The Last Hostage [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

John J. Nance (Author, Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2003

High above the Rocky Mountains, a routine airline flight becomes a midair standoff as 130 passengers listen to their captain relate the unprecedented demands of an unseen hijacker. Federal and state officials must hunt down, arrest, and indict the murderer of a young girl, and do it all in eight hours - or the airplane will be blown out of the sky. With the airline in confusion, the media pursuing, and the hijacker forcing the aircraft into wild maneuvers as they head toward Salt Lake City, the FBI reluctantly fields its closest hostage negotiator, a rookie female agent and psychologist named Katherine Bronsky. Immediately, Bronsky finds herself sucked into the vortex of an impossible war of wills between a volatile, unstable hijacker holding the trigger to a bomb and stonewalling Justice Department officials who have no real intention of meeting the lone gunman's demands. When the hijacker suddenly refuses to land at Salt Lake City, Kat commandeers a business jet and races after the low-flying 737. As the jetliner runs low on fuel, she's stunned to discover that the man with the gun is none other than the murdered girl's father, and that one of his hostages is a front-runner to become the new Attorney General of the United States. Successful at last in getting him to land in a remote Colorado airport, Bronsky's brave and desperate attempts to reason with the hijacker backfire, and she becomes a hostage herself. Now discounted and ignored by her superiors in Washington for losing control, Bronsky's only hope to save the passengers and crew of AirBridge Flight 90 is to solve the wrenching mystery of who killed an eleven-year-old girl in a dark Connecticut forest two years before. And for that, all she has is an airborne phone and precious few hours before the bomb detonates. Nance ratchets up the tension with expertly crafted twists and turns that converge into an unforgettably wrenching dilemma. But one thing finally becomes clear. The only person who can safely land AirBridge Flight 90 and save its 130 passengers is dangerously close to death. And if the clock runs out, The Last Hostage will never see the light of day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Solid aviation expertise and well-plotted twists barely keep this overwrought, made-for-TV tale aloft. Airbridge Airlines pilot Ken Wolfe fakes engine trouble to force a landing; then, having tricked his co-pilot off the plane, he takes off. His plan: to extort a confession from a surprise passenger, U.S. Attorney General nominee Rudolph Bostitch. It seems that, as a Connecticut DA, Bostitch covered up for the man who Wolfe believes tortured and killed his 11-year-old daughter. Wolfe rolls the plane to convince the crew that a hijacker with a bomb shares the cockpit, a Flitephone call alerts the FBI and novice female negotiator Kat Bronsky is put on the case. Romantic possibilities (and others, almost as improbable) open up when Bronsky is tricked onto the hijacked plane and bonds, just enough, with Wolfe. Good Morning America aviation analyst Nance (Medusa's Child) packs the plane with typecast passenger victims?an elderly fear-of-flying group, high-school band, pregnant wife, retired tough cop, plucky crew?and shifts his villains on the wing. Despite dialogue that could have been lifted from the Airplane parodies ("Have you ever pasted Annie's face on Melinda's mutilated body? Mentally, I mean"), technicalities of airline flight lend credence to this outrageously melodramatic thriller. (Feb.) FYI: Two of Nance's previous airplane thrillers, Pandora's Clock and Medusa's Child, were made into TV miniseries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Nance (Medusa's Child, Audio Reviews, LJ 3/1/97) reads his novel here, the story of an aggrieved father whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered. An airline pilot, he hijacks the passenger jet he is flying in order to get justice for his daughter and opens a Pandora's Box of slimey big-wigs and politicos. The action is fast paced, and the plot has many interesting twists and turns. Nance's reading is clear, well paced, and passionate. This will be a fine addition to popular collections.?Michael T. Fein, Catawba Valley Community Coll., Hickory, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Lib Ed; Abridged edition (July 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159086865X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590868652
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,666,753 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE LAST HOSTAGE - A spellbinder to the end, October 9, 2000

By 

Dean Redfern (Indian River Shores, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Hostage (Hardcover)

Unconventional and untested rookie FBI agent Katherine Bronsky is thrusted into the middle of a skyjacking of a Boeing 737 over the Rocky Mountains. The hijacker has a bizarre list of demands that Kat attempts to fill before the plane crashes and burns. The hijacker does not want money or free passage to an extradition-free country; the perp wants another perp brought to justice for an alleged capital crime. The irony is not lost on Kat and the others involved.

The tension and suspense climbs constantly until the story line lands on a clever note. Maybe not necessarily a plausible landing, but one that is entertaining and satisfying. This is a fun quick read. Arthur John Nance has made THE LAST HOSTAGE the reader, from start to finish.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Plane Ride Of A Lifetime, April 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Hostage (Mass Market Paperback)

Ken Wolfe, an experienced airplane pilot utilizes his skills to achieve justice for his daughter Melinda. Bradley Lumin, vindicated from charges of kidnapping, rape, and the murder of Melinda, helps Wolfe to realize that his duty to find justice for his daughter will solely occur by convicting Lumin. Wolfe assumes that hijacking a plane will ensure justice for his daughter. Once in the air Wolfe convinces his co-pilot David Gates that an engine in the plane needs repair. An emergency landing in Durango forces the copilot off the plane thus allowing Ken to hijack the plane successfully. While airborne, Wolfe informs his passengers that a person has slipped into the cockpit with a gun and has threatened to obliterate the plane by the use of explosives, which are secured in cargo. Annette Baxter, the head airplane stewardess, converses with Ken only to realize that Wolfe lied earlier in regards to the "other" person in the cockpit. Annette concludes that Wolfe, the only person in the cockpit, has hijacked the plane. Ken Wolfe was startled to hear that Rudy Bostitch, the former District Attorney of Connecticut and soon to be Attorney General, has boarded flight 90. Bostitch, the District Attorney that presided over Melinda's case, exonerated Lumin due to a technicality. In response to the current event, the Federal Bureau of Investigation hires Katherine Bronsky, a rookie to negotiate with Wolfe. While refueling, Bronsky manages to sneak onboard the plane without proper consent from the FBI. After discovering more about the affair, Bronsky speculates whom the victim in this situation is, due to the fact that all Wolfe desires is justice for his daughter Melinda.

John J. Nance, the author of this suspenseful novel keeps one at the edge of their seat. Nance, an airline correspondent as well as an Air Force Officer ingeniously creates this novel, with the intention of exciting his audience. The author's writing style keeps one enticed due to its simplicity; for example, the limited usage of technical jargon and the facile ability to follow the main storyline efficiently assist in keeping the reader captivated. This book will satisfy anyone who seeks an action filled novel and an intense ride.
Candidate

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but not his best, July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Hostage (Hardcover)

I've read all of Nance's books (fiction and non fiction). This one is not as gripping as his others, and I noticed the useage of the word "snort" so many times that it became annoying. If I had one share of Amazon.com stock for every time anyone "snorted" a reply, I could retire! Nance does a good job describing aircraft and flying and he is a good storyteller. I'd recommend any of his books, but be advised...he's done a LOT better than this one.