The Lucky Eight by Sheila Bugler is about survivors of a plane crash – I read this shortly after The Castaways by Lucy Clarke (see review here) which also features a plane crash and for a while I was a bit doubtful about travelling by air at all !
The plane crash in this book took place before the story starts and of all the passengers on the flight only eight survive. Six of them meet to commemorate the anniversary and the following morning one of them is found to have been murdered. The novel is told from dual points of view, those of Clodagh, who is a survivor but whose sister was killed in the crash, and the detective Rachel who tries to find out who is killing the survivors. Adding to the confusion is Clodagh’s neurological problems, caused by the crash and affecting her memories of the events leading up to it. As the action unfolds, her memories gradually begin to make sense – I am not a huge fan of amnesia as a plot device but the author makes it work here.
Clodagh discovers the body and her role and interactions with all the other characters/suspects is a pivotal part of the story. Her sister had died in the crash and now she is in a relationship with Adam – her sister’s love and the man who has kept the survivors in the public eye. Each of the survivors has a relationship with the others shaped by the crash but also by their experiences afterwards. Can the police find the culprit before anyone else dies ?
I enjoyed the discussion of celebrity culture and the victim stories the media love tp feature and often exaggerate. It was interesting to see how the characters made new lives after the crash and how the traumatic event affected them and their relationships. It wouldn’t do to examine the plot forensically because there were definitely some inconsistencies and holes in the narrative but if you read this book for fun you may well find it as gripping and enjoyable as I did.
Anne Is Reading 