Death Flight by Sarah Sultoon
Argentina. 1998. Human remains are found on a beach on the outskirts of Buenos Aires – a gruesome echo of when the tide brought home dozens of mutilated bodies thrown from planes during Argentina’s Dirty War. Flights of death, with passengers known as The Disappeared.
International Tribune reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires interviewing families of the missing, desperate to keep their memory alive, when the body turns up. His investigations with his companion, freelance photographer Paloma Glenn, have barely started when Argentina's simmering financial crisis explodes around them.
As the fabric of society starts to disintegrate and Argentine cities burn around them, Jonny and Paloma are suddenly thrust centre stage, fighting to secure both their jobs and their livelihoods.
But Jonny is also fighting something else, an echo from his own past that he'll never shake, and as it catches up with him and Paloma, he must make choices that will endanger everything he knows...
About the author
Sarah Sultoon is a journalist and writer, whose work as an international news executive at CNN has taken her all over the world, from the seats of power in both Westminster and Washington to the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in conflict zones, winning three Peabody awards for her work on the war in Syria, an Emmy for her contribution to the coverage of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015, and a number of Royal Television Society gongs. When not reading or writing she can usually be found somewhere outside, either running, swimming or throwing a ball for her three children and dog ... Her debut thriller The Source is currently in production with Lime Pictures, and was a Capital Crime Book Club pick and a number one bestseller on Kindle. The Shot (2022) and Dirt (2023) followed, with multiple award longlistings, including the CWA Daggers. Sarah currently works for Channel 4 News and lives in London.
Review
Once again Sarah Sultoon has written a book that really packs a punch with its storyline! It’s thought provoking, full of political commentary, brilliant characters and had me hooked from the very start. This is the second book that features the young reporter Jonny Murphy but it can easily be read as a stand-alone as all the pertinent facts and background is given so the reader can pick up the threads from the first book. I do recommend reading the first book ‘Dirt’ as it has probably become even more topical due to current events in the Middle East. Also it is a cracking read!
Jonny Murphy is now working in Argentina covering the 1998 financial crisis for the International Tribune with his photographer colleague Paloma. But when Paloma is given a tip off by the local police that a body has been washed up on a beach South of Buenos Aires that resembles the infamous ‘Death Flights’ they are soon pulled into a story that will prove to be extremely dangerous.
Jonny has come a long way from the cub reporter we saw at the beginning of ‘Dirt’ and whilst it feels he is still running away from his past after those startling events and revelations, he does seem more mature and wiser. Don’t get me wrong he is still naive and sometimes slow to pick up on cues and clues but events have changed him. He wants to redeem himself so whilst he realises that this is an important story that needs to be told, he also has something to prove to himself. That he can do this. He can be an unrelenting news hound. Whilst we readers trust Jonny implicitly, Paloma is a different kettle of fish. She seems reluctant to investigate the story after it becomes dangerous and wants them to concentrate on the financial crisis. But she is contradictory at times and seems slightly messed up. I liked her though as she was full of courage and spunk, nuanced but blunt at times in her characterisation. She was a good juxtaposition to Jonny and I liked them together.
The ‘Death Flights’ took place during the ‘Dirty War’ between 1976 and 1983 and it is estimated that over 30,000 people were disappeared. Many of them on the ‘Death Flights’, where people and bodies were thrown out of airplanes into the ocean and it was only when they washed ashore that the general populace found out about this horrific part of history. This is why I love books written by Sarah as she manages to put a unique spin on historical events and give them a beating heart, an emotional story that really gets under your skin. I always end up going doing gigantic internet searches and research as I end up fascinated by parts of history I had no knowledge about and really should have known about. By turning these historical events into entertaining thrillers Sarah is really educating her readers, highlighting causes and helping to bring about more cohesive world. By this I mean surely the more someone is educated about these topics it means humanity might actually become more united.
Wowsers, this book manages to radiate tension all the way through both in its topics and themes but also in its thriller side. It begins with a riot and is actioned packed from that moment onwards and never stops until its thrilling conclusion. All the way through you know that things are not what they seem and another twist is going to be coming your way. It’s a deftly plotted book that is full of emotional details that pack a punch. The historical details make for a very rich read and there are a few scenes that will stay with me for a long time. Sometimes, when I say that people under estimate crime fiction and thrillers as just being entertaining rather than thought provoking, they don’t believe me. But crime fiction has the ability to delve into deep and emotional personal social topics but also into historical events and it can encourage discussion and help to change the discourse. It’s books like Sarah’s that allow me to say this. ‘Death Flights’ is unflinching in its narrative as it talks about how no one was brought to justice. Thankfully, I can say that people have been made to face their crimes now by both Argentina and the international communities.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
