Book Review: Layover | David Bell

David Bell is a prolific writer, and while I don’t read every book he publishes, the ones I’ve read are always engaging, bingeable reads. Layover has an interesting premise and I truly could not wait to find out what was going on! A chance encounter led to quite a ride in this one, including last minute flight changes, an unconventional escape, small town sleuthing, and a pricey stolen item. It was quite a premise and one that had a lot of interesting twists and turns!

About the Book

Every week Josh takes the same flights for work. He arrives at the airport, and spends his week taking off, landing, checking into hotels, and returning to the airport. All of this is made more difficult by his anxiety over flying—only Xanax and an alcoholic beverage will reduce it enough for him to take the next flight.

But his routine changes one day when on a layover he encounters a mysterious and beautiful stranger. Morgan is initially rude to him, but then later they run into one another again and she apologizes. Josh and Morgan have an instant connection, and it reminds Josh of how truly lonely he is. He shares things about his life with Morgan he hasn’t shared with anyone else, and the two share a deep but brief kiss.

When Morgan slips away, telling Josh they will never see each other again, Josh is crushed. How can he let this person go who he finally feels a connection with? In a state of confusion and boldness, Josh determines that it won’t be the last time he sees Morgan. It isn’t too late, not while they are on this layover. Not while he can choose to go anywhere.

And then Josh learns that there is more to Morgan than he realized. A news report and some research informs him that Morgan is actually listed as a missing person. And her disappearance may be linked to another case, one that is being investigated by detective who is determined to put the puzzle together. In alternate story lines, we follow the mystery of Morgan and the link to another disappearance. What is the truth about Morgan?

Review

I found the premise for this book really interesting, and I definitely wanted to know how it would all turn out. There were a few twists that really surprised me. I found myself loving the chapters narrated by the detective! She was a great character and one who I wish had been even more prominent. She had that great balance of commitment to work, parenting her daughter, and an intelligence that made her great at her job. And she was a bit feisty!!!

Josh and Morgan, on the other hand, I had a really hard time connecting with. Normally I am ok with an unlikable character, but these two were unlikable in a way that wasn’t fun. Morgan was really frustrating because she wouldn’t answer questions directly. This was a necessary quality I think, because there were things that couldn’t be revealed until later for the sake of the plot. But I think I would have liked it more if she was just deceptive, maybe lying rather than being evasive.

Josh was a huge mess. I did root for him to figure everything out, but I also found him to be such a mess. Perhaps that was part of him being young and a lost soul, though! But the fact was, he did have great people in his life. I actually loved the scenes with his dad and with another character Renee. In fact, Renee has a scene that I’m still thinking about two weeks after reading this. I would love a follow up book about Renee, even though she is a minor character. That is how you write a likable character—I am team Renee!

But despite not connecting as well with Josh, I really did want to know what happened to Morgan, him, and the other mystery that you’ll find out about. The book started off really strong, though it got a bit slow and drawn out at around the halfway point. But stick with it because the last quarter of the book is great! I really liked the ending scene as well, and a few other things that happen. There was also a character in the mid point of the book who works at a hotel that I thought was fascinating.

I’ve read a few books by David Bell and he has such a unique writing style. This book was very different in terms of the plot from the others I’ve read (much more thriller-like than usual), but the feel to his writing and characters are so consistent. I have lots a friends who are big fans of his, and I don’t hesitate to recommend this to them at all. I know they will love this. In fact, I think a lot of people will have fun with this book, and certainly find it to be an engaging read with a strong conclusion!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.