Human Error by Patricia Dunmore

Human Error is a speculative thriller that is a must-read for anyone interested in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. In this high-stakes novel, a similar scenario plays out. A Dreamliner suddenly vanishes from radar on its final approach from Hong Kong to Auckland airport. There was no May Day call and everything seemed perfectly normal – until it wasn’t.

Deep fog rolls over the possible crash site as authorities scramble to find out what has happened to the missing plane, 214 passengers and crew. When the wreckage of the plane is finally found – with no survivors – the authorities then race to unravel the mystery, as nothing is as it first seems. Speculation rages: it was sabotage, it was pilot suicide, it was drug-related, it was something even more sinister...

This novel takes us behind the scenes of an aviation disaster of this magnitude and brings to life the investigators and airline officials behind the scenes and the political ramifications of a disaster like this as it makes headlines around the globe.

Without giving anything away, the title is extremely clever.

Human Error was a tense and slightly terrifying experience for this reader, as I’m a slightly nervous flyer at the best of times, and this well-written novel raises some questions about the safety of airline travel. But I’d highly recommend this novel for its page-turning plot that feels spookily believable.

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Upstart Press