February 16th, 2023

The Last Flight – A Book Review

*Contains spoilers – Contains Book Club Discussion Questions*

How far would you go to save your own life? It’s a compelling question that thankfully most of us have not had to think about. However, the two main characters in this book do! Both Claire and Eva are plotting ways to save themselves but both for different reasons. Do they succeed? Dive into my new post about The Last Flight – A Book Review.

Author, Julie Clark, does a fantastic job hooking you from the very beginning. We quickly meet both main characters and then are taken back and forth between their lives in an easy flow of Claire’s frightening present day life and Eva’s tragic past life. We get a small glimpse into their lives colliding early on but don’t fully understand how their “chance” meeting was actually meticulously planned early on.

The Characters ~

Claire Cook – main character – wife of Rory – A woman running
Rory Clark – husband of Claire, philanthropist, running for Senate
Petra – Claire’s best (& only) friend
Nico – Petra’s brother
Danielle – Claire’s office assistant
Mrs. Morris – 12th grade government teacher
Maggie Moretti – Rory’s ex-girlfriend
Violet – Claire’s younger sister
Senator Marjorie Cook – Rory’s mother
Amanda Burns – Claire’s new identity
Norma – house chef
Joshua – Norma’s son
Bruce Corcoran – Rory’s assistant
Constance – maid
Eva James – main character – A woman running
Dex – Eva’s “boss”
Wade Robert – Eva’s college boyfriend
Felix Argyros “Fish” – Dex’s boss – main guy over operation
Liz – Eva’s friend and neighbor
Elli – Liz’s daughter
Agent Castro – Federal DEA officer
Kelly – Claire’s new friend
Jacinta – Kelly’s daughter
Kate Lane – political commentator

How Do Their Lives Intersect? ~

While you learn early on that Claire Cook and Eva James “meet” in an uncanny way, you don’t learn until much later in the book just how orchestrated that meeting actually was. We live through the current daily struggles of Claire and how desperately she needs to escape Rory. At the same time, we are catapulted backwards in time to have a better understanding of Eva’s devastating life.

So just how is it that they meet? Who plans this chance meeting? Was it all a scheme planned by Rory? Did Eva put the wheels in motion? Is Maggie actually still alive and she has something to do with it? This is what is so good about this book because you are always thinking someone has something to do with each step of Claire’s planned getaway. Who is actually a good guy and who is a bad guy?

The Plane Crashes ~

With all of Rory’s connections, my first thought is that he planned the crashing of the plane. Did anyone else think this as well? Isn’t it very ironic that Claire’s husband changes her flight at the last minute from Detroit to Puerto Rico? Eva heads off to Detroit and Claire to Puerto Rico…could this be an even better plan to disappear than Claire had so carefully planned? Was he possibly aware of what she had been intending to do…what she had been planning for months?

After The Crash ~

We are now very engrossed in Claire’s life and how she is going to start anew with no Money, no friends, and no way to work without proper documentation. She throws herself into Eva’s life only to find that Eva may not have been telling her the truth on their chance encounter. How is Claire going to survive now while trying to hide from her abusive husband who will stop at nothing to find her and has all of the contacts he needs to do just that.

Rory is a very powerful man. Not only does he have people in very high places that will cover for him, but he has also placed people around Claire to watch her every move. She can’t even trust her own assistant, Danielle.

Both Girls Make New Friends ~

This part was a bit hard for me at first as I had to keep it straight that Eva’s new friend, Liz, was made months before the crash and Claire’s new friend, Kelly, was made after the crash. (Maybe it wasn’t as tough for you but keep in mind that I’m just an old Mimi trying to keep things straight!). These two new friends are a blessing for both women, however, both Claire and Eva have a very hard time trusting people. This in turn makes us question….are these two women really legit?

Liz has a daughter, Ellie, who one day before the crash is introduced to Eva. Eva recalls words that Dex had told her weeks before…Your best bet to get a new ID is to find someone who looks like you and is willing to give you theirs. Hmmmm….. Is there any way that Ellie could possibly be a help to her in this situation?

The Conclusion ~

Throughout this post I have given slight clues but have tried to not give the overall plot away. I will admit that at first I wasn’t too keen on the ending. However, I went back and read the last 10 chapters and I realize I had read through them the first time WAY…TOO…FAST! Little pieces of information had been missed that were crucial to the ending.

Julie Clark does an amazing job at introducing new characters that keep you guessing just what they have to do with the main plot. You truly have to get to the ending to realize that there are more connections than you realized….and most likely they are not the connections you thought they would be! At least, that is how it was for me! A great read indeed!

Book Club Questions for Discussion ~

If Eva had told Claire her true story, do you think Claire would have still changed places with her?
What was your first impression of Claire? Of Eva? Did those feelings change as you got into the book?
How do you feel about Wade getting Eva to make drugs and then forcing her to take the rap for it?
Did you at any point think Dex and Fish were the same person?
How are human remains recovered after a plane crash? How can they be sure?
Do you think that the flight staff did their due diligence in making sure everyone was accounted for on the plane? Is it possible they could have messed up due to there being an issue before the plane was boarded?
Were you surprised that Charlie was indeed Charlotte?
Did you think that Rory had a hand in instigating the crashing of the plane?
Did you at any time think Maggie Moretti was still alive and hiding out?
At one point Eva tells Dex that she wonders if she’s ever encountered Fish and just not known it….did this raise any thoughts with you at the point of reading this?
Eva discovers her mother died when she was 8. Her grandparents never came looking for her after that. Would you look up your grandparents after you discovered this?
What is the significance of the bluebird ornament that Liz gives to Eva?
Did you ever conclude that Elli and Danielle were in fact one in the same?
How do you feel about women like Maggie Moretti and Claire Cook feeling like they may have to die to be fully safe from their husband?
When Liz was first introduced, did you have any thoughts about who she really was?
How did Danielle find Claire so fast?
What would you have done if you got an alert that someone with a sleeve tattoo on their right arm was after you only to discover you are in the back of a car with a person that fits that very description?
Would you have gone public as Claire did by talking to Kate Lane? Would you be scare of the consequences?
Do you think in the end that Claire was better off by being sent to Puerto Rico than her original plan of ending up in Canada?
What are your thoughts on Eva getting on/off the plane?