What do you think?
Rate this book
Angle of Impact
Angle of Impact is probably not the best book for legal thriller addicts to take on their next airplane flight, but for terra firma reading it is strong, fact-packed, and very gripping. Philadelphia lawyer Bonnie MacDougal takes a real-life collision between a light plane and a helicopter over a suburban park and turns it into a personal and professional challenge for her fictional counterpart, Philadelphia lawyer Dana Svenssen. As she did in her first novel, Breach of Trust, MacDougal sprinkles just the right amount of detail about civil liability and forensic evidence into her exciting stew.
355 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 1998
About the author
Bonnie Kistler
5 books4 followersBonnie Kistler is the author of SHELL GAMES (on sale November 19, 2024); HER, TOO; THE CAGE; and HOUSE ON FIRE.
A former trial lawyer, Bonnie was born in Pennsylvania and educated at Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She practiced law for in Alaska and Arkansas before coming full-circle to Philadelphia where she practiced with private law firms and specialized in corporate litigation.
Bonnie and her husband now live in Southwest Florida and the mountains of western North Carolina.
A former trial lawyer, Bonnie was born in Pennsylvania and educated at Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She practiced law for in Alaska and Arkansas before coming full-circle to Philadelphia where she practiced with private law firms and specialized in corporate litigation.
Bonnie and her husband now live in Southwest Florida and the mountains of western North Carolina.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 30, 2011
A very good read. You think you know who done it, right to the end and then woops wrong again. This is my first reading of this author. I hope not my last.
This book is registered at bookcrossing.com.
This book is registered at bookcrossing.com.
November 25, 2014
I picked this PROOF UN-REVISED COPY of this book up at the library in the FREE BOOK bin. I had hoped it would be better. I honestly lost interest after the 4th chapter. The author should have left the attraction park in the story more.
September 19, 2017
Has a nice solid plot line and was well written. It will hold your attention where you do not want to put the book down. My opinion and -that just my opinion- leave out the sex scenes or make a suggestion of a sexual encounter rather going to great detail over it- specially if it doesn't play a necessary role in advancing the story line. Hence the reason for two stars, other than that I would definitely have read the story again.
June 18, 2018
A female John Grisham, but not nearly as good. Aviation insurance and law mystery.
July 3, 2022
Entertaining legal thriller.
July 14, 2012
My mom recommended this book to me years ago, but in 3 or 4 previous attempts to read, I never got beyond the first couple chapters. Perhaps it was because once the plane and helicopter crash into the roller coaster at the amusement park, the park factors minimally into the rest of the story. A disaster book set in an amusement park interests me more than a lawyer book where the main case is the investigation into the crash at the park, and this book was of the latter type.
It wasn't a bad book though, as it was set in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, a locale very familiar to me. Main character Dana is a lawyer who was speaking to her client as he flew over the park in his company's private helicopter when it collides with a small private plane and both fall onto the roller coaster. Dana happens to be near the park and drives directly there, partially due to her curiousity into the crash, but mainly because her daughters were on a day trip to the park and she wants to assure herself of their safety. Once ascertaining the kids are OK, Dana borrows her older daughter's camera and rides the ferris wheel to photograph the wreckage atop the roller coaster, film that proves invaluable when the fuel tank from one of the vehicles explodes and the debris falls to the earth. From this point, the book splits into 2 plots, the first being how Dana and her firm will defend their client, PenSteel, from lawsuits brought about by the innocent bystanders injured at the park or the families of those who perished; the second being the pursuit of an unknown aggressor desperate for the pictures Dana took at the scene who holds nothing back in his or her efforts to get rid of this evidence.
Because lawyer books aren't really my thing, the first plot didn't hold me as well as the second, but I enjoyed speculating on who it was that was trying to get Dana's film. The author provided plenty of possible suspects, from Dana's estranged husband, who mysteriously disappears after a marital spat; to the friends and family of the men flying the plane, who might have been engaged in something darker than a father giving pilot lessons to his son, to members of both sides of the legal battle, who may feel the pictures will show incriminating evidence that will hurt the case. I picked my most likely suspect early on, but ended up being wrong, having not at all considered the eventual criminal. Therefore, I enjoyed the mystery, but didn't care for the building of the legal aspect of the whole thing.
It wasn't a bad book though, as it was set in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, a locale very familiar to me. Main character Dana is a lawyer who was speaking to her client as he flew over the park in his company's private helicopter when it collides with a small private plane and both fall onto the roller coaster. Dana happens to be near the park and drives directly there, partially due to her curiousity into the crash, but mainly because her daughters were on a day trip to the park and she wants to assure herself of their safety. Once ascertaining the kids are OK, Dana borrows her older daughter's camera and rides the ferris wheel to photograph the wreckage atop the roller coaster, film that proves invaluable when the fuel tank from one of the vehicles explodes and the debris falls to the earth. From this point, the book splits into 2 plots, the first being how Dana and her firm will defend their client, PenSteel, from lawsuits brought about by the innocent bystanders injured at the park or the families of those who perished; the second being the pursuit of an unknown aggressor desperate for the pictures Dana took at the scene who holds nothing back in his or her efforts to get rid of this evidence.
