Rating: 
Summary: A case of super-ball syndrome
Review: A pseudo-researched story with a clear goal: fill the pockets of Mr. Crickton while the interest of the public opinion about air safe is hot (the vulture come always from the sky!). Pseudo-researched because the reported facts didn't happen in the context pictured in the book , for instance, not all happened in the same accident and almost all happened in America and not abroad.
But this is one case more, of the Super-ball syndrome, as we call it in Europe -- the Americans think that the rest of the world stops to see the Super-ball final :-). Another definition could be: they think that who is competent is American the others are all a bunch of incompetents. Despite the recent tragic examples of American incompetence on air safe, Mr. Crickton choose a Portuguese company (AIR Portugal) to illustrate incompetence and, of course, the hero was an American girl. For your information, the magazine AirWeek rates the AIR Portugal as one of the safest companies in the world and much of the credit goes to the maintenance services of the company. These services make the maintenance of airplanes for Air France, Lufthansa, Federal Express, NATO,...
Finally I must say that, I don't understand the success of this guy, with banal stories written in a pseudo-informed style. The only explanation I found was given by Alan Bloom's book The Close of The American Mind.
Rating: 
Summary: A good thriller, but just average for Crichton
Review: If you like Crichton novels, you'll like Airframe. The plot builds well, but still, it didn't knock me out. I'd rate Airframe behind Jurassic Park, and on a par with Sphere and the Congo
Rating: 
Summary: A quick, suspenseful jolt into the world of aviation!
Review: I enjoyed Airframe. It was a quick read, and something I didn't put down for long. With all the recent airline news, it was an interesting spin on the "behind the scenes" investigative stuff usually not seen in everyday life. Strong lead women character, perhaps that's why male crichton readers don't like it in the reviews below. It had me surprised right up until the end. Differnet from other chrichton books, yes, but definately worth reading
Rating:
Summary: Not up to Crichton's normal excellence
Review: I am an avid fan of Mr. Crichtons and have eagerly divoured his previous works - all of them. After finishing Airframe, my only feeling was one of having wasted a couple of hours reading a book that appeared to have been thrown together.
There was a significant amout of industry jargon, much more four lettered words than normal, and a plot that sort of left me feeling like I just finished a rerun of 'Murder She Wrote'.
His normal work stands head and shoulders above the rest of the techno-thrillers; this one, however, just barely came into the average range
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking
Review: The storyline was slow to get started. The action becomes intense as an investigative reporter is introduced into the plot. The book becomes a real race after that. This book is as good as I expected it to be, but lacked the initial grab experienced when I read "Congo," "The Lost World," and "Sphere." I do, however, strongly recommend it
Rating:
Summary: Exciting!!
Review: It was a very quick read, at times I felt I was reading a screenplay not a novel. The combination of Business and Technology was similar to Disclosure, just better. The technical side of the book was great I could identify with the engineers delima of trying to solve the problem and defend there abilities to less informed characters. Some of the action sequences felt out of place. Over all an enjoyable way to spend a few hours
Rating:
Summary: good book, so-so ending
Review: As an aerospace industry worker, I found the subject matter quite interesting. I expected the story to be about counterfeit airplane parts, but it went in another direction. Unfortunately. The ending was a real let-down. All in all, not a bad read
Rating: 
Summary: CRICHTON'S LATEST CRASHES AND BURNS
Review: I have read all or Crichton's novels (including the "Great Train Robbery" which I highly recommend) with the exception of "Eaters of the Dead" and "Andromeda Strain".
Crichton has an uncanny knack for giving the inside story of interesting, even fascinating businesses and technology.
I couldn't wait to get my hands on his latest work.
This book is his least riveting. I found it tedious and confusing in the details. The characters were not well developed.
With the recent rash of air disasters - Value Jet's Florida catastorphe and TWAs continuing mystery over the Atlantic - I expected to be completely enthralled. Contrary to this, the ending left MUCH to be desired; it seemed almost anticlimactic. Kind of like, "Oh, so that's what happened. How interesting..." (said with tounge-in-cheek).
If you like learning the inside scoop on big business in a not-well-known industry, you will be mildly interested in this work. If you want gripping drama with plot twists leading up to a totally unexpected ending, I suggest watching "ER", Thursdays on NBC
Rating:
Summary: A 100-page story puffed up to look like a novel.
Review: This was my first Crighton book, and it will be my last. The one-page chapters, the many divisions that yield blank pages, the tables of data, the irrelevant dialogue--these are the indicators of shorter story stretching to pose as a novel. The topic is good, and the story is somewhat catchy, but the lazy execution left me feeling like the author and publisher took my money and left me holding a half-blank book
Rating:
Summary: Crichton turns directions
Review: In Michael Crichton's new book, Airframe, he takes his story in a different direction that all of his other books. He shows the audience how the media can ruin the reputation of a large company. He shows how simply it can be done and how other comanies prey on this opportunity to put that company out of business. He has interwoven action and thrilling suspense with media and legalities. It is a must read for any fan of John Grisham books, while not directly dealing with legal matters, the book deals with liability and malice. The last 50 pages of the book are excellent page turners and the book has a nice twist at the end
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