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Turbulence
Someone wants to ensure that the flight bringing Maddie Lambert and a transplant organ to her father never reaches its destination. Someone who's desperate enough to sabotage the plane. In the aftermath of the crash, Maddie finds herself stranded on an isolated mountain with the last man she'd ever trust again—her ex-fiancé, Dr. Paul Ford. He's the man she blames for her family's tragic loss, but now he's the only one who can get her to her father in time. Yet what neither of them knows is that the danger has just begun….
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2011
11 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Dana Mentink
204 books2,235 followersUSA TODAY bestseller Dana Mentink enjoys writing in many different capacities. She currently writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense and Poisoned Pen Press.
Dana is the recipient of a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, two ACFW Carol Awards as well as a Holt Medallion.
Dana loves feedback from her readers. Contact her via her website at www.danamentink.com. and be sure to follow her on Bookbub!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dana-...
Dana is the recipient of a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, two ACFW Carol Awards as well as a Holt Medallion.
Dana loves feedback from her readers. Contact her via her website at www.danamentink.com. and be sure to follow her on Bookbub!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dana-...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 28, 2018
I do like a good doctor drama, especially when the doctor isn't stuck in an emergency room doing the same things every other fictional ER doctor does, a la Gray's Anatomy minus the scandal. This story was an excellent twist on the doctor and thriller genres as a doctor and a nurse are forced to survive a brutal mountain after surviving a plane crash while avoiding shooters and deciding how to save themselves so they can save another, her father who is waiting for his fancy new mechanical heart.
Loved the fast pace and twists on this one. There was not much romance at all, to my pleasure, and the Christian message was subtle but nicely to the point.
Loved the fast pace and twists on this one. There was not much romance at all, to my pleasure, and the Christian message was subtle but nicely to the point.
July 11, 2018
I had very high hopes for this book when I first saw it. It had "The Mountain Between Us" vibes to it, which excited me.
Unfortunately, Turbulence just didn't cut it for me.
My main issues were with the medical inaccuracies. The main character, Paul, is a doctor. After a plane crash, he self-diagnoses himself as having broken a couple ribs. But then he proceeds to administer several rounds of CPR to another victim. Okay, I'll buy that. He's probably got loads of adrenaline coursing through his body, dulling the pain. But afterward, there are only one or two mentions of some pain from his broken ribs for the rest of the book, and he digs around in a burning plane, carries heavy loads, shovels snow, hikes mountains, etc, with no problem. Broken ribs are extremely painful, and the simple act of breathing can cause excruciating pain. But let's say he just bruised his ribs - that's still incredibly painful and he should not be able to hike mountains and shovel snow with little-to-no problem. And if it was a mild bruise . . . considering he's a doctor, I would expect a more accurate diagnosis.
Our superhero Paul pushes on, accomplishing all kinds of amazing things with broken ribs as well as severe cuts on his back from broken glass. Then, he develops a critically high fever within the course of only a few hours, which renders him unconscious. Seems a little sudden to me. Fortunately, he gets medical help and antibiotics and fever reducers that bring down his fever.
Now, at the same time, our other MC, Maddie gets medical help and is diagnosed with a concussion. Strange, because she showed no signs of a head injury for more than twenty-four hours, and even after the strange diagnosis, she still doesn't seem to have any of the symptoms you would think.
But our superhero decides it's a good idea to drive Maddie to see her father because she shouldn't be driving with a concussion. So he leaves the hospital AMA (against medical advice) with an underlying fever and infection to drive her. (The antibiotics and fever reducers didn't take away the infection, just reduced the symptoms.) I am really confused at this point, and even more so when his infection seems to have miraculously cleared up, as it's not mentioned again for the rest of the book.
Aside from those medical inaccuracies (and others. I still find it strange that no one had frostbite or hypothermia), the characters felt unrealistic and unrelatable, and the plot, while an intriguing idea, seemed a little far-fetched. Also, Maddie's issues with faith never seemed to be wrapped up, and Paul has no problem entering a relationship with someone who (as far as we know) has a lot of issues with God.
Overall, Turbulence is not a book I enjoyed, nor would I recommend it.
Unfortunately, Turbulence just didn't cut it for me.
