Falling Off Air

By: Catherine Sampson

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Robin Ballantyne's life is finally coming together. After learning she was pregnant with twins and being abandoned by her irresponsible boyfriend, Adam, she's settling into life as a single mother. But one night, after putting the children to bed, she hears an argument and suddenly, a body falls past her window. Running outside, she finds the body of Paula Carmichael, a renowned activist. When the police find Robin's name in Paula's diary and a connection through ex-boyfriend Adam, Robin becomes the prime suspect. She must figure out who killed Paula before she loses her freedom, her children, and her life.

©2004 Catherine Sampson (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Sampson...makes a grand entrance into the mystery genre with this stellar debut novel....Compelling." (Booklist)

Pleasantly Surprised

I was at first a little put off by the narrator and the slow pace; it's so different from the series that I've been listening to lately. Like one of the other reviewers, I was soon pulled into the story. I'm now looking forward to reading the second in the series to see how Robin progresses as a working mother, daughter, friend, and lover.

A good start to a series

I enjoyed getting to know this group of characters and the mystery was strong enough that I didn't know "who dunnit" until it just before the big reveal. I enjoyed it so much I immediately bought the second in the series and look forward to more. I'd compare it to those strong, modern BBCA mystery series on TV, well worth the listen.

very good!

I really liked this book, so much so that I will listen/read another one by Cathering Sampson. The characters were interesting, good storyline and good narration. Kept me very interested and listening longer than I should.

How does one fall off air?I

Good narrator, good plot, interesting characters. Definitely held my interest. Robin is one unlucky woman, wrong place, wrong time but how can she convince get to the truth? I will read or listen to other books by this author.

A wonderful debut mystery

Sampson's stellar debut of single mother of twins, Londoner Robin Ballantyne, is instantly compelling. Told in first person narrative, Reading's performance is spot-on; all of the characters were fully developed and believable. My next listen is Sampson's Out of Mind; and I can hardly wait for book three to be released, The Slaughter Pavilion. Very well done indeed.

Great Book

This was my first Catherine Sampson Book and I really enjoyed it. I love a good mystery and picky about the narration and both were very good. I will not hesitate to add her to my favorites list.

Fast-paced and interesting

The protagonist of this story is an all-too-human young woman raising twin babies alone. I quickly came to care about her and to be gripped by the twists and turns of the story. The supporting characters seem like real people and not props. I will be looking for this author's next one.

Excellent

This is beautifully written and beautifully narrator. The narrator brings you into the story and keeps your interest. The story itself flows with steady stream of interest. I highly recommend it. The twist was a surprise to me, which in itself, makes it worth the read!

clever, well written & narrated Brit mystery

Sampson doesn't waste words in weaving her mystery and she weaves the words well. Not only is the writing and characterization better than average, so is the mystery itself. Like many Brit authors of mysteries with contemporary settings, she combines the best of the classic and "cozy" mystery traditions with the best of the "thriller" -- She can create suspense and interest without needing to revert to graphic sex or violence. I am not a parent and usually avoid novels incorporating the dilemmas of motherhood, but even this element becomes an interesting part of the tale.

I picked this up during a half price sale and now look forward to downloading her other Audible title and any others that may be added. Best if all, I don't think there's a cliche anywhere between the covers.

Could use a little more editing

I've rounded up to 4 stars, but really want to give about 3 1/2. The central story is good and unravels in a logical way. But there were 2-3 side stories that could have been minimized or eliminated altogether as they added little value to the story and did not even serve as decent red herrings for the mystery at hand. The pace improved significantly towards the end, although the climax seemed to be a bit thrown away. I also had to shake my head in disbelief at the poor judgment shown by Robin at critical moments of the investigation. For a supposedly bright woman having to protect herself from false accusations and character assassination, she stumbled around pretty oblivious to those who clearly did not have her best interest in mind.
The reading by Kate Reading was competent, but I was annoyed at times by her interpretations of some of the characters, especially the police personnel. A little over-dramatic. Overall, not a bad book, but missed some of its potential.