalistin in allen Ecken der Welt betrachtet und wenn man alle in diesem Werk dargelegten Fakten und Theorien gelesen hat wirkt das Verschwinden dieses Flugzeugs noch einmal unglaublicher als ohnehin schon. Einen Wermutstropfen gibt es allerdings: da die Boeing-Maschine mit der Flugnummer MH370 immer noch als vermisst gibt und bisher keine offizielle Erklärung zu deren Verschwinden präsentiert wurde, kann auch Florence de Changy hier letztlich (noch) keine definitive Antwort auf die Frage „Was geschah wirklich mit dem Flug MH370“ liefern. Dennoch bekommt man hier wohl alles an Informationen geboten, was ohne Sicherheitsfreigaben oder Geheimdienstkenntnisse zugänglich ist und das macht „Verschwunden“ zu einem Standardwerk zum MH370-Rätsel. Ein packendes Buch nicht nur für Nachrichten-Junkies oder Verschwörungsfans, sondern auch für Anhänger von True-Crime-Reportagen – denn de Changys Erzählung hat zweifellos das Potenzial, für schlaflose Nächte zu sorgen.
Flug MH370: Das größte Rätsel in der Geschichte der Luftfahrt
Statistisch betrachtet zählt das Flugzeug zu den sichersten Verkehrsmitteln der Welt und die Wahrscheinlichkeit, bei einem Flugzeugunglück ums Leben zu kommen, beträgt ungefähr 1 zu 7 Millionen. Dennoch oder vielleicht gerade deswegen sorgen Abstürze immer wieder für ein gewaltiges Medienecho, dabei ist es viel wahrscheinlicher an einem Insektenstich zu sterben (ca. 1 zu 60.000) oder vom Blitz tödlich getroffen zu werden (ca. 1 zu 470.000). Flugzeug-Katastrophen sind also extrem selten, doch der Fall des Fluges MH370 ist zusätzlich so außergewöhnlich, dass er eigentlich undenkbar ist: seitdem der Kontakt zur Maschine in der schicksalhaften Nacht ziemlich exakt an der Luftraum-Grenze von Malaysia zu Vietnam abbrach, gilt das Flugzeug nämlich als vermisst – ebenso wie die 239 Menschen an Bord der Boeing 777. Auch die nachfolgende langwierigste und teuerste Suchaktion aller Zeiten führte bisher zu keinem Ergebnis und das Verschwinden des Fluges MH370 gilt so als das vielleicht größte Mysterium der Luftfahrtgeschichte – denn bei der heute möglichen detaillierten Flugüberwachung und dem aktuellen Stand der Technik sollte es theoretisch nahezu unmöglich sein, dass ein derart großes Flugzeug einfach so von der Bildfläche verschwindet.
Eine Journalistin auf der Suche nach der Wahrheit
Die französische Journalistin Florence de Changy lebt seit 30 Jahren in Hongkong und gehörte als Korrespondentin der Asien-Pazifik-Region für die Zeitung „Le Monde“ zu den ersten, die im März 2014 über die Tragödie berichteten. Auch in den Jahren danach sprach de Changy immer wieder mit Angehörigen, Experten und Verantwortlichen über das rätselhafte Verschwinden von MH370 und hat ihre Ergebnisse im Buch „Verschwunden – Was geschah wirklich mit Flug MH370?“ gesammelt. Zwar erschien das Werk auf Französisch bereits im Jahr 2016, wurde für den internationalen Markt aber nun noch einmal überarbeitet und ergänzt, sodass das Sachbuch nun auf dem Stand von Anfang 2022 ist.
Was geschah in der Nacht vom 8. März 2014 im Himmel über Malaysia?
