High Wire by Kam Majd

I think anyone would hate to be hired simply to check some box, but plenty of folks think that Kate Gallagher was hired by Jet East airlines because she was 1. Female; 2. youngest female pilot; 3. Single mom; and 4. It doesn’t hurt that she’s kinda hot.

Kate got hooked on flying as a teenager when, on a dare, she did a sky dive. After a few more jumps, she realized the thrill wasn’t in the going down but in the going up. Went through all the steps to become a pilot eventually qualifying as a commercial pilot. 

Now she can sit in both chairs, first officer or as the captain. She’s piloting a full winter evening flight from DC to JFK. New York weather sux but still passable for landing. The first approach is shaky because of wind and the controls feel wonky. The next approach, the plane starts to have a mind of its own. Not only is it non-responsive, but it is performing random actions. As she fights for control on final approach, it becomes obvious that the next step is a nose-down collision with the ground. Only way she can see to avoid it is to simply shut the plane off and glide in as best she can. The resulting crash claims six lives, but her actions saved the rest of the passengers and crew.

NTSB arrives promptly. Barely ahead of the media. No clue why the plane started acting on its own. The media comes to their own conclusion: pilot error. And of course, the plane crashed because of a young, marginally experienced female pilot — a token hire — was at the controls.

Kate is now caught up in a media storm at the airport, her home, anywhere she tries to go. She knows it wasn’t her fault, but without clues from the plane’s data recorders, it’s hard to prove she wasn’t at fault.

Kate is no shrinking violet. She’s a hard charger. If the NTSB is slow in its investigation, she’ll have to speed things up. She starts with instructors at the Jet East training school to see what electronic/mechanical steps would be needed for a plane to act on its own. One of the possibilities may be found in the backup navigation systems called STAR so she approaches them. Turns out a freight jet in the Jet East system also went down a few months earlier. Pilot suicide was ruled the cause, so Kate also checks in with the widow.

Kate stays a step or two ahead of the NTSB (burdened by established protocols) and eventually learns how the planes have been hacked and the who and why is behind it. The conclusion of the investigation is absolutely ‘can’t put it down’ territory.

The author is an earlier Edgar nominee, and the author notes suggest that this book will be the start of a Kate Gallagher series. I can guarantee I’ll be there for the next installment. Kate Gallagher kicks open doors like none other. One reviewer called her, “Erin Brockovich meets Jack Ryan.’ The author is an Iranian-born, US commercial pilot so the techno aspects of the book as stunning. Write about what you know is the saying. He's done just that.

Looking for a riveting, machine-gun rapid fire plotting thriller? Look no further.This'll take your breath away

ECD