James Swallow changes up his writing style with a relentless story of an ordinary man caught up in a high stakes situation that could cost him his life and everything he holds dear. Airside is THE thriller to read when you’re bored out of your mind and you wish you had an exciting story to let your imagination run wild.
Airside tells the story of Kevin Tyler, an engineer who has just been dealt a devastating business blow and is returning home empty-handed from Germany. His bad-luck becomes more apparent when he’s kicked off a flight and has to wait for a dangerous storm to pass. A chance encounter drops a bag full of money in his lap and as conflicted as he is, he does what any desperate man would; he takes it. Little does he know the money is part of a sinister conspiracy involving a despicable war criminal who will stop at nothing to get the money, even if it means killing Kevin’s loved ones. What follows is pure mayhem at a mostly deserted airport.
While most of James Swallow’s books are espionage laden narratives with tons of cinematic action, Airside hits much closer to home as the focus this time is on a character who could be anyone of us; no fancy gadgets, no spycraft training, and no global conspiracy. Just a man trying to deal with the crappy cards life hands out at times. The elegance of the story is that it’s delightfully and anxiously easy to see ourselves projected onto Kevin as a person trying to do right by his family under terrible conditions. Even the action sequences reflect Kevin’s uninitiated mindset towards violence as he gets beaten up more than he kicks back, but when he does, he packs the feral nature of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
At the same time, James Swallow paints a brutal but multi-layered canvas of bad guys and gals in the story, presenting most of them as pure evil while giving some a hint of redemption to be fleshed out properly as the story progresses.
Airside is equal parts grounded and fantastic, indulging the story of a common man caught in extraordinary circumstances. A highly enjoyable and quick read for you to breeze through while waiting at the airport lounge for your flight.
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