Blackout: A Novel [Hardcover]

John J. Nance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2000

The master of the airplane thriller and bestselling author of Pandora's Clock is back in his most harrowing adventure ever.

Reviewers have called John J. Nance "a wonderful storyteller"(Chicago Tribune) who gives readers the kind of book they want: "so compelling it's tough to look away" (People), "more addictive than morphine" (The Dallas Morning News), "the non-stop read of your life" (Rocky Mountain News).

As his new thriller Blackout begins, a Boeing 747-400 rises through a beautiful Hong Kong sunset on its way to Los Angeles. But within minutes, the plane is rocked by an explosion outside the cockpit that leaves one pilot dead and another blinded. The huge jet shudders through its descent while hundreds of passengers hold on for their lives.

Kat Bronsky, an FBI agent and terrorism specialist, is assigned the hunt for a Global Express business jet seen nearby prior to the attack. Could the explosion have been a cruel twist of fate? Or could the phantom Global Express have employed some new kind of weapon? Bronsky tracks the Global Express crew across the Pacific to the American Northwest and a breathless, edge-of-the-seat showdown.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arguably the king of the modern-day aviation thriller, Nance is in top form in this white-knuckle adventure about terrorism and heroism in the air and on land. From the jungles of Vietnam to the forests around Seattle and on several harrowing plane trips in between, FBI Agent Kat Bronsky and Washington Post reporter Robert MacCabe investigate why American jumbo jets are falling out of the sky. All the crashes have striking similarities: pilots were either killed or left blind by bright flashes that exploded just in front of the cockpit while the planes were in midair. Equally confusing is the appearance, then disappearance, of a corporate jet in the vicinity of all the crashes. And whoever is orchestrating the fatal air campaign has neither taken credit nor made any demands. After weathering many attempts on their lives by a shadowy terrorist group, Bronsky and MacCabe finally figure out what's happening: the terrorists are using a special ray gun stolen from the government to disable airplanes in flight. Their intent is to cause so much panic in the travel industry that it will disable the U.S. airline fleet. But why? The author's seventh aviation thriller (Pandora's Clock; The Lost Hostage) features, as usual, a completely new cast of characters who mix like old friends and enemies amid the non-stop action, never-say-die theatrics and stealth conspiracies. While the silly romance between MacCabe and Bronsky should have been jettisoned on takeoff, Nance continues to craft brilliantly hair-raising in-flight emergency scenes and brings this turbulent ride to a rousing, well-developed finale that comes together smoothly on final approach. Author tour.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-Opening with a Boeing 747 rising from the Hong Kong airport, this gripping novel grabs readers from the first page. Within minutes, a flash of light illuminates the cockpit, blinds the pilot, and causes the jet to plummet, killing everyone onboard. Kat Bronsky, an FBI agent and terrorism specialist, is called in to investigate. Questions soon arise as to the involvement of outside forces. When another commercial jet suffers the same fate, Kat finds that other government agencies are asking questions as well as covering up information. Readers are taken on a spine-tingling adventure as passengers in yet another doomed jet struggle to save themselves and discover that someone does not want any witnesses. Thus, Agent Bronsky and the remaining survivors must go on the run. They cannot trust anyone except themselves as there appear to be governmental leaks, and several attempts are made on their lives. Bronsky tracks the mystery from the Orient, across the Pacific to the American Northwest where readers are treated to vivid descriptions of both the varying landscapes and cultural influences. A fast-paced adventure with many ups and downs ending in a surprise, edge-of-your-seat showdown.
Anita Short, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 435 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1ST edition (February 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039914594X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399145940
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,783,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John J. Nance, aviation analyst for ABC News and a familiar face on Good Morning America, is the author of several bestselling novels including Fire Flight, Skyhook, Turbulence, and Orbit. Two of his novels, Pandora's Clock and Medusa's Child, have been made into highly successful television miniseries. A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Nance is a decorated pilot veteran of Vietnam and Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He lives in Washington State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrill a minute, February 7, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blackout: A Novel (Hardcover)

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 the 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. He is the target and she must keep him 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

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, March 15, 2001

By 

Charles Falk - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackout (Paperback)

I picked this book up at Dallas-Ft. Worth airport just before leaving for Geneva via Brussels this week. I finished the book by the time I got to Geneva. Few books have kept me turning pages like this. Tom Clancy's books (the real ones, not the Op-Center and Net-whatever balony) have gripped me like this as well, but they are much longer.

I guess it helps that John Nance is a pilot, and that I am an aviation nut. He goes into a lot of detail on how to fly a 747 in the first half of the book, and I don't remember spotting a single technical error, which is very unusual.

The plot is quite plausable, and there is enough information withheld (and fed to you bit by bit) to keep you guessing right up to the final chapters as to who are the bad guys and who isn't, unlike certain books which give the reader all the info and you have to read how the characters discover what you already know. So good marks to John Nance for that.

The only reason I give 4 instead of 5 stars is that the book COULD have been a lot more. Just imagine if John Nance had given the manuscript to Tom Clancy for a bit of reworking. The book would have come back with a LOT more character development, and more artfully crafted descriptions of scenes and action. The book may have ended up being twice as long, but the story and characters are easily interesting enough to keep your attention for a good, long round-the-world trip.

Charles

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this one, April 18, 2000

By 

Malcolm Vineberg "Mal" (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blackout: A Novel (Hardcover)

You first must realize that this is a work of fiction and written to please the reader. Mr. Nance has done all this. Could it happen? I don't know. Did it keep me interested all the time? Yes. We have an author who does not use sex to sell, an author who uses violence when needed, but again not to sell the book.

This is a book to enjoy both for the plot and the characters. I wondered throughout the entire book as to how it would end. There were a lot of times I thought I had it figured out and then I was not so sure. There are just enough players to keep you guessing and on edge.

Buy this book. All his books have been good and this is as good or better.