Sandra Brown - Tailspin

Rye Mallett, a fearless “freight dog” pilot charged with flying cargo to far-flung locations, is often rough-spoken, usually unshaven, and he never gets the regulation eight hours of shut-eye before a flight; but he does have a rock-solid reputation: he will fly in the foulest weather, day or night, and deliver the goods safely to their destination. So, when Rye is asked to fly into a completely fogbound Northern Georgia town and deliver a mysterious black box to a Dr. Lambert, he doesn’t ask why–he just ups his price. As Rye’s plane nears the isolated landing strip, more trouble than inclement weather awaits him. He is greeted first by a sabotage attempt that causes him to crash land, and then by Dr. Brynn O’Neal, who claims she was sent for the box in Dr. Lambert’s stead. Despite Rye’s firm “no-involvement” policy when it comes to other people–especially gorgeous women he doesn’t trust–he knows that something about his mysterious cargo just isn’t adding up. Soon Rye and Brynn are in a treacherous 48-hour race to deliver the box before time runs out. With the hours slipping by and everyone from law enforcement officials to hired thugs hot on their heels, the two must protect their valuable cargo from those who would kill for it–that is, if they can trust each other.

Comment: This is one of the most recent book by author Sandra Brown and since I like her work in general, it was no task to pick this book and read it, although it wasn't as captivating as I hoped for.

In this story we meet Rye Mallett, a pilot who doesn't mind taking risks and doing the jobs other pilots refuse or don't want to take a chance on. This book starts precisely when Rye accepts to deliver a package to a doctor somewhere but as he is about to land, something happens and he crashes. Thankfully out of danger and with the package intact, he then meets dr O'Neil and not dr Lambert as he was told he would and despite his reservations, the two of them leave the scene together, not knowing they are being followed.

Dr Brynn O'Neil is a young doctor who has the mission to safely deliver the package to her clients but her behavior does seem odd to Rye at times. As the danger increases and the secrets come out, will Rye be able to trust Brynn and her goal in keeping the package with her at all times?

I think this was an interesting side trip to he usual stories delivered by mrs Brown. Usually the stories focus more on crimes and business relating to police members, criminals and other alike situations/characters and this time the focus is on a doctor who wants to deliver a package to save a patient's life. Of course the reality behind this is not as sympathetic as one might assume but I was positively surprised by this change in the expected type of plot.

The story isn't complicated, doesn't have a lot of complexity to it except in the final revelation which was surprising. I mean, it's not something a reader wouldn't be able to guess anyway but to be honest I think what was more surprising about it was the fact it happened because it seemed a bit far fetched in how the villain planned things until that point. It didn't feel as realistically presented so my surprise was more about the fact that was the author's choice rather than the idea it could be something the bad guys would consider doing.

As for the characters, the main ones were as expected in the author's work: the hero is mysterious, he isn't polite and hides a soft, honest side under the gruff and the unpolished exterior he presents to others. Of course one roots for him and his behavior isn't completely unaccepted although his explanation for his way of living, his somewhat distance from his loving family, etc, seemed a little contrived. I can't obviously speak for those who, like he was portrayed, suffer survivor's guilt over something never in their control, but for such a clever guy he should have been aware he could/should have sought professional help. Yes, being in therapy doesn't automatically mean people get well and fresh from pain and doubts but... it was a way to explain some plot moves, I understand.

The heroine was a little under developed in my opinion. She has al the right characteristics, all the fitting personality traits but I don't think we got to really know her besides the basics. I liked her dedication to her patient, her sadness over her relationship with her father but apart from this she isn't really a layered character.

The romance between them, as often happens in the author's novels, is very quick, very instinctive and the result of a stressful and adrenaline fueled situation. I get that this is the author's writing style, her way of doing things but I'd personally enjoy having more setting for the character's to really develop their feelings for one another or, even, a more detailed HEA, perhaps in a epilogue because yes, things are left up in the air and they suggest a HEA but we don't really see that confirmed.

The secondary characters, I must say, aren't developed much more besides the obvious either, the bad guys' motivations fall flat over some developments as the story moves along, I mean, why do some situations happen when there would be much easier ways to accomplish the same...but then the plot didn't have reason to exist....sometimes the flaws seem a bit too easy to find and I guess this is one of the author's weaknesses, how sometimes the plots don't seem as well thought as they could.

This, however, doesn't mean we cannot see how good a research she did into the information she inserts in the story, it's just the steps, the scenes aren't always as tight as they could.

Everything considered, this was a good story, pretty much entertaining as I always find mrs Brown work to be but when I compare this with other suspense books by her I have loved, the weaker details seem to be more obvious so, in the end, this was only a little above average for me.

Grade: 7/10