The Crash Detectives

Listener Reviews

1. 5.0(1)

   Insider's Account of Aircraft Investigating

   Aviation mysteries are fascinating to me. Numbers-wise there may be few fatal crashes each year, but when they occur they impact many more lives than just the passengers and crew members involved. The author does an excellent job drawing from her own experience as a crash scene Investigator and applying it to some of the most infamous disasters since the dawn of aviation. Tying many of those lessons to the unsolved Malaysian Air MH370 disappearance is quite fascinating. It is rare to hear an author narrate their own book but she does and with great success. That personal touch added to the overall success of this book, which I am pleased to recommend.

   Destiney Salazar · May 16, 2025

2. 5.0(1)

   Valuable expert analysis. Top-quality narration.

   This book contains valuable analysis by a longstanding expert in the coverage of air disasters and near-disasters. Also, the narration is superb. Listeners tend to adjust their expectations of a book narrated by its author, rather than by a professional voice actor or narrator. In this case you may throw away those lowered expectations, as the narration work here is of the highest quality.

   Alissa Koch · January 22, 2023

3. 5.0(1)

   Excellent Detail

   I was familiar with many of the incidents the author covered from countless hours watching aviation-related documentaries. This book served to fill in many things I did not know about them, so the depth of the accounts was exactly what I was seeking. Many authors are not great at narration, but this author's experience as an on-air aviation commentator gave her the skills required to expertly read the story while making it both interesting and entertaining.

   Taryn Williams · October 11, 2022

4. 3.0(1)

   good info but scatterd style

   I enjoyed the book, but the writing style was difficult to follow. the stories bounced around and made it hard to follow.

   Shelly Kay · September 25, 2022

5. 3.0(1)

   Too many incorrect conclusions and dubious sources

   The author clearly lacks the insight that an actual pilot will have. She seems to draw her conclusions and then looks for a source, however outside of mainstream or even basic reasonableness, to justify them. Some of the sources she bases her arguments on are no better than internet conspiracy theories; others are just that.

   Johanna Villanueva · September 10, 2022

6. 4.0(1)

   Not in the industry

   But my dad started flying aero planes in the 20s. After the war, my mom came home, got her pilot’s license and became a stew with American until she met and married my dad. Dad investigated crashes in the 60s and was a liaison with the pilot’s union and the FAA. His reason, he told his young daughter, was that so many crashes were blamed on ‘pilot error’ when, in fact, that might not have been the case at all. His passion was, whenever possible, clearing the names of his colleagues and finding the true cause of disasters. During his investigation of American flight 383 crash in northern KY, we children became fast friends of Toni Ketchell who was found wrapped around a tree. When a friend’s private plane went missing in Sault Saint Marie, dad taught me about EPIRB. I had his copy of Fate is the Hunter for many years, so many names underlined, so many notes in the margins. Like the author, dad always said the most dangerous part of flying is the drive to the airport. I found this book riveting and fascinating, educational and enlightening, as a passenger and as the child of a crash detective. I will be listening again (and again and again) The author’s recitation was compelling and so easy to listen to. Thank you, Ms. Negroni.

   Marianne Landry · October 5, 2020

7. 3.0(1)

   You can't have it both ways

   TS Dart's review does a good job explaining what I didn't care for in the first few hours of this book, especially the intersection of the author's pet hypoxia theory and Occam's razor. But the real kicker for me was when Negroni spoke with an airline mechanic, under conditions of anonymity, about one potential cause of electrical problems. Then, not long after this, she was discussing allegations of Captain Zaharie's political fanaticism, and condescendingly brushing them off, as they were reported by journalists quoting unidentified sources.

   Doesn't Negroni understand how journalism works? Does she think only she is allowed to protect her sources?

   Darby Beck · September 7, 2020

8. 5.0(1)

   Love It!

   Excellent subject matter covering a fascinating subject. Well, for me any way. After some 30 years in military aviation I have always been fascinated by the subject of air disasters. This book is a good start off point if you wish to learn more on the subject. There are even a few that I never knew about. Cool.

   Brianna Law · July 30, 2019