Fatal Incident

Raise your hand if you thought that this is me talking about killing Matt. Be honest. And it's OK because we know that I've come close.

But instead.. I'm reviewing a book called Fatal Incident by Jim Proebstle.


Minnesotan Nick Morgan overcomes the hardships of life during the Depression with the thrill of flying. The rush he shares with his soon-to-be wife, Martha, as they barnstorm small Midwestern towns offering plane rides for a dollar, forges a love for each other and a sense of freedom to last a lifetime. But in 1943, Nick must leave Martha, now pregnant, to become a WWII pilot in Alaska for the army's newly formed Air Transport Command. In this uncharted and inaccessible landscape, Nick joins U.S. forces, who have set up a strategic defense position against Japan, and an Lend-Lease supply program that trains Soviet pilots with U.S. aircraft for their war with Germany.



The remoteness of Alaska also draws the attention of Manhattan Project scientists in New Mexico as a possible site for atomic bomb testing. When Nick Morgan and his Okie crop-duster copilot, Red, are tapped by the Manhattan Project for classified flying duty over the isolated Yukon Flats region, they have no idea that they will be caught up in a Soviet plot aimed at stealing top-secret bomb and test site development documents. After Nick's plane goes down in a botched hijacking attempt by a Russian agent, all three crew members and eighteen military passengers are presumed dead by the U.S. military.


A much-delayed recovery effort, however, reveals there to be at least one survivor, with many bodies missing from the crash site. This sparks a massive search to find the person who escaped with the documents, but a CIA cover-up to conceal the potentially disastrous breach in national security blocks all communication with survivor families in their need for information. Inspired by the true events of an Air Transport Command aircraft disaster in Alaska in 1944, Fatal Incident will attract any reader interested in conspiracy, espionage, and stories of love during wartime.

First off, super great book. I was never really a fan of American History growing up (which is why I passed with a C and high-fived myself on report card day), but as I got older and could appreciate what our history as a country meant, I am more interested. Which is why I pretty much loved this book. It's based on true events, and that's good and bad.

It's good because I feel like it's probably a really accurate description of war time but bad because... innocent people are made to be pawns and I get that's how life is... but it certainly doesn't seem fair.

I also have to say... you know I've mentioned it before but character development is a big thing with me. The author does such a fantastic job creating these characters and really giving you enough information to really picture them in real life. And most books would never play out well in a movie, but I think this one actually would.

I feel like I can't really speak about parts of the book without giving away key pieces of the story because there are certain characters I feel very strongly about (Cricket), some I'm disappointed in (Nick), etc. There are also some parts of the story that made me tear up because it is sad. Not going to lie.

Overall? I think if you like a really good and compelling mystery- this is your book. If you like anything about American history- this is your book. I had a hard time putting this book down because the entire time I felt like it was going to come to a terrible end, and while it isn't the ending I expected at all- it was great. I also want to mention I love, love, LOVE the "Author Notes" section because it gives you real information that was used in this book and is just fascinating on it's own to read.

I highly recommend this book to curl up with this winter when it's cold. This would also make for a really great gift for a reader you know.