Die Autorin beginnt ihre Reportage mit einer minutiösen Schilderung der Ereignisse aus der Nacht vom 7. auf den 8. März 2014, zumindest so weit sich diese anhand von Funksprüchen, Radarüberwachungen und anderen Quellen und Dokumenten rekonstruieren lassen. Dabei geht de Changy gewissenhaft und detailliert vor und lässt kaum ein Detail aus, ebenso bei der Berichterstattung über die anschließenden Aufklärungsversuche in den Tagen nach dem Abbruch des Kontakts zur Boeing 777. Für die Lesenden bedeutet dies eine Vielzahl an Informationen wie die Namen der Beteiligten, Abkürzungen von Organisationen, Geräten oder Wegpunkten und technische Details, die in der Regel jedoch gut erklärt bzw. verknüpft werden, sodass man den Zusammenhängen gut folgen kann. Schon früh macht die Französin dabei auf Ungereimtheiten in der offiziellen Darstellung aufmerksam, wodurch das Buch trotz der sachlichen Auseinandersetzung auch schnell ein gewisses Spannungsniveau aufbaut.
Zwischen Fakten und Verschwörungstheorien
In der zweiten Hälfte von „Verschwunden“ geht Florence de Changy dann auf mögliche Theorien zur Aufklärung des Mysteriums ein. Aufgrund der vielen ungeklärten Fragen bietet das Unglück von MH370 natürlich reichlich Nährboden für Verschwörungstheoretiker auf der ganzen Welt, dennoch bemüht sich die Autorin um eine glaubwürdige Darstellung der denkbaren Geschehnisse und greift nicht blind das Geschwurbel von Menschen in fragwürdigen Internetforen auf, sondern sammelt Argumente für und gegen geäußerte Theorien und widerlegt auch absurdere Erklärungsversuche bestimmt. Das Buch endet letztlich mit ihrer eigenen Vermutung, die sie anhand der über Jahre gesammelten Informationen anstellt, ohne diese jedoch als in Stein gemeißelt zu betrachten.
Verstörend, unfassbar, hochspannend – eine Reportage wie ein Thriller
Insgesamt ist „Verschwunden“ eine beeindruckende Reportage, die trotz des doch beachtlichen Umfangs von knapp 500 Seiten und einer Fülle an Details und Informationen durchweg fesselnd geschrieben ist und alle erdenklichen Aspekte des Mysteriums um den Flug MH370 abzudecken scheint. Der Aufwand hinter diesem Buch scheint gigantisch, wenn man die jahrelange Recherche der Journalistin in allen Ecken der Welt betrachtet und wenn man alle in diesem Werk dargelegten Fakten und Theorien gelesen hat wirkt das Verschwinden dieses Flugzeugs noch einmal unglaublicher als ohnehin schon. Einen Wermutstropfen gibt es allerdings: da die Boeing-Maschine mit der Flugnummer MH370 immer noch als vermisst gibt und bisher keine offizielle Erklärung zu deren Verschwinden präsentiert wurde, kann auch Florence de Changy hier letztlich (noch) keine definitive Antwort auf die Frage „Was geschah wirklich mit dem Flug MH370“ liefern. Dennoch bekommt man hier wohl alles an Informationen geboten, was ohne Sicherheitsfreigaben oder Geheimdienstkenntnisse zugänglich ist und das macht „Verschwunden“ zu einem Standardwerk zum MH370-Rätsel. Ein packendes Buch nicht nur für Nachrichten-Junkies oder Verschwörungsfans, sondern auch für Anhänger von True-Crime-Reportagen – denn de Changys Erzählung hat zweifellos das Potenzial, für schlaflose Nächte zu sorgen.
March 20, 2023
very insightful & interesting
the author also has proof for almost all statements made in the book, so I guess this is a reliable portrait of the crash
i‘ve always thought that the whole mh370 case was fishy and this book made my doubts even clearer… it‘s literally IMPOSSIBLE for a plane to vanish in the 21st century without a trace, I guess we‘ll never find out what truly happened tho
the author also has proof for almost all statements made in the book, so I guess this is a reliable portrait of the crash
i‘ve always thought that the whole mh370 case was fishy and this book made my doubts even clearer… it‘s literally IMPOSSIBLE for a plane to vanish in the 21st century without a trace, I guess we‘ll never find out what truly happened tho
July 11, 2023
"someday, somewhere, someone may find out the damned Truth. We better. We better or we might just as well build ourselves another government like the Declaration of Independence says to when the old one ain’t working – just a little farther out West..."
