Airframe

           Airframe, the book I chose for my independent reading assignment, shares a common theme with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: both are mystery novels. In both stories, the protagonist is trying to uncover some truth that is known to others. Both characters also encounter roadblocks aalong the way, though the reasons behind them are different in each book.
           In Airframe, Transpacific flight 545 goes horribly wrong, leaving two dead and fifty-six injured. The protagonist, Casey Singleton, is tasked with finding out why this happened. The plane involved was made by the company that Casey works for, Norton Aircraft, and she needs to find out if there's something wrong with the plane before the company's new deal with China falls through. This is similar to Christopher's mission in Curious Incident, where he solves the murder of his neighbor's dog Wellington. Both characters are trying to solve mysteries involving a death, and both have people they know conspiring against them, trying to stop them from discovering the truth.
           However, despite their many similarities, there are some major differences between the books as well. In Airframe, Casey is told to find the answer to the mystery. In Curious Incident, Christopher decides to solve the case on his own: no one is telling him to do so. Another difference is that Christopher's journey is not over when he solves the murder, as its solution is only a piece of a larger plot. When Casey solves her mystery, her story is finished. The importance of the mystery is different in both, as is the character's motivation to solve it.
           While there are a few differences between the stories, they are more like than unlike. As they are both stories about solving a mystery, they share a similar story arc. They both have clues, red herrings, villains, and all the other things that make a mystery novel exciting. Airframe and Curious Incident are both thrilling detective stories.