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Book club questions for The Last Flight by Julie Clark covers all the twists and turns in this engaging thriller. There will be spoilers so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.
This is one entertaining ride of a story! Not a perfect one but definitely the best thriller I’ve read this year. I was very surprised by the ending and am still thinking about this story!
The synopsis
Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.
A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets—Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away.
But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women—both alone, both scared—and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.
The Last Flight Book Club Questions
- What were your first impressions of Claire and Eva? Did that change at all as the story went on?
- Rory is violent and abusive toward Claire. What was the catalyst for her to finally get away?
- Why do you think Claire made the decision to take on a new identity and leave the old one behind? Why do you think she couldn’t just leave and divorce him? What would you have done if you were Claire?
- Do you think the author based Rory off of any real-life politicians?
- In what ways are Claire and Eva similar? And how are they different?
- Eva is desperate to switch flights with Claire but she knows she has to make it seem like it’s Claire’s idea to do so. Why do you think Claire also decided it was the right move to switch flights?
- The flight to Puerto Rico crashes and everything thinks that Claire was on the flight. Let’s talk about Claire’s reaction to the flight.
- We get to know Eva’s backstory starting six months before the crash. Let’s talk about how Eva got involved in making drugs for students.
- Let’s talk about Eva’s relationship with Liz and how it impacted her going forward.
- Did you assume that Dex was actually Fish all along? Or were you surprised at the reveal?
- Why do you think Eva decided to leave behind Berkeley instead of testifying against Dex?
- Were you surprised when not only was Danielle Liz’s daughter but that she’s ends up helping Claire in the end?
- Let’s talk about the big decision when Claire decided to come forward to the media regarding the truth about everything with her and Rory.
- Why did Claire decide to stay in Berkeley?
- Were you surprised at the reveal that Eva did in fact get on the fated plane?
- Did you feel this story was believable? Why or why not?
- In the author’s interview at the end of the book, she mentions that she wanted to shine a light on what’s not working in our society. “The way a woman’s truth is sometimes held to a higher level of scrutiny than a man’s.” Let’s talk about this.
More recommendations
Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Last Flight! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