February 18, 2021
I found this story fascinating. The research done by the author is methodical, speaking to governments, fishermen, and everyone in between that could hold a piece of this jumbled jigsaw of real events and the people that purposely mislead the world and the grieving families.
On the outside looking in it was like a David Copperfield magical extravaganza because it had that now you see it now you don’t scenario, but it lacked the finish, it has never been found. That is the whole point though there was nothing, no black boxes, no debris and no bodies dead or alive. The pilot’s last message was to air control signing off before moving into the next one, but it simply disappeared. No distress call, no passengers making goodbye calls to family, just gone.
Although this is a true story about the whereabouts of flight 370 don’t think for one minute that it is just full of facts and figures, yes there is a lot of technical information and lot of statements from governments, but there are also times that it is so tense. There have been people made to retract statements and much worse.
The author bears all about governments and leads me to the most believable explanation possible. What price can be placed on these lives? I feel so much heartbreak for these families of the victims that have no conclusion to this. It is an outstanding account from this author, the research is extensive and seems like it became all-consuming to find out the truth. Exceptional.
I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Merged review:
I found this story fascinating. The research done by the author is methodical, speaking to governments, fishermen, and everyone in between that could hold a piece of this jumbled jigsaw of real events and the people that purposely mislead the world and the grieving families.
On the outside looking in it was like a David Copperfield magical extravaganza because it had that now you see it now you don’t scenario, but it lacked the finish, it has never been found. That is the whole point though there was nothing, no black boxes, no debris and no bodies dead or alive. The pilot’s last message was to air control signing off before moving into the next one, but it simply disappeared. No distress call, no passengers making goodbye calls to family, just gone.
Although this is a true story about the whereabouts of flight 370 don’t think for one minute that it is just full of facts and figures, yes there is a lot of technical information and a lot of statements from governments, but there are also times that it is so tense. There have been people made to retract statements of what the saw and much worse.
The author bears all about governments and leads me to the most believable explanation possible. What price can be placed on these lives? I feel so much heartbreak for these families of the victims that have no conclusion to this. It is an outstanding account from this author, the research is extensive and seems like it became all-consuming to find out the truth. Exceptional.
I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
On the outside looking in it was like a David Copperfield magical extravaganza because it had that now you see it now you don’t scenario, but it lacked the finish, it has never been found. That is the whole point though there was nothing, no black boxes, no debris and no bodies dead or alive. The pilot’s last message was to air control signing off before moving into the next one, but it simply disappeared. No distress call, no passengers making goodbye calls to family, just gone.
Although this is a true story about the whereabouts of flight 370 don’t think for one minute that it is just full of facts and figures, yes there is a lot of technical information and lot of statements from governments, but there are also times that it is so tense. There have been people made to retract statements and much worse.
The author bears all about governments and leads me to the most believable explanation possible. What price can be placed on these lives? I feel so much heartbreak for these families of the victims that have no conclusion to this. It is an outstanding account from this author, the research is extensive and seems like it became all-consuming to find out the truth. Exceptional.
I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Merged review:
I found this story fascinating. The research done by the author is methodical, speaking to governments, fishermen, and everyone in between that could hold a piece of this jumbled jigsaw of real events and the people that purposely mislead the world and the grieving families.
On the outside looking in it was like a David Copperfield magical extravaganza because it had that now you see it now you don’t scenario, but it lacked the finish, it has never been found. That is the whole point though there was nothing, no black boxes, no debris and no bodies dead or alive. The pilot’s last message was to air control signing off before moving into the next one, but it simply disappeared. No distress call, no passengers making goodbye calls to family, just gone.
