The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She's a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police - she's a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home - Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it's too late to come clean-or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did? 

REVIEW:
Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Chris Bohjalian's writing; his prose is lyrical, his characters are flawed enough to invoke actual people, and his ability to paint a story from multiple angles is impressive. That said, this wasn't my favorite of his novels. 

Many of the negative reviews found Cassie (a drunk, self-indulgent, self-absorbed flight attendant) to be too unlikeable - I actually thought that Cassie's honesty about her own flaws, and her continued destructive behavior despite a series of events that might make most people stop and reevaluate their life choices, was one of the strongest aspects of this novel. I didn't like Cassie, per se, but I thought her character was exactly who she needed to be to tell this story. 

The plot movement through the book was interesting, though at times I think the action was a bit slow. The ending, though too quick for my taste, definitely contained a twist that I was not expecting which I always appreciate. Overall, I liked this book; if you're a fan of intrigue and mystery, I think you'll like it too. 3.5 stars.