Flight of Dreams

 Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon is based on the real people who were on the last flight of the HIndenburg.  Lawhon has studied the ships register and logs and learned about the private lives of some of the passengers who flew on that fateful flight form Germany to the United States, landing in a ball of flames in New Jersey.

We meet the first and only female crew member to fly on the airship., Emilie.  She is a widow who has some unusual duties on the flight.  Max, who is in  charge of the mail being flown to America and he also works on the flight crew.  He is trying to woo Emilie throughout the flight.  Werner is a young teen hired as crew member, away from home for the first time.  He is trying hard to be as helpful as he can.

Then there is the American, who is nefarious and the reader is trying to figure out his plan along the way.

There are the captains of the airship, who are responsible for bringing the craft safely to NJ.  The aircraft is full of hydrogen and there are numerous rules and safety precautions taken so there will be no sparks.

It is not a surprise how the trip will end, and there has never been a clear answer to what really  caused the fire.  Lawhon takes the facts she does know and builds her novel around those facts adding in some fiction to bring her to the conclusion she will reach as a possible ending to the story of the Hindenburg.

the amazing part of this novel is how attached you feel to the characters.  You  are hoping that things will turn out well for them in the end.