Although this is a true story about the whereabouts of flight 370 don’t think for one minute that it is just full of facts and figures, yes there is a lot of technical information and a lot of statements from governments, but there are also times that it is so tense. There have been people made to retract statements of what the saw and much worse.
The author bears all about governments and leads me to the most believable explanation possible. What price can be placed on these lives? I feel so much heartbreak for these families of the victims that have no conclusion to this. It is an outstanding account from this author, the research is extensive and seems like it became all-consuming to find out the truth. Exceptional.
I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
February 10, 2021
I found this to be a fascinating investigation on the disappearance of Flight MH370. How can a plane, carrying 239 people on board, just go missing in this day and age? Well, that is what happened on the 8th March 2014, and the relatives of those on board are still waiting for answers.
I remember seeing this on the news at the time and thinking that the authorities would be doing all they could to discover just what happened to make a plane disappear into thin air. But after reading this book and the calamity that was the investigation, it just makes you extremely worried that so many agencies and countries seem willing and able to hide the truth.
Was the plane hijacked? Did it change route? Was it shot down? The author explores all the theories as she travels across the world talking to relatives of the lost passegers, along with eye witnesses on the ground who were ignored by official investigators. Her research was extensive and exhaustive as she looked into every single theory - official or otherwise- and the more you read, the more suspicious you are of all those involved across the world in various governments. And why was a commercial flight disappearance being controlled by governments?! What did they want hushed up? There's question marks over some of the passengers on board, the cargo being carried, the mental wellbeing of the pilots - but still nothing concrete has ever been discovered despite the occasional discover of pieces of plane at various locations.
The fact that another Malaysian plane was lost a few months later just muddies the water and left me feeling shocked that such incompetence was allowed to go unchecked - which just makes you think even more that something dodgy was behind all this. It all felt very choreographed to distract people from the reality of what did happen and a number of countries seemed complicit in the cover up
Was it pilot error? An accident? Terrorism? After reading this you'll definitely believe there is more to this disappearance than meets the eye and you can only commend the author for their research in trying to find out the truth - a shocking and eye opening read! Highly recommended!
I remember seeing this on the news at the time and thinking that the authorities would be doing all they could to discover just what happened to make a plane disappear into thin air. But after reading this book and the calamity that was the investigation, it just makes you extremely worried that so many agencies and countries seem willing and able to hide the truth.
Was the plane hijacked? Did it change route? Was it shot down? The author explores all the theories as she travels across the world talking to relatives of the lost passegers, along with eye witnesses on the ground who were ignored by official investigators. Her research was extensive and exhaustive as she looked into every single theory - official or otherwise- and the more you read, the more suspicious you are of all those involved across the world in various governments. And why was a commercial flight disappearance being controlled by governments?! What did they want hushed up? There's question marks over some of the passengers on board, the cargo being carried, the mental wellbeing of the pilots - but still nothing concrete has ever been discovered despite the occasional discover of pieces of plane at various locations.
The fact that another Malaysian plane was lost a few months later just muddies the water and left me feeling shocked that such incompetence was allowed to go unchecked - which just makes you think even more that something dodgy was behind all this. It all felt very choreographed to distract people from the reality of what did happen and a number of countries seemed complicit in the cover up
Was it pilot error? An accident? Terrorism? After reading this you'll definitely believe there is more to this disappearance than meets the eye and you can only commend the author for their research in trying to find out the truth - a shocking and eye opening read! Highly recommended!
September 11, 2024
What happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370? You may think you know the answer to that question but the truth is you probably don't. This book will correct that for you though and make you look at the whole incident in a new and much more skeptical light.
