Deal [Paperback]

Michael Masotto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2000

Like the fast paced action in the Los Angeles Air Traffic Control Tower, Roy Santana lives on the perilous edge of chaos and control. Heaping insurmountable tension onto an already high stress career, he wrestles with his failing marriage unaware that a day-by-day countdown is well underway. By day minus seven, Santana finds himself in the arms of the sensuous Ms. Teddy Reed where lust beckons him onward yet rips at the very fabric of his soul. Pressures of wife, lover, and career soon become too great and by day zero, the crushing weight of two hundred fifty lives rests on the essence of Roy's very breath, as he's buried in the aftermath of an unthinkable DEAL.

Written with a passion for authenticity and realism, DEAL is captivating, imaginative, and terrifyingly close to home. Its memorable characters are fully developed, true to form and very believable. DEAL is nonstop reading, an extraordinary mixture of suspense, intrigue, and trials of the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

I was born in 1959 to first generation Italian immigrants. I'm a graduate of the Don Bosco Technical Institute just outside of Los Angeles, California. Fascinated with airplanes, I learned to fly in 1979 and still enjoy the thrill of high performance single engine aircraft. In 1985, I married a wonderful woman and have four beautiful children. I graduated the FAA's Air Traffic Academy in 1988 and have been an air traffic controller ever since. During my career with the FAA, I have worked at three of Southern California's major airports. Aside from working at an airport and writing Deal, I donate one day a week to my local elementary school where I teach in the computer lab. I chair the Cypress District Advisory Committee, a group of parents, teachers and administrators bringing the concerns of the community to the local School Board. I'm an avid reader, enjoying the works of Crichton, Grisham and Cussler; and from time to time, I sit down with a romance novel by Taylor, Blake or Steel. Experience I bring to the story: Although being an air traffic controller doesn't necessarily qualify me to write just any novel, I am uniquely qualified to write Deal. I have first hand experiences of Deal's action packed venues and intricate settings. I thrive on the complexities of the aviation industry that are so much a part of Deal. From the subtle shades of a multicolored Seal Beach sunset to the thunderous roar echoing from the drag strip of the late Irwindale Raceway, I capture the essence of the landscape and bring it to life in the story. I offer the reader an intriguing insight into the workings of an air traffic control tower giving them a down to earth perspective to an otherwise mystifying job. Through carefully laid out dialogues and detailed settings, I guide the reader into the mind of an air traffic controller. I intoxicate them with the adrenaline rush of a tight squeeze play then let them experience the heart wrenching hollowness of a controller who has just had a Deal. Future projects: I am currently researching my next project, Time Tunnel - in search of the 1903 Wright Flyer. This will be a historical fiction novel based on man's quest for powered flight. It's present day character is an engineer at NASA's wind tunnel in Sunnyvale California, where an exact replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer is poised ready to simulate the first flight of Orville Wright. Then something mysterious happened and the wind tunnel transported him back to 1903.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp; 1st edition (August 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738820830
• ISBN-13: 978-0738820835
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,785,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One BIG Deal, December 5, 2000

By 

Nina Yates (Woodland Hills, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deal (Paperback)

DEAL is a highly entertaining, action-packed thriller which hurls the reader at warp speed towards an inevitable collision between Roy Santana, Air Traffic Controller in the LAX cab, and the Airline Captains in the cockpits of two passenger jets. This is a story about stress - personal and professional - and its consequences.

From the beginning we know that something horrible will happen, and, as the countdown continues, the story line becomes increasingly charged and foreboding. The characters and their problems are palpable. We are allowed to feel compassion for the protagonist, recognizing some of his foibles in our own lives. We don't want to condem Roy, we want to save him, along with the 250 people whose lives rely on his quick, professional judgment.

This drama requires aviation knowledge which the author - pilot and air traffic controller - has mastered, but he includes many friendly explanations. This is a story for all of us. Next time you look up and see an aircraft, understand this: it flies due to pilot expertise and airworthiness; its position and safety rest with ATC (Air Traffic Control).

Michael Masotto has done a superlative job in executing this drama!