Sandy M’s review of Layover by David Bell
Mystery/Thriller published by Berkley 2 Jul 19
It’s been quite a long while since I’ve read any mysteries or thrillers, and I chose this one because from the blurb it sounded as though there might be some romance involved. So I decided to take a chance.
And though this really isn’t a mystery or thriller with romantic elements, there’s enough tossed in that kept the romance reader in me reading to find out what happens, not only to solve the mystery but to see if Joshua and Morgan make it after all is said and done. Things look good for a while, then everything falls apart, but Joshua keeps the faith, which makes you go along with him.
Joshua works for his father, has since he graduated college, and flies all over the country for the business – and he hates flying. A drink before boarding, along with a Xanax or two, keeps his fear and panic at bay to get where he’s going. While in Atlanta, he meets up with an intriguing woman in the gift shop. They begin to talk and Joshua becomes more enamored of her, so much so he decides to reroute his flight to see if their connection is more than a momentary thing.
Morgan, it turns out, is a missing person. Thus the sunglasses and hat she took off only briefly before kissing Joshua and leaving him behind, never to see him again. So imagine her surprise when he shows up on her flight to Nashville. But Morgan is a cool cookie. She does a great act of ignoring Joshua, like she’d never met him in her life. She’s slick too. Excuses as to why she acts as she does always seem to pacify Joshua every time he comes into contact with her.
Sound like someone who’s perhaps guilty of a crime? Her boss is missing. We hear her story little by little, leading us to believe she’s innocent…then guilty…then innocent again. You are kept guessing the entire time, especially when the boss’ brother shows up and his temper flares. At times I wanted to slap Joshua up the side of the head to knock some sense into him and leave Morgan behind as she does him a time or two. But the author does a good job of making you understand his need to keep following her, to help her through whatever it is she’s going through, to see if something might work out between them.
After everything they and the reader goes through, I was hoping for a different type of ending, especially after being led in a certain direction that turns out not to be. I enjoyed Joshua’s relationship with his father, the trust they have in one another. While I was let down a bit by the end, I still liked the twists and turns on the way there, and Joshua is worth the time to sit down and read his story.
Grade: B
Summary:
Joshua Fields takes the same flights every week for work, his life a series of departures and arrivals, hotels and airports. During yet another layover, he meets Morgan, a beautiful stranger with whom he feels an immediate connection. When it’s time for their respective flights, Morgan kisses Joshua passionately, lamenting that they’ll never see each other again.
As soon as Morgan disappears in the crowd, Joshua is shocked to see her face on a nearby TV. The reason: Morgan is a missing person.
What follows is a whirlwind, fast-paced journey filled with lies, deceit, and secrets as Joshua tries to discover why Morgan has vanished from her own life. Every time he thinks one mystery is solved, another rears its head—and his worst enemy might be his own assumptions about those around him.
No excerpt available.