This is a very detailed and well researched book tackling the story of MH370 from the moment it happened right up to 2018. It picks up not only the official story of the crash that is clearly nonsense but also some of the other theories that have been put forward. Florence de Changy has really dedicated herself to this investigation over many years, following up on numerous leads which leads her to her conclusion that is a fairly chilling one. Also, you will never really look at the airline manufacturing companies in the same light again once you know the extreme lengths they will go to to lay the blame at one anyone or anything instead of their airplanes.
This is not a short book and it is very detailed but it is well written and the more I read the more the more it became obvious that the official story line is clearly suspect and so what really happened.... Well I won't spoil it apart from to say it amazing what you can cover up if enough people have skin in the game.
This is a very detailed and well researched book tackling the story of MH370 from the moment it happened right up to 2018. It picks up not only the official story of the crash that is clearly nonsense but also some of the other theories that have been put forward. Florence de Changy has really dedicated herself to this investigation over many years, following up on numerous leads which leads her to her conclusion that is a fairly chilling one. Also, you will never really look at the airline manufacturing companies in the same light again once you know the extreme lengths they will go to to lay the blame at one anyone or anything instead of their airplanes.
This is not a short book and it is very detailed but it is well written and the more I read the more the more it became obvious that the official story line is clearly suspect and so what really happened.... Well I won't spoil it apart from to say it amazing what you can cover up if enough people have skin in the game.
May 25, 2021
If the subject of MH370 interests you, as it does me, this is the definitive book on the subject
Incredibly detailed and thorough, the author has followed up on many leads, spoken to many people and travelled the world to follow up on every morsel of information.
I also found the book to be balanced, and gives you much food for thought to draw your own conclusions.
I have purchased many books after reading the ARC through Netgalley, but this one I went out and purchased when I was 100 pages in to reading the ARC, as I was so absorbed by it I wanted to read it on my work breaks too!
As I mentioned this book going into minute detail, so not a skim read, but very intelligent, thoughtful and reflective, it explores every scenario and piece of evidence and explains why every point of the official narrative cannot be true.
Really excellent read, thank you to Netgalley Harper Collins UK and Mudlark for the ARC.
Incredibly detailed and thorough, the author has followed up on many leads, spoken to many people and travelled the world to follow up on every morsel of information.
I also found the book to be balanced, and gives you much food for thought to draw your own conclusions.
I have purchased many books after reading the ARC through Netgalley, but this one I went out and purchased when I was 100 pages in to reading the ARC, as I was so absorbed by it I wanted to read it on my work breaks too!
As I mentioned this book going into minute detail, so not a skim read, but very intelligent, thoughtful and reflective, it explores every scenario and piece of evidence and explains why every point of the official narrative cannot be true.
Really excellent read, thank you to Netgalley Harper Collins UK and Mudlark for the ARC.
February 20, 2021
The author must be commended on her perseverance as she has spent years on trying to discover what exactly happened to flight MH370 which ‘disappeared’ on its flight from Kuala Lumper to Beijing. This is a tour de force.
Sadly, however, although I did finish the book I did begin to flag just over half-way through. As a result it took me a long time to read it. What comes over loud and strong is the author’s determination/fascination to resolve this issue. A feat I matched with mine to finish the book. My review in no way diminishes Ms de Courcy’s efforts – it just shows my lack of fascination for the subject matter.
Well done Ms de Courcy – a tour de force.
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.
September 8, 2024
This book addresses the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Malaysia to China in the early-morning hours of March 8, 2014. The official story is that all communication systems on the plane were abruptly shut down as the plane entered Vietnamese airspace. Soon after, the plane made an unexpected "left turn" and flew for about 7 more hours, before running out of fuel and crash-landing in the South Indian Ocean. However, no plane debris was ever recovered from the assumed crash site despite a lengthy search.
When I started this book, I was afraid that it would not ultimately reveal any answers about the mysterious disappearance of Flight MH370, but it did. I was shocked to discover that the official story is pure fiction. There is documented communication among air traffic controllers that demonstrates that the plane's communication systems were NOT abruptly shut down, that the plane did NOT make any kind of "left turn," and that the pilot and co-pilot communicated some information about the plane's perilous status before the plane disappeared in a location FAR from where the official story claimed it ended up.
