Synopsis

In 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned. Obsessed with Sam’s fate, Janey has tracked down Irene Lindquist, the owner of a local island-hopping airline, whom she believes might actually be the legendary Irene Foster, Mallory’s onetime student and flying partner. Foster’s disappearance during a round-the-world flight in 1937 remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries.  

At first, the flinty Mrs. Lindquist denies any connection to Foster. But Janey informs her that the wreck of Sam Mallory’s airplane has recently been discovered in a Spanish desert, and piece by piece, the details of Foster’s extraordinary life emerge: from the beginnings of her flying career in Southern California, to her complicated, passionate relationship with Mallory, to the collapse of her marriage to her aggressive career manager, the publishing scion George Morrow.

As Irene spins her tale to its searing conclusion, Janey’s past gathers its own power. The duel between the two women takes a heartstopping turn. To whom does Mallory rightfully belong? Can we ever come to terms with the loss of those we love, and the lives we might have lived?

Review

I picked this gem up when it was on sale for no other reason than the beautiful cover and the adventurous spirit conveyed in the description. And I’m so very glad I did. Her Last Flight is epic adventure twined with an epic love story. 

The story leaps back and forth between a the first-person narrative of Janey, a sharp-edged young woman with an ax to grind, and the third-person excerpts from another book set decades earlier and written in a very different style, detailing the turbulent relationship between Irene Foster and Sam Mallory. At first these storylines seem only loosely related at best. However, as the two tales progress, their connection comes increasingly into focus. Slowly deep, often painful truths come to light for both women, past and present, meshing them ever more tightly together. Even Janey’s downright acidic personality–which annoyed me initially–eventually makes perfect sense. Watching her character grow and develop as she learns what really happened all those years ago is a pleasure. 

All the action happens in richly detailed settings, brought to live with fresh, leap-from-the-page descriptions. The splendors of Hawaii, the terror of surfing monster waves, the thrill of flinging yourself across the Pacific in a tiny plane, the insanity of instant celebrity, the horrors of wars… all there and then some. Plus a colorful cast of international characters. 

All in all, a richly satisfying read for the adventure enthusiast, mystery lover, or incurable romantic.