Tailspin by Sandra Brown

I've got to get a better way of clean/dirty mask in/out system in place. I bought a bunch of masks (general to outright fun ones) but I guess the system I have now isn't great since everyone is using them (a good thing!) but there's no set way to determine if they're clean or dirty when they get thrown back into the same pile. I'll figure it out. Maybe. 

I read this one a few weeks ago. I like Sandra Brown's books because (other than just one of them) they all settle at a 3* (like) to 4ish* (really liked). So I have a regular author that I can know will be good. The cover for this one is just beautiful isn't it? I love a nice cover. 

Uh, just remember that my personal rating system is harsher than I am on Goodreads. I have this one much higher on Goodreads or if I recommend it. Does that make sense? Like if I rated this a 3.5 star, I'd rate it 4 stars on Goodreads but 3 stars on my personal system. 

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Title: Tailspin
Author: Sandra Brown
Page Number: 424 (hardback)
Genre: romantic suspense, thriller, fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Hachette)
​Year: 2018

Rye Mallett, a fearless "freight dog" pilot charged with flying cargo to far-flung locations, is often rough-spoken, usually unshaven, and he never gets the regulation eight hours of shut-eye before a flight; but he does have a rock-solid reputation: he will fly in the foulest weather, day or night, and deliver the goods safely to their destination. So, when Rye is asked to fly into a completely fogbound Northern Georgia town and deliver a mysterious black box to a Dr. Lambert, he doesn't ask why--he just ups his price.

As Rye's plane nears the isolated landing strip, more trouble than inclement weather awaits him. He is greeted first by a sabotage attempt that causes him to crash land, and then by Dr. Brynn O'Neal, who claims she was sent for the box in Dr. Lambert's stead. Despite Rye's "no-involvement" policy when it comes other people's problems, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the intrigue surrounding his cargo...and to the mysterious and attractive Brynn O'Neal.

Soon Rye and Brynn are in a treacherous 48-hour race to deliver the box before time runs out. With the hours slipping by and everyone from law enforcement officials to hired thugs hot on their heels, the two must protect their valuable cargo from those who would kill for it--that is, if they can trust each other.

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The book begins with an introduction to one of the main characters, Rye Mallett, who is a "freight dog." I'd never heard of a pilot with this type of moniker but I'm also not hip to pilot designations to begin with. Mallett is basically a cargo pilot with a reputation of flying in bad weather safely. Or "safely." He's still alive. 

Also, Rye Mallett sounds like a cocktail. Something with a whiskey and a mixer that'll put you on your bum. 

Back to the book, a job comes through the freight headquarters for a package to be delivered to North Georgia to a doctor called Lambert. As Mallett is the only one who will take this load, he can name his price. 

As Rye Mallett gets ready to land, a laser is pointed at his cockpit causing him to crash land at the end of the runway. When he exits the plane he runs into Dr. Brynn O'Neal. 

Dr. Brynn is the other main character is our story (and since this is a romantic-suspense novel, she and Rye are on their way to 'Happily Ever After.') Dr. Brynn claims to be sent from Dr. Lambert to pick up the "package" from Rye. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Rye, he cannot give Dr. Brynn the package because only Dr. Lambert can legally sign for it. This causes Dr. Brynn and Rye to travel to Atlanta together after checking in to the local hospital. 

We also discover that the flight controller who Rye has been talking to before landing (Brady White) had been attacked, leading to the laser attack on Rye. White has been transported to the hospital and now the police are involved. 

In addition to Rye and Dr. Brynn, we are also following two "bad guys" who seem to be responsible for the laser attack. They want to steal or at least monitor the package that Rye is carrying. 

We're also introduced to Richard and Delores Hunt, powerful and rich, who are somehow messed up with this mysterious package. The middle of the book (and most of the book) follows Rye and Dr. Brynn heading towards Atlanta with the package. Shifting points of view between Rye, Dr. Brynn, the Hunts, police, the two suspicious men, and other unknown characters (connected to Dr. Brynn) move the story along. 

It turns out that what's in the package is [SPOILER} an orphan drug, called GX-42. I'd never heard of this type of thing but how interesting. The author's note at the end of the book said that it's based on the very real NLA-101 which is meant for hematopoietic stem cell transplant [LINK}. So Dr. Brynn wants it for her person and Dr. Lambert wants to go all in with the Hunts, while the Hunts also want to be in charge of the package. 

Overall, Dr. Brynn is quite noble but too emotional for this decision. Which might be mean for me to say, but it was a little cringe for what she was involved in career wise. Rye Mallett is 98% an ass. They're foils for each other but it works as a romance. 

I believe I had this as a 3.5*, which is why I rambled above about my personal/public things about half stars. I'd recommend the book overall, it's well-written, packed full of suspense, a different and intertesting plot but still standard for the happily ever after. 

Sandra Brown's website has an excerpt from the book.