Crashers

Crashers #1

by Dana Haynes

Whenever a plane goes down in the U.S., a "Go Team" made up of experts is assembled by the NTSB to investigate. Those people - each of them a leading expert in a specific area - are known as informally as "Crashers."

When a passenger plane, a Vermeer One Eleven, slams into the ground outside Portland, Oregon, a team is quickly assembled to investigate the cause. Under the leadership of the IIC (Investigator in Charge), Leonard "Tommy" Tomzak, the team gets to work as fast as possible. But this time it's different. This time, the plane was brought down deliberately, without leaving a trace, and this was only a trial run.

In LA, Daria Gibron - a former Shin Bet agent, now under the protection of the FBI- spots a group of suspicious-looking men. Missing her former life of action, she attaches herself to them only to learn that, somehow, they were responsble for the plane crash and are preparing for another action. While her FBI handler tries to find her and save her, Daria risks her life to try to get close enough to learn what's going on and thwart the coming terrorist action. But time is running out and her cover story is running thin.

Dana Haynes' novel Crashers is a fresh and utterly compelling thriller, an original mix of action, investigation and a brilliant cast of characters that grabs the reader in the way few novels can and fewer do.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Action

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2010

About the author

Dana Haynes is the author of nine published mysteries and thrillers from Bantam Books, St. Martin’s Press and Blackstone Publishing. His first short story appeared in the 2019 anthology for the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, and the second will hit the stands in 2021 in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. He is an award-winning newspaper journalist and former political speechwriter. His latest series kicked off in 2019 with “St. Nicholas Salvage and Wrecking.” It was followed in January 2021 with the sequel, “Sirocco.” Dana lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Katy King, and their cat, Violet.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wowzer of a thriller. A sabotaged jet goes down in Oregon and the "crashers" from the National Transportation Board have to figure out what happened before another plane is brought down in a few days. Tight writing with lots of page-burning suspense along with interesting details on crash investigation, although I'm warning everyone that there are few stomach-churning details so have a dramamine handy. A great read for anyone who loves John Nance and other writers who write disaster thrillers.

[Giovanni Gelati · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had seen this novel advertised on Goodreads and thought, why not, get a hold of it. I was not disappointed; this is a very good debut thriller from Dana Haynes. Crashers have to do with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and what they do after a plane crash. The Crashers are those that respond to the accident and reconstruct it so they can figure out what the cause was, and make sure the same thing does not happen in the future.
Dana Haynes puts together a very nice group of characters and weaves a plot with them that moves at a nice pace. Did I know anything at all about the NTSB before this novel, no not really, my interest level wasn’t that high. He made me interested in it though and I enjoyed the insights he brought to bear. The plot was interesting, but the thing I enjoyed the most was the character interplay and the way he brought the novel to a conclusion. The knots were all tied together, loose ends were non-excistent,and I was wanting for more. Thankfully, this is fiction, so me wanting to reading the next in the series will involve no fatalities except on the pages of the novel. Haynes has that level of realism to Crashers .I enjoyed being educated on the inner workings of the NTSB and how it operates when a crisis occurs as much as I enjoyed the story he used to wrap it around, a win/win for all.
Crashers is very good novel, whether it is his first or tenth. It is filled with humor, humanity, realism, and intrigue. The story moves at a good pace and is very hard to put down. This novel may crack our top ten for the period, that is how good it is. Put this one in your Goodreads –to read- list at the very least.
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[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most laudable thing that can be said about Crashers is that it's fun. And it definitely is that -- lazy brain candy on a Saturday afternoon/Law and Order marathon sort of fun. It's fast-paced romp, with lots of action, a plot-twist or two and lots of beautiful, charismatic characters.

And that's where the praise ends. This reads like a script for a summer movie or a CSI "Special Episode." It is filled with an appropriately diverse cast (for some, unknown, reason the ethnic background of even the most trivial of characters is given. While the supporting cast contains a Korean man, three African Americans, a Brit, an Israeli, a handful of Irish men, an Arab American and an Asian American, the main cast is white -- very TV.) More time is spent describing how beautiful, handsome, rugged and sexy each character is than really giving any personality, which makes it difficult to tell who's talking without dialogue tags.

The action is really designed to be cinematic. I had a lot of fun picturing in my head how the scenes would look, but there aren't really any twists to engage the imagination of the reader.

