This book is marketed as a “Psychological thriller.” For readers who enjoy getting deep inside the heads of characters and experience the emotions, self-doubt, rage, Joy, and panic created by the events in a story, Nina Atwood’s Free Fall will provide. This book is not a traditional mystery nor a thriller. I would say more romantic suspense. The interest for the reader is not in what happened (which is extremely predictable), but rather in experiencing how the characters react as they discover what the reader already knows. There is an exciting climax, along with a romantic dénouement. The writing is clean and dripping with exquisite detail. Ms. Attwood’s ability to describe internal conflicts and emotions inside her characters’ heads is enchanting. (Although you may question why the female protagonist has any feelings other than rage.) Free Fall will hook you quickly and keep you turning pages until the end, but your ultimate enjoyment will depend on whether you are looking for this style of story.

The tale begins with Hannah Lee lying on a rocky mountainside, semi-conscious after a near-fatal paragliding accident. She is barely alive, then is rescued and helicoptered to a hospital. While in her hospital bed, in a drug-induced haze, she hears her husband’s voice. She married Ryan less than a year before, and mentally laments about how they have drifted apart since the honeymoon. She hears a woman’s voice, urgently talking to Ryan. Then the woman whispers to her, “Why didn’t you just die on the mountain?” Hannah Lee has no clear memory of the accident or the few days leading up to it, but slowly remembers snippets and has dreams about it. What really happened? That’s the mystery of the story, although really it’s more how it happened.

Hannah Lee is a woman who retired at an early age after she sold her business for $50 million. Through many flashbacks, we learn about Hannah Lee’s sale of her business, her whirlwind romance with Ryan, resulting in a rapid marriage, and the increasingly unsatisfying relationship they have had since the wedding. The author then gives us chapters and sub-chapters from the point-of-view of Ryan, and then from inside the heads of other characters. There is not much doubt about what happened or who was involved. But Hannah Lee’s emerging memories and the emotions (and fears) those memories create are the heart of the story. More than halfway through, a new character from Hannah Lee’s past shows up and plays an important role and we get some chapters from his POV. A few times we see the same events from multiple POVs, not necessarily sequentially.

The reader’s journey is all about piecing together, along with Hannah Lee, the clues about what happened and who was responsible. The reader has more information than Hannah Lee and there are no surprises. The only suspense is the extent of Ryan’s involvement and learning about Ryan’s true past.

There is a significant undercurrent of responsibility and forgiveness. If a man is seduced and manipulated by a woman, is the man not responsible for his actions? Can a man with nefarious motives still fall in love with his target? How does a woman ever really know who loves her? Can one act of selflessness make up for a lifetime of deception? All these and more are baked into this story and into the emotional rollercoaster on which Ms. Attwood sends her characters. Hence, the “psychological thriller” genre.

I enjoyed reading this story. I picked it up during a 99-cent promo and I’m glad I did. There are a few details that were too convenient and some leaps of logic and actions not fully explained. I did not mind the convenient memory loss device, but I would have preferred more sleuthing to discover the truth rather than having it handed to me through the POV chapters from the other characters. There could have been more “thrills.” But that’s my personal preference. Other readers will enjoy being inside the thoughts of multiple characters and knowing the truth ahead of Hannah Lee. The dramatic climax is a bit contrived and the ultimate romantic resolution is predictable, despite a nearly tragic (and a bit manipulative) near-twist. But the overall story is still compelling and well worth the read, mostly due to Ms. Atwood’s writing.