On a book-by-book basis, indie publishing statistics indicate a direct and exponential correlation between the number of positive reviews and sales. Other than purchasing their books, if you wish to support an indie author, the most effective means is to post a review on as many sites as possible.
Depending on the sales outlet, however, a potential reviewer will need an account with them at the very least (to control the possibility of “stuffing the review box,” and in some cases you can’t post a review unless you bought the book from that online store. There are no such restrictions here, of course, but neither do I have the drop-in traffic of potential readers to find my books and purchase them.
Within this reality, the best I can do is share what I sincerely hope are the genuine reviews of readers.
Posted here by “Old Flyer In FL”
5 Thumbs UP!!
As a recently retired CEO whose hobby was flying and with my dusty private pilot’s license once used to fill a very large number of coffee-stained log book pages, I now have plenty of time to read. Google led me to read Pilot Error. I’m now a Super Fan of Tosh and Nick!! With just the right mix of dialogue about precision and non-precision approaches and how ice causes sweat, to satisfy my cravings and enough mystery thriller/killer intrigue for normal earthlings, I found gold, in them there hills!!! Now I guess upon waking up each day I’ll check to see when I can buy Red Line. I can’t wait! Thanks. Old Flyer in FL
Posted here by Philip Cline
I followed your blog advice and went to Book People in Austin to buy your book and a second book in a series by Connie Willis. I had not been in the store before and it was quite a rewarding experience. I told the receptionist my needs and was instantly escorted to your book and as quickly to my second. My wife and I now had completed our shopping in about two minutes. So we did what all readers do and browsed for about two hours and of course we bought more books. I have now read Pilot Error and had to pace myself to make it last for a while. I left the last two chapters for two weeks as I did not want the book to end. Get to work on the next one. Last – a compliment on your web site. I check it often and really enjoy the content and technical expertise that you present. Ted Jones and I are no longer building airplanes for others but still build for our selves. My RV6A “Dreamcatcher” is finally fully painted. Phil Cline
Posted on Amazon and Goodreads by Nancy Silk – Five Stars =;-)
This novel starts off as a flight manual might. Then swiftly moves to the crash of an important government official holding many secrets of the U.S. Government. The early investigation tends to lead investigators to believe the crash was caused by pilot error. Though every effort is made to prove it was, Nick Phillips, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator is out to prove it was murder. “It’s the classic bulletproof syndrome in action.”
The characters in this exciting novel are defined extremely well. One comes to know each one; some very likable, others to not be trusted. The techicalities of flying are amply described to let the reader know that flying solo in a small aircraft is not to be taken lightly. One minor error can change lives, and not just the pilot’s.
A good read, exciting to the very end.
Posted on Amazon by SaraDippit: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
Checklist: Would you enjoy hanging out with Nick Phillips sufficiently to buy this book or should you wait for the movie? Here’s a checklist to aid your decision:
1. See what’s behind the headlines of an aviation accident with a writer qualified to reveal how things really work.
2. Hang out with Nick Phillips, the kind of accident investigator whose quest for the truth is anything but tidy or appreciated.
3. Glimpse Phillips’ personal life, especially the strains his passion for the investigation puts on his relationship with his wife and kids.
4. Find out what’s behind the provocative title.
5. Take a thrilling ride with a masterful storyteller (and professional aviator).
Still can’t decide? Go read Chapter 1 on McIntosh’s blog.
Posted on Amazon by Phyllis: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
White-knuckle, action-packed thriller: Just finished Pilot Error by Tosh McIntosh and was hooked from the beginning. Hold on to your seat belt as the intriguing twists and turns keep the adrenaline flowing. While eager to see how it ended, I didn’t want it to end so quickly. I will recommend it to everyone I know who loves intrigue with a human touch. Can’t wait for his next one.
Posted as a comment on my blog by Dave Mason: =;-)
Just finished “Pilot Error.” Best read I’ve had in a while and quite a bargain on the BooksOnBoard website. Looking forward to the next by Tosh, by gosh!
Posted on Amazon, BooksOnBoard, and Barnes & Noble by Laura Resnick-Chavez: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
Exceptional aviation thriller – don’t miss this book
Former USAF fighter pilot, Tosh McIntosh, has successfully created a thriller that has both a fast-paced, action-packed plot, and compelling characters. Nick Phillips is an accident investigator for NTSB who will risk everything including his own life to expose a cover-up of an apparent accidental air crash with political implications all the way to the White House. Wilson, a hired assassin and worthy rival, pursues Nick in the clouds. This thriller culminates in a breathtaking dogfight of their two aircraft. The story has some unique plot twists you won’t guess, and kept me reading late into the night. The author provides just enough technical information about flying without overwhelming the reader and bogging down the pace of the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a page-turning thriller with an insider’s look into the secret world of aviation. Laura Resnick Chavez
Posted on BooksOnBoard by J Asher: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
An exciting thriller with the added bonus of an author who knows to “keep the jet’s pointy end forward.” Really, this writer knows his biz, and puts you right in the middle of it. A well-written page-turner with an interesting assortment of characters to keep you engrossed from the opening pages to the dramatic climax and dénouement. Whether you’ve ever been airborne or not, as a pilot or a passenger, you will find this a good read.
Posted on BooksOnBoard and Amazon, by C M Geppert: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
One of the pleasures of reading Jeffrey Archer or Michael Crichton is that in addition to being carried along by an imaginative tale, I learn about subjects I would never have otherwise taken the time or effort to tackle. For example, in addition to hooking the reader into a white-knuckle story, John Grisham paints a vivid picture of how our legal system actually works.
In Tosh McIntosh’s Pilot Error, the reader follows Nick Phillips, a dog-with-a-bone NTSB crash investigator, who looks into an apparent accident that other people wish would go away. This compelling detective story ends with a stomach-churning pursuit through the clouds and violent dogfight between two civilian aircraft, one bringing down the other in a plot twist I never have read about or imagined.
Like the authors mentioned above, in addition to being thoroughly entertained, I have received a tutorial on GPS technology, flying, and crash investigations in Tosh McIntosh’s Pilot Error.
Posted on BooksOnBoard, Amazon, and Goodreads by David Mignery: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
Nick Phillips is both a private pilot and an aviation accident investigator for the NTSB with a passion for getting at the truth no matter where it leads. When he is pulled off the investigation of an air crash with serious political implications, his passion ratchets up a notch. When his family is threatened in order to make him back off, passion turns to obsession.
Wilson is a hired assassin with a passion for the details of his craft and plans for a luxurious retirement courtesy of a wealthy and powerful client with direct connections to the White House. When Nick Phillips gets in his way, a vicious personal duel erupts between the two obsessives putting in peril the lives and careers of both innocent bystanders and guilty conspirators.
The author, Tosh McIntosh, is a retired USAF fighter pilot, and it is readily apparent that he knows his stuff, particularly when it comes to understanding what it takes to keep a ridiculously complicated, much-heavier-than-air machine separated from the terrain for a satisfactory length of time, make it go where you want it to go, and get it back on the ground without breaking something.
Pilot Error is a mystery thriller filled with the technical and operational aspects of flying. Those of the techno-geek persuasion should enjoy it very much. Those more interested in the mystery thriller part should find the technical elements, though extensive and detailed, to be clearly explained in language most readers can understand. All readers should be impressed with how neatly these elements have been integrated into the plot. Thankfully, there is no pointless techno-babble cluttering up the story and spoiling the fun.
The plot itself is also carefully crafted with as much attention to detail as the harrowing description of the aircraft accident and the subsequent NTSB investigation into its cause.
I’m not qualified to testify as to the technical accuracy of “Pilot Error,” but it certainly conveys the impression of complete accuracy. I happen to know the author personally, and I know that if he writes something about flying he’s going to get it right.
Posted on The Wunderfool Reading List: Rating – 3 (Definitely worth your time) out of 4 (Stop reading the review – Get the book) =;-)
*** Pilot Error, Tosh McIntosh, 2011
I’m not much one for reading thrillers, even though I co-wrote one back in the day. But that was a one-off and not my story. I’ve read one Clancy (seriously in need of an editor) and two Bourne books (painfully written, but that was the model Phil gave me for his hero, Matt Cooper, so I forced my way through a couple) but that’s about it for me for the thriller genre.
Tosh is a career aviator, fighter plane pilot, commercial jet pilot, and all that, so he knows whereof he speaks. Nick, the protagonist, is a NTSB crash investigator who stumbles on a conspiracy and gets cranked through a meatgrinder before he finally gets on the other end, much the worse for wear. The body count is pretty high, but that’s probably typical with a thriller.
One thing about this book, it really puts you in the left seat of some pretty cool airplanes. And what Nick does with the last one, well, I don’t even want to think about it.
If you’re fond of thrillers, you should check this one out. He’s just getting started and more are on the way. I’ve seen a few peeks of some early scenes of the sequel, and it looks pretty good, too.
EBOOK FORMATTING ****
Tosh got it right on the conversion. Edited and proofread. Full navigation. Good paragraph formatting. Scene separators. The works. He also did the cover himself.
Posted on BooksOnBoard, Amazon, and iTunes by Bradford: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
McIntosh puts you in the left seat for an adrenaline-soaked thrill ride. Perhaps his aviation-based bio is a front for his secret life as an intelligence operative. I can’t wait to see the sequel.
Posted on BooksOnBoard, Goodreads, and Amazon by D. Roy: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
When a transportation safety investigator gets a little too close to the real answers on what appears to be an accidental plane crash, his determination to expose a cover-up puts him in the path of a killer. Told with the accuracy only a pilot could provide, particularly in a crazy dogfight between two small airplanes, Tosh McIntosh’s action-drenched thriller has the twists and turns you’d expect from an air show to the death.
Posted on BooksOnBoard by Tom Sewell: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
This one had me on the edge of my seat. I’ve discovered that rarest of the breed, a new author that makes me want to come back for more. Love the flying sequences and the way the mystery is woven around aviation. Recommending this one to all my friends!
Posted on BooksOnBoard by Cynthia Stone: Rating – Five Stars =;-)
Gripped me from the start. Felt like I was in the cockpit, hurtling toward certain doom. Lean prose kept the story moving, with surprise twists to make me turn page after page. Never guessed the hero would make those choices at the end.
Tosh- I followed your blog advice and went to Book People in Austin to buy your book and a second book in a series by Connie Willis. I had not been in the store before and it was quite a rewarding experience. I told the receptionist my needs and was instantly escorted to your book and as quickly to my second. My wife and I now had completed our shopping in about two minutes. So we did what all readers do and browsed for about two hours and of course we bought more books. I have now read Pilot Error and had to pace myself to make it last for a while. I left the last two chapters for two weeks as I did not want the book to end. Get to work on the next one. Last – a compliment on your web site. I check it often and really enjoy the content and technical expertise that you present. Ted Jones and I are no longer building airplanes for others but still build for our selves. My RV6A “Dreamcatcher” is finally fully painted. Phil cline
5 Thumbs UP!!
As a recently retired CEO whose hobby was flying and with my dusty private pilot’s license once used to fill a very large number of coffee stained log book pages, I now have plenty of time to read. Google led me to read Pilot Error. I’m now a Super Fan of Tosh and Nick!! With just the right mix of dialogue about precision and non precision approaches and how ice causes sweat, to satisfy my cravings and enough mystery thriller / killer intrigue for normal earthlings, I found gold, in them there hills!!! Now I guess upon waking up each day I’ll check to see when I can buy Red Line. I can’t wait! Thanks. Old Flyer in FL