Blackout

BLACKOUT
John J. Nance
Putnam, Feb 2000, $23.00, 430 pp.
ISBN: 039914594X

In Hong Kong, FBI Agent Kat Bronsky and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Robert McCabe wonder where do you go when there is no place to hide from people chasing after you? McCabe believes he has a partial answer to what caused Sea Air Flight 122 to crash in the Gulf of Mexico, killing over two hundred people. He is convinced that a terrorist act caused the disaster, but has no proof. Kat thinks McCabe has the evidence to prove his assertion. She plans to fly back to Washington with him, but at the last moment is called off the plane.

They agree to meet, but a bizarre incident happens. The pilot of the plane McCabe is flying dies and the co-pilot goes blind. The plane crashes in Viet Nam with only six survivors. Kat rescues them even as the saboteurs give chase. These unknown assailants seem to always be one step ahead of Kat, as if they are being fed insider information from the top. Still, Kat thinks McCabe knows something critical even if he is unaware of its importance because he is the target that she must keep safe.

John J. Nance is renowned for his pulse pounding thrillers that always take the audience along for one heck of a ride. His latest tale, BLACKOUT, is another triumph for an author with one of the last decade’s best résumé. The graphic story line feels so believable that many frequent flyers will take the bus just as many moviegoers avoided beaches after Jaws. The engaging characters gain empathy, as what happens to McCabe and Kat seems important to the reader. Mr. Nance provides his fans with an electrifying tale that shows how talented he is.

Harriet Klausner