Book Review – Free Fall

Freefall”, by Jessica Barry (Audiobook) – 3.0 out of 5 stars
Release Date: 1/8/2019

My love of listening to Mystery/Suspense/Thriller titles while on the road, started in the mid ‘90s. I made $4.75 an hour, gas was $0.79 a gallon and I got Books on CD free at the library. I used to “lug” 6-10 discs or more per story (the generations that have only had streaming services for audiobooks don’t know the struggle) to make 16 hour drives from my Atlanta up 85/95North to New York City (and back again), with Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone series keeping me awake and engaged along the way.

These days, I have anywhere from a daily 60 – 90 minute commute (one way) and as relief from the onslaught horrifying political and world news, I vacillate between audiobooks and podcasts.

My first audiobook of 2020, didn’t disappoint. The narration on “Freefall” was well-done and had me hooked. Picture it – small plane crash in the Colorado Rockies, Allison is the sole survivor. She is scared of something and is immediately on the run. The chapters switch from Allison’s present situation to her questionable past, then to the activities and emotions of Maggie, her estranged mother, who is told that Allison died in the crash.

I wanted more detail of Allison’s questionable past, which seemed to be inferred and glossed over. This wasn’t a YA novel, so I’m not sure why the author tiptoed around some of the grittier aspects of Allison’s life. As Iyanla Vanzant is known to say, “let’s call a thing, a thing”. I think being more straightforward about Allison’s past would’ve given the character texture.

As I was listening to it, I found it to be enjoyable. However, after I stopped to think about it, I realized that I had several “but why”/head-scratch moments — such as, the arrival of the person pursuing Allison on the scene of the crash before the authorities, how the mother/daughter occurred in the first place and why Allison’s fiance did something that he did.

My advice? Don’t overthink the plot and go with the flow.

Copyright © 2020 Kimfinite Possibilities – KMS. All rights reserved.