Skyhook (Nance, John J)
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.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.