Airborne Cover: view of cityscape through airplane window, glaring sun in top left. "A killer virus is unleashed; it's up to her to stop it. AIRBORNE. DiANN MILLS

Airborne

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AIRBORNE
by
DiANN MILLS
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Date of Publication: September 8, 2020
Number of Pages: 400
Scroll down for the giveaway!

SYNOPSIS

Airborne Book Cover: view of cityscape through airplane window, glaring sun in top left.

Heather Lawrence’s long-awaited vacation to Salzburg wasn’t supposed to go like this. Mere hours into the transatlantic flight, the Houston FBI agent is awakened when passengers begin exhibiting horrific symptoms of an unknown infection. As the virus quickly spreads and dozens of passengers fall ill, Heather fears she’s witnessing an epidemic similar to ones her estranged husband studies for a living—but this airborne contagion may have been deliberately released.

While Heather remains quarantined with other survivors, she works with her FBI colleagues to identify the person behind this attack. The prime suspect? Dr. Chad Lawrence, an expert in his field … and Heather’s husband. The Lawrences’ marriage has been on the rocks since Chad announced his career took precedence over his wife and future family and moved out.

As more victims fall prey days after the initial outbreak, time’s running out to hunt down the killer, one who may be closer to the victims than anyone ever expected.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

The story line for Airborne came to me three and a half years ago. All I had was a what-if: A virus unleashed on an international flight.

The search to find experts who were willing to give me accurate information took another year. Along the way, God placed the right people in my path: a woman and new friend whose doctorate is in microbiology and immunology, a man who trains flight attendants for the airline that I envisioned in my story, a pilot who not only flies for my designated airline but is also a suspense and thriller writer, the amazing people and resources of the CDC, and the wisdom and guidance of the FBI.

Tyndale House Publishers saw my passion for Airborne. This book was completed and edited before COVID-19 spread across our globe. My mission then and now is to show a story that weaves hope, reality, and the sacrificial work of first responders when a deadly virus spreads through innocent people.

My prayer is people will experience God’s presence during our current global crisis. Will you join me in that prayer?

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Book Trailer

REVIEW

Clueless Gent’s Rating

5 star rating

Airborne is the perfect story for this time and this place. It’s not about COVID-19, but it is about a deadly virus. More amazing, however, is the fact that DiAnn Mills wrote the story several years ago. Who could have predicted that Airborne would be released in the middle of a global pandemic?

The story follows FBI agent Heather Lawrence. En route to a needed vacation in Germany, Heather’s flight is sabotaged by a deadly virus outbreak. People are dying, but not everyone. Heather seems immune to it, as do others. The flight is diverted to New York, where the sick are hospitalized and the healthy are quarantined. The prime suspect is Heather’s soon-to-be-ex husband, a doctor who specializes in studying viruses just like this one. As more passengers from the plane die, the race is on to identify and seize the person responsible before there’s another outbreak.

If you think that’s an awful lot of story for one book, you’re right. But it’s an awesome story! Let me tell you why.

A story about a virus could easily get bogged down by the science. That didn’t happen. There’s actually very little science, yet I didn’t feel anything was lacking in that area. We learn what we need to know about the virus and nothing more. I much appreciated that. I think some authors try to impress their readers by throwing in technical, scientific tidbits that serve no other purpose. This author must feel that less is more – and it is.

DiAnn Mills may not have dazzled me with science (thank you), but she did dazzle me with the in-depth characters. She goes deep into the relationship between Heather and her husband. How did the fabric of their marriage get so thin? Could Heather do her duty to the country if it meant sending her husband to prison? Will her husband discover the secret she’s been keeping?  We learn the answers to all these questions and more.

An underlying theme to the marital problems is religion. Heather is religious and her doctor husband is an atheist. Some of the other characters also share their views on religion. I thought the religious overtones were weaved very nicely throughout the story.

In trying to determine who the real antagonist is, I felt like Mills put the characters in front of us like they were in a police line up. We learn a little more about each potential antagonist as the story goes on. They each have their reasons, and it’s very easy to dislike them. It could be any one of them.

I thought the point-of-view (POV) used by the author was very interesting. The entire story was told in the third person, except for the chapters explicitly in the mind of the antagonist. Those were told in the first person. There was no way I could discern who it was based on those chapters, but it does allow the reader to get inside the head of a very evil and nasty person.

The pacing was on point. I can’t really say too much about it without giving spoilers, but I will say that once the steady pace begins to quicken into the climax, it’s likely you won’t want to put it down. I didn’t.

The character arcs were appropriate, and the editing was commendable.

If you or anyone you know has been impacted by COVID-19, you should read this story. Maybe you can see some light at the end of the tunnel. (But it could be the train.)

I’m a fan of DiAnn Mills, and this story did not disappoint me. I highly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

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About
the Author

DiAnn Mills Author Photo

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; director, alongside Edie Melson, of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and Mountainside Retreats; and a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers.

DiAnn is passionate about helping other writers be successful and speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. She and her husband live in sunny Houston. DiAnn is very active online and loves to connect with readers on social media and at diannmills.com

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
FOUR WINNERS
Each gets a signed, personalized hardcover edition of Airborne
+ choice of either $25 Amazon or $25 Barnes and Noble e-Gift Card
August 18-28, 2020
(U.S. Only)
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FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY
Or, visit the blogs directly:
8/18/20
Book Trailer
8/18/20
Review
8/19/20
Author Video
8/19/20
BONUS Post
8/20/20
Guest Post
8/20/20
Review
8/21/20
Review
8/22/20
Excerpt
8/23/20
Excerpt
8/24/20
Scrapbook
8/24/20
Review
8/25/20
Character Interview
8/26/20
Review
8/26/20
Author Video
8/27/20
Review
8/27/20
Review
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