Airframe by Michael Crichton - 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

[Ellen]

A peaceful flight from Hong Kong to Denver is suddenly interrupted by violent descents and ascents before finally leveling off. The pilot made an emergency landing in California after he radioed that extreme turbulence resulted in the deaths of 3 passengers and the need for at least 40 ambulances to meet the plane. The plane, a product of Norton Aircraft, seems to be in pristine condition except for the passenger cabin. No other pilots reported any turbulence in the area and the question of what happened to the aircraft becomes Norton's responsibility.

Casey Singleton is the lead for the incident investigation. She had recently been promoted to an executive position and often worked as a liaison between the Norton workers and the press. As Casey delves into the issue she notices that she is often followed, papers on her desk are moved, and she has the uneasy feeling that she is being manipulated. Something is not quite what it seems with the accident and as Casey gets closer to the truth her very life is in danger.

I enjoyed the storyline very much and the ending was nothing I saw coming. However, the constant usage of acronyms became tedious after awhile and the author's extensive knowledge of avionics left me dazed. Once I was able to put that aside it was a good read.