My main issues were with the medical inaccuracies. The main character, Paul, is a doctor. After a plane crash, he self-diagnoses himself as having broken a couple ribs. But then he proceeds to administer several rounds of CPR to another victim. Okay, I'll buy that. He's probably got loads of adrenaline coursing through his body, dulling the pain. But afterward, there are only one or two mentions of some pain from his broken ribs for the rest of the book, and he digs around in a burning plane, carries heavy loads, shovels snow, hikes mountains, etc, with no problem. Broken ribs are extremely painful, and the simple act of breathing can cause excruciating pain. But let's say he just bruised his ribs - that's still incredibly painful and he should not be able to hike mountains and shovel snow with little-to-no problem. And if it was a mild bruise . . . considering he's a doctor, I would expect a more accurate diagnosis.
Our superhero Paul pushes on, accomplishing all kinds of amazing things with broken ribs as well as severe cuts on his back from broken glass. Then, he develops a critically high fever within the course of only a few hours, which renders him unconscious. Seems a little sudden to me. Fortunately, he gets medical help and antibiotics and fever reducers that bring down his fever.
Now, at the same time, our other MC, Maddie gets medical help and is diagnosed with a concussion. Strange, because she showed no signs of a head injury for more than twenty-four hours, and even after the strange diagnosis, she still doesn't seem to have any of the symptoms you would think.
But our superhero decides it's a good idea to drive Maddie to see her father because she shouldn't be driving with a concussion. So he leaves the hospital AMA (against medical advice) with an underlying fever and infection to drive her. (The antibiotics and fever reducers didn't take away the infection, just reduced the symptoms.) I am really confused at this point, and even more so when his infection seems to have miraculously cleared up, as it's not mentioned again for the rest of the book.
Aside from those medical inaccuracies (and others. I still find it strange that no one had frostbite or hypothermia), the characters felt unrealistic and unrelatable, and the plot, while an intriguing idea, seemed a little far-fetched. Also, Maddie's issues with faith never seemed to be wrapped up, and Paul has no problem entering a relationship with someone who (as far as we know) has a lot of issues with God.
Overall, Turbulence is not a book I enjoyed, nor would I recommend it.
March 8, 2017
I wasn't all that impressed with this one.
February 26, 2011
Maddie Lambert has faced sorrow, heartbreak, and rage. Her father is a powerful man with a job that makes him a hated man. His investigation into a local hospitals books, makes him a target for someone to hurt him. Maddie never dreamed that it would be the brother of her fiance' that would crash into her father, and that the accident would claim the lives of her darling nieces. The rage and anger she feels comes between her and her beloved, ending their relationship. She is sure that he saved his own brother sacrificing the lives of her nieces to do so, at the hospital after the accident. The relationship is over, the anger however still hovers. fed by the fact that her father has declared he will receive vengeance.
Now Maddie finds herself on an airplane with him and another doctor from the same hospital. They are delivering an artificial heart to her father, it is the last hope for saving his life. Someone is determined to stop the heart from arriving. Even if it means killing them all. An airplane crash, and a crazy man shooting at them in the ice cave they had taken refuge in, is enough to convince them all that someone wants them dead. Suspicions arise between them all, Maddie suspects the two doctors and the doctors are sure it is the artificial heart representative. Who is behind all this? Do the doctors want to keep her father from surviving, and having this surgery? Who wants to keep the artificial heart from saving her father's life?
This book was great, face paced, great writing!! You will not want to put it down until you finish it. This was the first book I have read from this author, but definitely not my last! Reading group discussion included 215 pages, $5.50 US 4 stars.
This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.
August 19, 2013
Turbulence was the first book by Dana Mentink I've read--a great introduction to a new Love Inspired Suspense author. This book started with a super-charged situation.
Heroine Maddie Lambert a daughter flying with the new heart machine for her father who is dying. And in the same plane is the hero Paul Ford, MD--the doctor who treated her nieces when they were in a auto accident.
Paul wasn't able to save them and the heroine's father has vowed revenge. Oh, and BTW, the heroine was engaged to Paul. WOW--that's a powerful convergence of connections.
Then everything goes wrong--I mean everything. Very exciting snowy mountain chases and situations that push the hero and heroine to their limits.
We're discussing this book at http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
with the author. Drop by and read the discussion. Interesting!
Heroine Maddie Lambert a daughter flying with the new heart machine for her father who is dying. And in the same plane is the hero Paul Ford, MD--the doctor who treated her nieces when they were in a auto accident.
Paul wasn't able to save them and the heroine's father has vowed revenge. Oh, and BTW, the heroine was engaged to Paul. WOW--that's a powerful convergence of connections.
Then everything goes wrong--I mean everything. Very exciting snowy mountain chases and situations that push the hero and heroine to their limits.
We're discussing this book at http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
with the author. Drop by and read the discussion. Interesting!
June 21, 2011
Maddie accompanies her father's new heart for a transplant in an airplane that crashed. Not only does she learn of evidence of foul play, but she is stranded in a snowstorm with her ex-fiancee. Maggie and the other characters experience heavy turbulence on their journey to forgiveness.
June 12, 2011
This book surprised me in a good way. I started reading after dinner and didn't stop until I finished. The suspense held my attention, and the way the characters mentioned God sounded practical rather than preachy. This was my first Love Inspired Suspense, but it won't be my last.
May 3, 2022
A thrilling but seriously complicated story.
Maddie's father and nieces were in a car accident. The man driving the other car was her fiancé's very drunk brother. When all were brought to the hospital, it was her fiancé - who's a doctor - on hand to declare the girls dead and patch both her father and his brother up. The father believes the doctor favored working on his brother over the little girls, and is going to end his career.
In the meantime, he needs a new heart or he'll die. So the story begins with the head of surgery, the fiancé, a security guy of her father's choosing, and Maddie all getting on a plane with the artificial heart, to take it to the father in the hospital.
But someone doesn't want the old man to live. The pilot's drugged, the plane crashes, there's an armed shooter on a snowmobile, and all four of them are racing against time to be rescued and get the heart to the old man... and to figure out who's trying to kill all of them.
The story is great... excepting for the injuries, as someone else has already said. I've *HAD* multiple fractured ribs - you don't scale cliffs, carry packs, walk miles, drag burdens, shove tents off their base structures with broken ribs. I'm sorry - just NO.
But other than that and the general lack of physical description (we have NO idea what her father, Tai, Katie, Maddie, or ANYONE looks like, hello)... the story is a lot of fun to read.
Maddie's father and nieces were in a car accident. The man driving the other car was her fiancé's very drunk brother. When all were brought to the hospital, it was her fiancé - who's a doctor - on hand to declare the girls dead and patch both her father and his brother up. The father believes the doctor favored working on his brother over the little girls, and is going to end his career.
In the meantime, he needs a new heart or he'll die. So the story begins with the head of surgery, the fiancé, a security guy of her father's choosing, and Maddie all getting on a plane with the artificial heart, to take it to the father in the hospital.
But someone doesn't want the old man to live. The pilot's drugged, the plane crashes, there's an armed shooter on a snowmobile, and all four of them are racing against time to be rescued and get the heart to the old man... and to figure out who's trying to kill all of them.
The story is great... excepting for the injuries, as someone else has already said. I've *HAD* multiple fractured ribs - you don't scale cliffs, carry packs, walk miles, drag burdens, shove tents off their base structures with broken ribs. I'm sorry - just NO.
But other than that and the general lack of physical description (we have NO idea what her father, Tai, Katie, Maddie, or ANYONE looks like, hello)... the story is a lot of fun to read.
August 5, 2018
Someone wants to make sure that the flight bringing Maddie Lambert and a transplant organ to her father never reaches its destination. Someone who's desperate enough to sabotage the plane and her mission to save her father. After the crash, Maddie finds herself stranded on an isolated and snowy mountain with the last man she'd ever trust again, her ex-fiance, Dr. Paul Ford. He's the man she blames for her family's loss, but Paul is the only one who can get her to her father in time and can protect her from the person responsible for trying to kill them all and sabotaging her mission.
I liked the suspense of this book and the storyline .
It was a good read!!
I liked the suspense of this book and the storyline .
It was a good read!!
July 28, 2017
Maddie's love for her father conflicting with his behavior makes sense. Paul's undying love for her brings an interesting new twist, especially with Maddie's brother-in-law as an unconventional villain.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2025
Excellent
Wonderful characters and great mystery! Excellent storyline, kept me guessing throughout. Didn't figure it out until almost the very end.
Wonderful characters and great mystery! Excellent storyline, kept me guessing throughout. Didn't figure it out until almost the very end.