Because lawyer books aren't really my thing, the first plot didn't hold me as well as the second, but I enjoyed speculating on who it was that was trying to get Dana's film. The author provided plenty of possible suspects, from Dana's estranged husband, who mysteriously disappears after a marital spat; to the friends and family of the men flying the plane, who might have been engaged in something darker than a father giving pilot lessons to his son, to members of both sides of the legal battle, who may feel the pictures will show incriminating evidence that will hurt the case. I picked my most likely suspect early on, but ended up being wrong, having not at all considered the eventual criminal. Therefore, I enjoyed the mystery, but didn't care for the building of the legal aspect of the whole thing.
July 19, 2014
Dana is a lawyer for Pennsteel, whose company helicopter just crashed into a small plain over the city's amusement park. In the aftermath of picking up the pieces, the first action is finding out who is too blame. During the turmoil, Dana manages to take some pictures of the wreckage, that she hopes that will reveal something that will tell them who was at fault. The majority of the story is her ducking the bad guys who want to prevent that film from being revealed. They even go so far as to kidnap her husband to get it.
The part that was kind of a turnoff was that she gets involved with some young hot shot pilot. This is fine if she is going to end up with him, but that's not going to happen, so really it is just filler. There was too much time spent on unnessary background. Also there was a lot of time spent on a scene where they have to emergency land a plain on remote county road. There was not enough information given as to why they are marking this trip, and then they get stranded so, there is a lot more time wasted on pages that are not needed.
Interesting legal puzzle, but not enough time given to it, and not enough clues given to the reader.
The part that was kind of a turnoff was that she gets involved with some young hot shot pilot. This is fine if she is going to end up with him, but that's not going to happen, so really it is just filler. There was too much time spent on unnessary background. Also there was a lot of time spent on a scene where they have to emergency land a plain on remote county road. There was not enough information given as to why they are marking this trip, and then they get stranded so, there is a lot more time wasted on pages that are not needed.
Interesting legal puzzle, but not enough time given to it, and not enough clues given to the reader.
September 27, 2011
Some of the previous reviews really didn't like this book, but I thought it was good. Is it chick lit? Probably yes. But it's just as interesting as other mysteries I've read and everything came together at the end.
A few of the scenes could have been taken out, but they weren't BAD - maybe the author added them for character development. I spent a lot of the book wondering if there were other Dana Svennson books or if this was a standalone mystery.
And the plane and helicopter descriptions could have been confusing but MacDougal actually did a great job of explaining everything.
A few of the scenes could have been taken out, but they weren't BAD - maybe the author added them for character development. I spent a lot of the book wondering if there were other Dana Svennson books or if this was a standalone mystery.
And the plane and helicopter descriptions could have been confusing but MacDougal actually did a great job of explaining everything.
March 11, 2009
This book was dumb! Almost a waste of time to listen to but I didn't have any other books to listen to so I forced myself to not turn it off. The story is only average to bad but I think what sent it over the edge was the really bad acting on the audio tape. The main character is so whiny and over acts that i couldn't get past that.
July 15, 2009
One of those books that kept my attention, but more of a chick-lit mystery .... Since I can't stand to not have anything to read, this is one of those books that fills the bill when there's nothing FAB to read.
November 26, 2014
While at a Philadelphia amusement park with her children, lawyer Dana Svenssen witness a the crash of a helicopter carrying a client with an airplane. She soon learns that it was no accident. A kidnapping will throw more disorder into her life as she tries to learn the truth.
June 21, 2014
Great read! Face paced. Finally a story line with common sense in motion. Also reveals great behind the scenes legal processes that can be easily understood. Would love to see this novel turned into a movie!
July 4, 2014
Great plot, should be a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence! Great bad guys, but a little trying in sections, especially in beginning regarding relationship w/ husband, and ability to completely ignore other areas of her life to a present task.
September 12, 2012
I enjoyed this book so much, I am up at 3:30 writing the review after finishing. LOL Very good read.
March 11, 2016
Angle of Impact was overall a great story. It's a legal thriller and brings a lawyer's perspective of different cases to the reader's mind.
November 2, 2010
thrilling..............
April 20, 2014
I enjoyed this book it keep u wondering who did it all way to end ! Very good ! Must read !
February 2, 2016
Good story. I read this when it first came out but had forgotten most of the details.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews