Skyhook

by John J. Nance

Book Overview

Skyhook is a top-secret, high-tech computer program designed to save planes in trouble. But when a test flight goes awry over the Gulf of Alaska, Ben Cole, the brains behind the experiment, finds another kind of trouble as he searches for the suspected saboteur. Meanwhile, April Rosen takes off on her own investigation--to exonerate her father, whose own plane narrowly escaped a midair collision over the same patch of sea. Now, both of them are in...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 051513712X
• ISBN13: 9780515137125
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 419 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Another Enticing Read

Another enticing reader by aviation journeyman, John J. Nance, is scripted against the format of that ever-present military/industrial complex we are in the grip of wherein an improbable plane accident occurs. The establishment firmly resists an investigative intrusion into the unthinkable but the author uses deft characterization to sort myriad personal complexities into not only the probable but the possible.The occasional use of a quirky feline personage, Schroedinger, who gets impatient with loss of priorities by the human clan, will foster recall of similar relationships by readers who are owned by a cat lends a now-and-then break from the mind-numbing attention this book of suspenseful travail demands. Another Keeper!

Excellent

Held my interest from cover to cover.

a well written little gem

Nance, as in his other novels, creates credible scenarios with sufficient techno-whiz that he is not forced into plotting that relies solely on Hollywood special effects to carry the drama. Nance starts with a plausible premise, then fleshes out the technical details - be they aviation or legal - to lead the reader toward a pleasantly surprising end. And to his credit, his use of language is, even with the more technical details. natural, unforced, yet still with considerable verbal style. It's a short, sweet read, from an author who respects his audience enough to research details and get them right without resorting to superficial treatments that annoy the more knowledgeable. The least credible detail? I don't believe his fictional software team would have made the mistake ascribed to them, although I defer to Nance's Gulfstream avionics that may have caused their mistake.

One of his best

A top-secret computer program is on the verge of going live--but could wreak havoc on the nation's aviation routines--in this timely new thriller.I think Skyhook is one of Nance's best works yet. His knowledge in the airline field, as well as computers and the law, make this a well rounded thriller that should please all of Nances' fans.Highly recommended.

strong action thriller

A black ops operation is in effect called the Skyhook Project, a way for pilots on the ground to control military aircraft that won't or can't return to base. The system is being developed by Uniwave Industries but one of their final tests fails and the system locks in to place at fifty miles above ground. The pilots manage to regain control and another test is scheduled for Friday. When Ben Cole, the designer of the software for Skyhook, looks at the code, he sees several strings that don't belong.While he is trying to figure out who put the extra code in, a seaplane goes down in the same area where the military operation takes place. After the coast guard rescues the pilot and his wife, a very prejudicial FAA examiner revokes the pilot's license. His daughter April and her lawyer friend Grace are prepared to use any means to expose this injustice. The American government knows Skyhook is responsible for the seaplane's mishap and will do what is necessary to keep the real goal of the project secret.John J. Nance does for action thrillers what John Grishan has done for legal thrillers. The story line is fast paced with plenty of action scenes, but it is the characters who make this book a tremendous hit. April and Grace are two mid-twenties women willing to take a risk and fight the federal government to see justice prevail so their loved ones don't suffer. They make the novel though Ben is heroic in his own way.Harriet Klausner