March 25, 2011
Turbulence is the kind of story that defies logic - how can so much plot be packed into such a short novel?
The story opens with Maddie Lambert boarding the plane that will take a life-saving mechanical heart to her father. Also on board are her father's rival (Dr. Wrigley) a mystery man who claims to work for the company that makes the mechanical heart (Tai Jaden), and Maddie's ex-fiance, Dr. Paul Ford.
Then the plane crashes - on page 14. Nothing like diving into the action right away! (or perhaps it's a nose-dive into action - LOL) The bulk of the story is what happens in the 24 hours following the crash. The surviving passengers must find shelter from the frigid mountain winter weather. And somehow escape a gunman bent on killing them all.
The tension in this part of the book comes from wondering how Maddie and Paul will survive. Will they get the heart to Mr. Lambert in time? Who sabotauged their plane? Why is someone trying to kill them? And who is the mysterious Tai Jaden?
Throughout the action is the undercurrent of Maddie's and Paul's past. One year earlier, Maddie's nieces were killed in a car accident involving Paul's brother. Paul was not able to save the little girls but his brother lived. Maddie believes Paul gave up on her nieces so he could focus on his brother. Paul is haunted by his failure - Maddie's condemnation adds to his feelings of guilt. Can they work it out, get past it and move on?
All the characters in this story are fully fleshed and real. Dr. Wrigley is steadfast in his behavior - he's not a good man, and doesn't suddenly become a hero. Maddie and Paul have such believable emotions that it was easy to become entangled in their lives - rooting for them to work things out. The only two characters that I could find fault with would be Tai Jaden and Bruce Lambert, Maddie's father. With Jaden, I think his character should've been stronger in survival skills (following the crash). Otherwise, he is well-written. Bruce Lambert is well-written but I think he is the one character who would've benefited from a longer manuscript. His overprotectiveness, Maddie's feeling that he has kept her in the dark, how he feels about his former son-in-law, Roger, and Paul - all these would have been stronger emotions with a few thousand more words. Even so, the reader is able to see his stubborn tenacity and his love for Maddie and her sister.
I have to admit that I figured out who the bad guy is about two chapters before the hero does. Still, Ms. Mentink set it up so smoothly with enough red herrings that I wasn't 100% sure until the climax. Then I got the pleasure of saying, "I knew it!" That's a good suspense story, in my eyes.
The story opens with Maddie Lambert boarding the plane that will take a life-saving mechanical heart to her father. Also on board are her father's rival (Dr. Wrigley) a mystery man who claims to work for the company that makes the mechanical heart (Tai Jaden), and Maddie's ex-fiance, Dr. Paul Ford.
Then the plane crashes - on page 14. Nothing like diving into the action right away! (or perhaps it's a nose-dive into action - LOL) The bulk of the story is what happens in the 24 hours following the crash. The surviving passengers must find shelter from the frigid mountain winter weather. And somehow escape a gunman bent on killing them all.
The tension in this part of the book comes from wondering how Maddie and Paul will survive. Will they get the heart to Mr. Lambert in time? Who sabotauged their plane? Why is someone trying to kill them? And who is the mysterious Tai Jaden?
Throughout the action is the undercurrent of Maddie's and Paul's past. One year earlier, Maddie's nieces were killed in a car accident involving Paul's brother. Paul was not able to save the little girls but his brother lived. Maddie believes Paul gave up on her nieces so he could focus on his brother. Paul is haunted by his failure - Maddie's condemnation adds to his feelings of guilt. Can they work it out, get past it and move on?
All the characters in this story are fully fleshed and real. Dr. Wrigley is steadfast in his behavior - he's not a good man, and doesn't suddenly become a hero. Maddie and Paul have such believable emotions that it was easy to become entangled in their lives - rooting for them to work things out. The only two characters that I could find fault with would be Tai Jaden and Bruce Lambert, Maddie's father. With Jaden, I think his character should've been stronger in survival skills (following the crash). Otherwise, he is well-written. Bruce Lambert is well-written but I think he is the one character who would've benefited from a longer manuscript. His overprotectiveness, Maddie's feeling that he has kept her in the dark, how he feels about his former son-in-law, Roger, and Paul - all these would have been stronger emotions with a few thousand more words. Even so, the reader is able to see his stubborn tenacity and his love for Maddie and her sister.
I have to admit that I figured out who the bad guy is about two chapters before the hero does. Still, Ms. Mentink set it up so smoothly with enough red herrings that I wasn't 100% sure until the climax. Then I got the pleasure of saying, "I knew it!" That's a good suspense story, in my eyes.
October 1, 2013
Sometimes we stagger under the weight of tragedy and heartache, losing whatever faith we had. This book is a good reminder that no matter what we face, God is greater and He still loves us. Even when our faith crumbles and we turn from God, He still protects us and guides us, leading us back to a place where we can surrender and trust Him with our lives.
"Some things are only God's to know.
There was no way to make sense of what had happened, to know the why of it. Paul hung onto to his faith in spite of the bottomless pain, or maybe he accepted that there were things in this world, agony and heartache, that only God understood.
Was it enough to know that God held the pain and suffering in His hands? That there was a loving Father who had a plan so big it could not be fathomed by people like Maddie and Paul? Was that the cure for the anger that threatened to drown her? It did not take away the pain, but it did provide comfort and a way to forgive."
This is a great read for people who think they've lost their faith and those struggling to believe God still loves them and is with them after tragedy.
"Some things are only God's to know.
There was no way to make sense of what had happened, to know the why of it. Paul hung onto to his faith in spite of the bottomless pain, or maybe he accepted that there were things in this world, agony and heartache, that only God understood.
Was it enough to know that God held the pain and suffering in His hands? That there was a loving Father who had a plan so big it could not be fathomed by people like Maddie and Paul? Was that the cure for the anger that threatened to drown her? It did not take away the pain, but it did provide comfort and a way to forgive."
This is a great read for people who think they've lost their faith and those struggling to believe God still loves them and is with them after tragedy.
July 30, 2015
This book is a book that once you pick it up, you won't want to put down. The story begins with a group getting onto a plane to deliver a mechanical heart to a man that the passengers have mixed feelings about. His daughter wants to ride the plane to see personally that the heart gets to where it needs to go. Her ex-fiance is on the plane and is considered an enemy for the part she and her family believed he played in the death of her nieces. Another doctor is on the plane and holds the same blame. When the plane crashes, there is plenty of blaming to go on, but the survivors must focus on getting out of there - especially since there's a mad man on the loose!
As Paul tries to protect Maddie and get her home safely, Maddie resents his help. After all, he and his brother are the reasons her nieces died, and that is something she can never forgive! But as the two work together to figure out who wants her father dead, Maddie begins to wonder what the truth is. This book has plenty of action and a little bit of romance to go along with it.
As Paul tries to protect Maddie and get her home safely, Maddie resents his help. After all, he and his brother are the reasons her nieces died, and that is something she can never forgive! But as the two work together to figure out who wants her father dead, Maddie begins to wonder what the truth is. This book has plenty of action and a little bit of romance to go along with it.
August 9, 2015
Maggie is having a bit more than just a bad day…
I’m not even going to try to get into all the details; there’s too many and I’d just leave you confused and out on a limb.
The main character in this book is Maddie — and she’s had such a rough time during the past year, it’s not fair — but life often isn’t fair.
I really don’t want to give away any spoilers, so let me just reassure you that this book is definitely worth reading. Dana Mentink is a superb writer — this book will attest to that fact.
The drama… the action… the danger… I picked up the book this evening, and I’ll be getting to bed late, because I didn’t put it down until I was finished. It’s that good!
But don’t take my word for it — get your own copy. Then leave a comment and let me (and the author) know what you thought of it…
July 17, 2012
This book has a little of everything: danger, exploration, and wilderness survival. Maddie's love for her father conflicting with his behavior makes sense in the situation. Paul's undying love for her brings an interesting new twist, especially with Maddie's brother-in-law as an unconventional villain.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2014
3.5 stars. It wasn't that there was really anything wrong with the book, but it just didn't grab me the way I like. It didn't suck me in. I found myself frequently checking to see how much I had left to read before I could be done, and the book finished. It was a decent read. I just didn't love it.
January 13, 2011
Almost 4 1/2. One of the two best of these type of novels I've read. Exciting, and though usually I can figure out the "culprit," on this one I could not.
April 16, 2011
Far-fetched yet interesting mystery. I liked it.
July 9, 2011
This book was so good, didn't know who the bad guy was to the very end, most of the time I know half way in,
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews