Skyhook

by John J. Nance Narrated by John J. Nance

Overview

A scientist and a pilot's daughter investigate a top-secret computer program that can control any plane in the sky in this spine-tingling thriller from New York Times-bestselling author John J. Nance

For eighteen months, Dr. Ben Cole has worked to develop Skyhook, a highly advanced autopilot that can direct aircraft from the ground. On the first test run, something goes wrong over the Gulf of Alaska plunging Cole's plane toward a supertanker at maximum speed. But moments before impact, the computer switches off, saving his life.

Seeking answers, Cole joins forces with April Rosen, whose pilot father narrowly missed his own midair collision over the same waters where Skyhook was tested. Unraveling the mystery of these near-disasters pits Cole and Rosen against shadowy forces within the Pentagon who will go to dangerous lengths to keep the public from discovering the true purpose-and the real dangers-of Skyhook.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Nance delivers another sturdy volume in a subgenre he has established almost singlehandedly, the aviation thriller. His latest (and 10th) adventure lacks the race-against-the-clock pulse of previous bestsellers Medusa's Child and Pandora's Clock, but offers parallel puzzles that gradually interlock as layers of deception are peeled away. The title refers to a new high-tech computer program, the brainchild of handsome nerd Dr. Ben Cole, designed to save planes having flight trouble. A test run over the Gulf of Alaska goes horribly awry, with nearly fatal consequences, shaking Cole's confidence and sending him back to the drawing board. Not far away, on the same day, veteran pilot Arlie Rosen inexplicably goes down in his private plane with his wife, Rachel, the only passenger. Daughter April and her best friend, Gracie, are relieved when Arlie and Rachel escape with their lives, until federal aviation officials begin probing the crash and threaten to take away Arlie's pilot's license. Jeopardizing her own new job as vice-president of Empress Cruise Lines, perky April doggedly investigates, determined to save her father from a fate he considers little worse than death. Both Ben's and April's probes lead them to Washington, but the merging of the plot threads doesn't occur until deep into the novel. Nance has removed the proverbial ticking bomb, but hasn't developed his characters fully enough to fill the resulting void. A pleasant surprise is the lack of romance between Ben and April (a near-inevitability in the genre). Instead, Gracie steps up to aid April in sleuthing to save dad. Their sister act provides some additional breezy energy in the last half. Nance offers his usual abundance of authentic aviation detail as well as a few final twists. (Apr. 1) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Thoroughly entertaining thriller about secrets, lies (bureaucratic sort), and little guys beating the odds. "I’m a minnow challenging sharks," says fledgling lawyer Gracie O’Brien to her best friend April Rosen. Waiting inside a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C., is a whole school of sharks—legal, power-suited, supercilious—representing the US government’s defense against a plaintiff whose chances everyone (including Gracie) rates at slim to none. It all started innocently enough when Arlie Rosen, April’s dad, took off with his wife on a pleasure cruise in his beloved Grumman, which shortly thereafter crashed into the Gulf of Alaska. Plane demolished, humans—miraculously enough—only scratched though nevertheless, post-rescue, still floundering in a sea of troubles. Actually, fate’s fickle finger began jabbing at Arlie long before the plunge. Flash back to Operation Skyhook: a brilliantly conceived program calculated to help aircraft survive terrorist activity. Nothing could be more hush-hush, so when Arlie Rosen, fog-bound, sideswiped a jet smack in the middle of a test run, it was the wrong place at the wrong time writ large. But Arlie’s not alone in being out of the loop. The FAA, too, is flying blind, and soon enough a self-righteous, mean-spirited inspector turns up with a private agenda at cross purposes to Skyhook. Arlie’s pilot’s license is lifted—lighting fires under loving April and loyal Gracie—and suddenly it’s David vs. Goliath, the phrase "due process" much in the air. To the government, the transcendent issue is keeping Operation Skyhook under wraps. To Arlie, it’s his pilot’s license and his constitutional rights that matter most. BigGovernment, armed to the teeth with resources, glaring down at little Arlie—an unequal contest? Well, never underestimate the power of aroused minnows. Nance’s amiable cast is partly what makes his tenth outing (Turbulence, 2000, etc.) work so well.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172408076
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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