But, where the Crashers really falls down is the writing. As I said, the plot is fun, the characters are pretty, there's lots of action, overall it would be about as enjoyable as a weak Dan Brown novel, if not for the terrible writing. To be fair, I received an advance copy, which I assume (from the number of typos) is still undergoing some editing. That being said, the dangling participles, heavy handed dialogue-tagging and awkward exposition and narration were so distracting that finishing the book was a chore that I completed because I got the book from First Reads. Had I bought the book, I probably would have given up on it.

[Krysten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very stupid Boomer fantasy novel that isn't even particularly fun for what it is, in part because the writing is just so distractingly bad. The preternaturally gifted little goth teenage girl (who the author repeatedly describes as narrow-chested???) has this moment where the swaggering cowboy medical examiner says to her, you're a goth. and she goes, "you know gothic?!?!?" and it has not left my head for days.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this. Many twists throughout

[Nanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave this 3.5 stars. Good, entertaining story. The airline technical info given did not affect me in any way, it helped to understand the storyline. This could make a good made-for-TV movie, and one I would watch.

[Kay Vitelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I already ordered the next book from Amazon. Reading instead of watching the news right now.

[Michael Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to believe Dana Haynes, the author of "Crashers," was a journalist.
There are several reasons: 1) There are many violations of Associated Press style (for example, "air force" should be "Air Force"); 2) There is a marvelous attention to detail; 3) There are many interesting and likable characters; 4) It is very P. non-C: One of the bad guys belongs to two usually protected groups; 5) This is one heck of a well-written, engrossing, occasionally very emotional and touching, and sometimes even very funny, story.
"Crashers" are people who investigate airplane crashes.
The individuals of this particular team are varied and well defined by Mr. Haynes.
Their work is important to airline passengers, airline pilots and crews, and airlines, as well as to people who build the planes and sell the tickets and run the airports.
Mr. Haynes provides details of the work most of us wouldn't have known of, and he tells us of the problems and dangers we might not have known. As he shows us, there are infinite details and problems in reconstructing an incident.
Despite the urgency of such effort, as in everything else, politics can get in the way.
Even though I read anywhere from five to 10 books a week, "Crashers" is one of the best books I have read in a long time.
Highly recommended. Minotaur Books, New York, 2010

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Crashers" is a strong novel with solid characters dealing with the mysterious crash of a jumbo jetliner. The main characters are the "crashers" from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). After the plane plummets into the soil of the Oregon countryside, the reps from the NTSB quickly gather to reconstruct the flight and reasons for the disaster.

As the researchers dig deeper and deeper into the mystery, they soon begin to question whether the crash was due to pilot error or something they can't quite put their hands on.

Author Dana Haynes does an outstanding job providing the reader with a terrific subplot and numerous plot twists. He masterfully melds three different plot lines into a thrilling ride all the way through to the satisfying conclusion of the novel. It's my first opportunity to appreciate Haynes' craft, but hopefully not my last.

Readers who love a great political thriller filled with intrigue along the lines of those written by Nelson DeMille or Vince Flynn should love "Crashers".

[J Edward Tremlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flight 818 is dead - but what, or who, killed it? Getting the answer is the job of a quickly-assembled "Go team" - numerous experts from the National Transportation Safety Board who converge on the smoking ruins of the plane to secure the area, and come up with an answer so this can't happen again. But tensions are running high, and high-tech terrorists are circling the investigation....

Reading Crashers, it's hard to believe that it's Dana Hayes' first thriller. He's constructed a swift and richly textured read, full of memorable characters, clever dialogue, fiendish intrigue, and sharp twists that start early and don't stop coming.

If you like fast-paced, intelligent thrillers with good, solid characters and slam-bang action, you should read Crashers as soon as you can. Just maybe not while you're flying.

(Longer review here)

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever a thriller should be made into a movie, this book should be the one! From the very first pages, to the exciting conclusion, "Crashers" is a fast-paced thrill ride where you really root for the good guys and cheer for them to stop the bad guys from bringing down another plane. This is the first novel by Dana Haynes and I hope to read more from him soon. Thanks to my friend, Peggy, for the recommendation!

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Crashers. There's a lot of NTSB stuff, but it's not overkill. I do think the cliches and job politics are more of a distraction to the story. Overall, it was an entertaining read, especially if you're a pilot.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHH. So good! I have such a crush on Daria, shes such a badass! Lots of suspense and intrigue, a very solid debut thriller. Having read these in reverse order, I'm almost tempted to reread the other two back IN order...

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Joyce Reynolds-Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag. The writing is clunky at times, but the plot is engaging and the pacing sucks you into the story so that you can't put the book down.

[Jason Ballesteros · Rating 1 out of 5]

"A number of people were recruited out of a Wal-Mart parking lot and told to pretend there was a plane crash. Two people were told to pretend they were pilots, a few people were told to pretend they were investigators, and the rest were instructed to act like they were doctors, EMTs, engineers, and various other experts in their fields. Nobody of course, knew what on earth they were doing - Including the author" - A paragraph that should have been on page one of this book.

I have to give the author some credit for an interesting idea. However, if I were to rate this book on the amount of research done on the subject, or the book's readability - this would have been a zero star review.

In this book, Dana Haynes attempts to tackle a rather complex and technical topic. He makes due by throwing in some industry specific jargon and practices that the author seems to think are "believable". The result is rather unfortunate.

The amount of technical errors the author makes on the aviation side are insurmountable. In one instance, pilots are instructed to contact ATC on what even the lay person would realize is the FM broadcast band. In another instance, the captain is referred to as the skipper. Clearly the author noticed some marine terminology has carried over to aviation, but for goodness sake, not all of it. Other glaringly obvious aviation errors abound. Nobody short of a fresh student pilot has ever called tower by the airport's IATA code, and no pilot, student or otherwise, would call the right or left parallel "Romeo" or "Lima". It goes on... and on.... How the author could not have realized this is beyond me. How it got past numerous(?) proof readers and the publisher evades reason.

Incongruities in other fields are also present en masse. Trained first responders at a mass casualty incident seem to have no idea how the incident command system works. NTSB investigators purported to be the best in their fields, come across as a team of rookies trying to play in the big leagues. Doctors regularly confuse basic anatomy. The list goes on.

One would think that, prior to writing this novel, the author would have consulted an expert or two (a detective maybe, or someone with investigative experience, and just about anyone who works in aviation at the very least). Instead, it appears the author gleaned the entirety of his specialized knowledge off a few poorly reviewed Wikipedia articles. What's surprising is the author is a journalist in real life. I would have expected his research to be top notch, but this has fallen far short.

Given this was the author's first novel - bravo for writing it I guess. Its more that most of us could do. If one has absolutely no idea how any of the concepts presented therein work in real life - I imagine this could be a rather good read. However, with so many fields and specialties brutally misrepresented, this is bound to do a disservice to a rather broad range of readers. Better luck next book?

As a side note - I had to read "Airframe" by Crichton to get the bad taste out of my mouth. Another fiction novel about an aircraft investigation, but written by an author that actually knew what he was talking about!

[Daniel Rudge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This was such a fantastic novel! A great, multi-layered plot with more twists and turns than a switchback gets matched by awesome pacing. Add in a collection of well-drawn characters and there is something here for anyone who enjoys a high-octane thriller. The only warning is that are some autopsy scenes that may leave you queasy. Otherwise, I can't recommend this novel strong enough. And the plot twist at the end of Chapter 40 made my hair stand on end!

Whenever a plane goes down in the U.S., a "Go Team" made up of experts is assembled by the NTSB to investigate. Those people - each of them a leading expert in a specific area - are known as informally as "Crashers." When a passenger plane, a Vermeer One Eleven, slams into the ground outside Portland, Oregon, a team is quickly assembled to investigate the cause. Under the leadership of the IIC (Investigator in Charge), Leonard "Tommy" Tomzak, a pathologist who recently quit the NTSB who also happened to be in the area when the Vermeer One Eleven went down, the team gets to work as fast as possible. Assembled by Susan Tanaka, the inter-governmental liason from the NTSB on this crash, the team includes: Kathryn "Kiki" Duvall (voice recorder specialist), known as a"sonar witch" who can hear things that others can't and can pinpoint an accent from anywhere in the world; John Roby (Mad Bomber), former cop and bomb expert, who can detect the use of an incendiary device simply by smelling the air; Walter Mulroney (Structures), looks more like a cowboy than an engineer but can rebuild just about any plane from the bolts up; along with Peter Kim (Power Plant) and Isaiah Grey (Operations). Usually the team has months to determine the cause of a crash. But this time it's different. This time, the plane was brought down deliberately, without leaving a trace, and this was only a trial run.

In LA, Daria Gibron - a former Shin Bet agent, now under the protection of the FBI- spots a group of suspicious-looking men. Missing her former life of action, she attaches herself to them only to learn that, somehow, they were responsbie for the plane crash and are preparing for another action. While her FBI handler tries to find her and save her, Daria risks her life to try to get close enough to learn what's going on and thwart the coming terrorist action. But time is running out and her cover story is running thin.

[Ansate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the first 50 or so pages, I was really regretting requesting this book. It was starting up slow, and not starting with the Crashers - and they're who I'm here to read about. Throughout the book, the descriptions of the techno-jerk and his equipment are somewhere between over-the-top stereotype and badly guessed geek info. Less detail would have been better than wrong detail. (Somewhat similarly, every time the author described women's clothing by designer, I was jarred out of the book. That's not the sort of info that you can assume that all thriller readers know off hand.) [return][return]BUT, when things pick up, and our actual main characters appear, the book gets much better. Odd quirks of humor, fast moving plot, enjoyable dialogue - once we have the cast all put together, things move and I developed enough interest that the book became hard to put down. [return][return]There's a lot more people and complications involved that I would have expected from a book supposedly about Crashers - it's almost more about the FBI involvement. It's a good story once it gets going, but I'd love to actually read a book focused on the NTSB investigators. [return][return]Still, I give it 4 stars because the second half of the book has just the right tone and tempo for this genre. (Minus the jarring scenes with the geek.)

[EJ Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. some thoughts:

1. The twists in this book are WILD. I really kept having to put the book down because it was so intense!

2. This was like reading a movie script kind of. Very descriptive, but to the point. This author does not use unnecessary words which I very much appreciate. You. An definitely tell this guy has a background in journalism.

3. This book will give a major boner to anyone obsessed with logistics. How DOES one manage the multiple bureaucracies, corporate interests, lawyers, families, etc. after a major disaster (like a plane crash)? This book succinctly laid out the logistics. I love logistics. LOVE.

4. Mega trigger warning to anyone w. fear of flying. Just sit this one out.

5. Only thing I really didn’t like was Daria’s character, which was written too much from the male gaze for me. I also didn’t understand Agent Calabrese’s obsession with her. For all the references to whatever happened in Kentucky (and there were a LOT of references) I could have used a bit more into the development of Daria and Calabrese’s relationship. His one-note, unexplained obsession w. her was not great storytelling.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although some of the criticisms I've read are valid (sloppy editing, reads like an action movie at times, has an aggressively multicultural and gender-balanced cast of characters, as if the author is misguidedly saying, "See how PC I am?"), this book was nothing short of a thrill ride. And I also have to give Dana Haynes credit for the scale of the book and the amount of research it must have taken to be able to write a novel about the "Go Team" of experts who are brought together to investigate a plane crash. Far-fetched? You bet. But also engrossing in a way that might eat up hours of your weekend.

[Mark Schuliger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give it three stars because I listened to this book on MP3 and the narrator was great at the various character accents -- of which there were many. Too many in my opinion as the cast was chock full of various ethnicities, seemingly for the sole reason of being inclusive. If this was incorporated well or realistically, I would not complain. The plot strained credibility later in the book. I must admit that it was well-paced, though.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love? The mystery of why a plane went down as told by the "go team" from the NTSB.

FBI in the mix in case of possible terrorist involvement, and a smallish middle-eastern woman who is a highly trained Israeli military operative.

Put it all together and you have a hugely entertaining unputdownable novel.

Haynes has other books out there, and I will be tracking them down.

[Simone Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m an aviation professional so this was a difficult read. The lack of research done about aviation industry shines through in the first 6 pages of the book. It was truly difficult to make it past these easily researched errors. But the storyline was entertaining. The book is unrealistically entertaining.

[Alberto Lavecchia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un onesto thriller ambientato nel mondo dell’aviazione, fatica a decollare, per usare un termine attinente, poi si svolge abbastanza bene, senza esagerare nelle scelte che nella realtà non sarebbero plausibili. Si lascia leggere fino all’atterraggio finale.
:-)

[Leonore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about how air crashes are investigated. Not terribly well written but learned a lot about what happens when an air plane crashes and the NTSB investigates

[Leland Burch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great plot

This is a great story with imaginative twists but the writing and character development are just average. It would not have a permanent spot in my bookshelf

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent thriller

[Katym521 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative book as well as entertaining. This was the first book in a series from Dana Haynes. I look forward to reading the next book.

[Davin Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent thriller! My first Dana Haynes novel, but it won;t be my last.

Plenty of action, good characters, and lively dialogue. The plot moves forward at a comfortable pace.

Highly recommend.

[LJ Costine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully well written thriller.