The author develops a very credible theory about what happened to the plane, but it looks like we'll never know if this theory is the truth. However, for me it was a relief just to have more information about the plane's final hours. This information explains why plane debris was never found in the South Indian Ocean.
Before laying out her theory, the author reviews all communication (however garbled or misleading) from Malaysian and other governments about MH370; describes the short- and long-term search efforts for plane debris; and debunks other theories both plausible and ridiculous. She also describes the many conversations and interviews she conducted with people across the globe. She is truly resourceful and covers every possible angle. That said, although I generally cannot get enough detail in books like this, even I felt that the book was a bit of a slog through the middle. But it was worth it in the end.
When I started this book, I was afraid that it would not ultimately reveal any answers about the mysterious disappearance of Flight MH370, but it did. I was shocked to discover that the official story is pure fiction. There is documented communication among air traffic controllers that demonstrates that the plane's communication systems were NOT abruptly shut down, that the plane did NOT make any kind of "left turn," and that the pilot and co-pilot communicated some information about the plane's perilous status before the plane disappeared in a location FAR from where the official story claimed it ended up.
The author develops a very credible theory about what happened to the plane, but it looks like we'll never know if this theory is the truth. However, for me it was a relief just to have more information about the plane's final hours. This information explains why plane debris was never found in the South Indian Ocean.
Before laying out her theory, the author reviews all communication (however garbled or misleading) from Malaysian and other governments about MH370; describes the short- and long-term search efforts for plane debris; and debunks other theories both plausible and ridiculous. She also describes the many conversations and interviews she conducted with people across the globe. She is truly resourceful and covers every possible angle. That said, although I generally cannot get enough detail in books like this, even I felt that the book was a bit of a slog through the middle. But it was worth it in the end.
April 6, 2021
The disappearance of Flight MH370 has captivated the world. How can a modern airliner in this age of communication just vanish? This is the exciting premise for journalist Florence de Changy's book The Disappearing Act. What follows is an extensively researched tome that runs in excess of 400 pages. Unfortunately it often felt like I was reading the same thing over and over. It is not that De Changy does not make a good case for going against the official explanation that the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed in the Indian Ocean after flying/or being flown in the opposite direction to where it was meant to be headed - Beijing.
It is just that in the end the author labours the point so much it seems to undermine her own argument, especially when she ropes in various conspiracy theorists - dubbed MHists - she met in internet chat rooms and other insalubrious places. Such a shame, since reading the evidence presented it seems more likely than not that the plane actually crashed in the Gulf of Thailand shortly after going missing from radar screens. So far, so logical. But De Changy's conclusion where she cooks up a conspiracy theory implicating several leading nations and involving lasers is just stretching credulity a little too far. It comes across like a bad John Le Carre plot.
The truth may be out there somewhere but sadly not here.
It is just that in the end the author labours the point so much it seems to undermine her own argument, especially when she ropes in various conspiracy theorists - dubbed MHists - she met in internet chat rooms and other insalubrious places. Such a shame, since reading the evidence presented it seems more likely than not that the plane actually crashed in the Gulf of Thailand shortly after going missing from radar screens. So far, so logical. But De Changy's conclusion where she cooks up a conspiracy theory implicating several leading nations and involving lasers is just stretching credulity a little too far. It comes across like a bad John Le Carre plot.
The truth may be out there somewhere but sadly not here.
October 19, 2021
Its not often I leave a text review but I feel misssold, depite presenting itself as fact and the other reviews here - this book is no more than another conspiriacy theory.
I really do question the other reviewers here. Yes the book starts of quite well and the author does look to have done quite a lot of work and travel in her investigation but once she gets as far as the flaperon, what starts out as a reasonable bit of journalism slowly slips in to an excerise in ignoring facts on the level of a 4chan user.
She dismisses the flaparon and the other debris as a plant because a plate isn't on it and the serial number company took a long time to get back to the team .........
She dimisses the many reports of the pilot having issues using the family's report of nothing being wrong
She ignores all of the multiple sources showing the flighth path away from china to promote her theory of it being shot down in the south China sea .......
I could go on but really the further you go on the more it become obvious that there is a cherry picking of facts here makes you question the whole book. If she chooses to ignore the very things she's witten about already, what else has been left out?
By all means read if you want but take everything with the same pinch of salt you would any other conspiracy theory on the internet
I really do question the other reviewers here. Yes the book starts of quite well and the author does look to have done quite a lot of work and travel in her investigation but once she gets as far as the flaperon, what starts out as a reasonable bit of journalism slowly slips in to an excerise in ignoring facts on the level of a 4chan user.
She dismisses the flaparon and the other debris as a plant because a plate isn't on it and the serial number company took a long time to get back to the team .........
She dimisses the many reports of the pilot having issues using the family's report of nothing being wrong
She ignores all of the multiple sources showing the flighth path away from china to promote her theory of it being shot down in the south China sea .......
I could go on but really the further you go on the more it become obvious that there is a cherry picking of facts here makes you question the whole book. If she chooses to ignore the very things she's witten about already, what else has been left out?
By all means read if you want but take everything with the same pinch of salt you would any other conspiracy theory on the internet
July 25, 2021
My score of 2/5 relates to the quality of writing, which I found a bit poor (lots of repetitions). But by reading the book I was looking to get a better picture of all the facts surrounding the MH370 disappearance mystery, and I was very well served, and very much enjoy reading the whole book, setting aside the Epilogue that gives the author's view on what she thinks happened and why, but this is pure speculation and it should be considered fiction at this point.
I am not at all a MHist (as the book calls the people who follow this topic very closely). The book therefore offers a well documented description of all the facts, theories, stories about the disappearance of flight MH370. We are now more than 7 years later and no real leads have appeared as to what exactly happened to the flight. This alone, I believe, shows that this was not a normal accident: every 'normal' accident would at some point in time reveal its secrets.
But if there is a conspiracy or cover-up behind this, I still find it difficult to believe that absolute no-one has revealed anything about it? Such an operation involves multiple countries with each their own interest, and at least hundreds of people must have been and are still aware of it; how can this be kept secret for so long?
I am not at all a MHist (as the book calls the people who follow this topic very closely). The book therefore offers a well documented description of all the facts, theories, stories about the disappearance of flight MH370. We are now more than 7 years later and no real leads have appeared as to what exactly happened to the flight. This alone, I believe, shows that this was not a normal accident: every 'normal' accident would at some point in time reveal its secrets.
But if there is a conspiracy or cover-up behind this, I still find it difficult to believe that absolute no-one has revealed anything about it? Such an operation involves multiple countries with each their own interest, and at least hundreds of people must have been and are still aware of it; how can this be kept secret for so long?
September 10, 2021
Investigative journalism, despite many signs to the contrary, is not dead. De Changy's book - insofar as a non-expert is able to judge it - seems to be a thorough investigation of perhaps the most problematic and contested accident in recent transport history. Working as she does for mainstream media which have become notorious for accepting 'facts' that have little basis in reality, her persistence in looking for the most likely cause of the crash of flight MH370 is admirable, and the reader is left with the impression that she - rather than all the experts who have supposedly tackled thr problem - has actually found it.
dnf
September 27, 2024Got 24% in, but I don’t want to listen to another 13.5 hours of this book. The author did a ton of research, but the presentation feels all over the place and I never feel excited to pick this up. It's got some very dry storytelling, and I feel like it leans a little too much into conspiracy.
May 15, 2025
Fascinant
August 14, 2025
More information than I wanted but if you want details and alternative theories this book is a goldmine
March 6, 2023
"In an unfortunate case of an air crash, truth is almost bound to be the first casualty"
A daring, truthful account on the disappearance of Flight MH370. Author Florence De Changy examines how a modern day airplane could seemingly dissappear into the night sky above South China Sea. Except it did not dissapear, it crashed somewhere and all parties involved with the investigation & search and rescue efforts are hiding the truth behind MH370.
Florence lays out the facts of the missing plane, as obtained by years of investigative efforts by 12 countries. She analyzes each facts, and calls out for any inconsistencies (trust me, basically everything that counts as "official facts" are misleading or simply false). After reading this 300-page masterclass of investigative journalism, its fair to say that incompetence showcased by several top officials relating to the case contributed to the plane missing status today. MH370 is plagued with contradicting and misleading statements, doubtful physical proofs. She even flagged the idea of an apparent cover-up campaign to silence the truth behind the plane. After providing readers with facts, she takes into account all realistic theories and scenarios, in the end providing her own POV on what truly happened.
Above all, what matters in this case is the families of victims who longed for the truth, some even still believing that their loved ones are still alive. I completely emphatize with each family members, who had to deal with sheer incompetence by the investigation team. Without finding out exactly what happened, families cannot find closure. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in MH370 case, a firm believer in the truth and to continue demanding justice for the family members.
A daring, truthful account on the disappearance of Flight MH370. Author Florence De Changy examines how a modern day airplane could seemingly dissappear into the night sky above South China Sea. Except it did not dissapear, it crashed somewhere and all parties involved with the investigation & search and rescue efforts are hiding the truth behind MH370.
Florence lays out the facts of the missing plane, as obtained by years of investigative efforts by 12 countries. She analyzes each facts, and calls out for any inconsistencies (trust me, basically everything that counts as "official facts" are misleading or simply false). After reading this 300-page masterclass of investigative journalism, its fair to say that incompetence showcased by several top officials relating to the case contributed to the plane missing status today. MH370 is plagued with contradicting and misleading statements, doubtful physical proofs. She even flagged the idea of an apparent cover-up campaign to silence the truth behind the plane. After providing readers with facts, she takes into account all realistic theories and scenarios, in the end providing her own POV on what truly happened.
Above all, what matters in this case is the families of victims who longed for the truth, some even still believing that their loved ones are still alive. I completely emphatize with each family members, who had to deal with sheer incompetence by the investigation team. Without finding out exactly what happened, families cannot find closure. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in MH370 case, a firm believer in the truth and to continue demanding justice for the family members.
February 9, 2021
I'm really interested in real life mysteries and the disappearance of MH370 is one that has fascinated me since it happened in 2014. It's incomprehensible how a large aircraft can just disappear, and all these years later we still do not truly know what happened to it.
Florence de Changy does an excellent job of compiling all of the public information together, combined with insider knowledge and private interviews. She calls out all of the many inconsistencies and includes many voices that have previously been ignored or disparaged by the media.
It did throw me off at times when certain certain pieces of information seemed to be given undue prominence in the book, however I appreciate that this is difficult when so many sources need to stay anonymous! I was worried we weren't going to get a summary of the information or the author's opinion but the last chapter absolutely blew me away. I enjoyed how de Changy took all of the elements of the investigation and put forward an incredible but totally believable account of what could have actually happened.
If the MH370 fascinated you like it did me, then I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Florence de Changy does an excellent job of compiling all of the public information together, combined with insider knowledge and private interviews. She calls out all of the many inconsistencies and includes many voices that have previously been ignored or disparaged by the media.
It did throw me off at times when certain certain pieces of information seemed to be given undue prominence in the book, however I appreciate that this is difficult when so many sources need to stay anonymous! I was worried we weren't going to get a summary of the information or the author's opinion but the last chapter absolutely blew me away. I enjoyed how de Changy took all of the elements of the investigation and put forward an incredible but totally believable account of what could have actually happened.
If the MH370 fascinated you like it did me, then I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews