Turbulence [Hardcover]

John J. Nance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2002

The passengers of Meridian Flight 6-delayed for hours and mistreated by rude and inept airline personnel-have been pushed to the edge. When Captain Phil Knight makes a forced emergency landing in war-torn Nigeria, abandoning his copilot to certain death, violence erupts inside the airplane as the enraged passengers attempt the first-ever commercial airline mutiny.

But what they don't know could kill them: The unscheduled loss of radio contact has led NATO and the CIA to believe they have been hijacked by terrorists and must be carrying a deadly chemical weapon into the heart of Western Europe. In the pressurized last moments as Flight 6 approaches, NATO scrambles to uncover the truth of the plane's cargo, while Navy pilots bring the 747 into their gun sights and the lives of innocent passengers hang in the balance.

Expert in-flight details, a compelling cast of characters, and spine-tingling action prove Nance once again to be "the king of the modern-day aviation thriller" (Publishers Weekly).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's unclear why anyone who's read a Nance novel is willing to board an airplane: Nance (Headwind, etc.), a veteran pilot, specializes in the scary side of flying, and his latest thriller delivers the suspense his fans want, even as its overcomplicated plot keeps it from reaching full altitude. Meridian Airlines is a major carrier plagued by greedy management and hostile employees; Brian Logan is a surgeon whose wife hemorrhaged to death aboard a Meridian flight, for which he blames the airline. As Logan prepares to fly to South Africa on Meridian, the only airline available U.S. government officials are growing concerned about the possibility of terrorists planning to use an airplane as a weapon escaping detection by flying under the guise of, say, an airplane diverted by mechanical troubles. Logan proceeds on Meridian toward South Africa, while the plane's sullen crew alienates passengers right and left; the pilot, fearing an engine fire, lands in a war zone in Nigeria, where the co-pilot is shot and left for dead. The plane takes off again, returning to Europe for lack of fuel, but a Nigerian warlord claims he has forced the passengers off the plane to hold them for ransom. To folks in D.C., it looks as if a passengerless plane is heading to a major European city, with evil intent; meanwhile, on the plane, the passengers actually are rioting. Nance's prose is serviceable, as are his characters; both lack subtlety, but do the job of spurring the plot to ever higher excitement. The novel's flurry of happy endings, however, will satisfy only the most Panglossian reader.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bad news: not only must Meridian Flight 6 make an emergency landing in war-ravaged Nigeria but the CIA thinks that terrorists are aboard.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (April 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399148477
• ISBN-13: 978-0399148477
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,181,903 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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Credible thriller set in the world of air travel, March 29, 2003

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Turbulence (Paperback)

While there are some excesses in this novel (half the passengers and crew seem to have taken a course in sadomasochism, they are THAT hellish and over the top), I still couldn't put this one down. Author John Nance clearly knows the world of aviation inside out, plus he has a knack for creating full-throttle suspense. The situation: a plane full of disgruntled passengers, mistreated by airline personnel and pushed to the brink. Combine this with a forced emergency landing in Nigeria and airline mutiny is all but certain. This scenario makes for a riveting tale but Nance doesn't stop there...the rest I won't reveal but I urge you to read this one, far superior to most thrillers out there.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Nance Novel I've Read, July 13, 2002

By 

BWT (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turbulence (Hardcover)

I have finally faced the fact that a Nance novel can't be put down, and so I plan a special day for one. My "Turbulence" day was great - and, like the rest of his novels, I was captured. He taps that fear of being trapped five miles above the earth with no way out except a safe landing.

Most of his plots involve political intrigue or seriously disturbed crews. Turbulence, however, hits very close to home for anyone who has recently flown on "Cattle Chute Airways" (and there is a lot us). Customer neglect and now the stress of terrorist fears, pack airplanes with passengers on the dangerous edge of revolt. Nance crams his plane with believable characters and builds the story to a gripping peak.

Turbulence carries a definite message. It is like Blind Trust (Nance's nonfiction book about air safety) but in a very pleasant tasting pill. I hope that airline operators and passengers get the message. This experience is much more pleasant as a novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but ultimately choppy and wooden, March 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Turbulence (Paperback)

Interesting premise, but Nance unfortunately writes his characters as black or white - either poor victims or outrageously mean and nasty airline employees, and neither rings true. The novel almost reads like a parable masquerading as an act of fiction, but the dialog is so choppy and repeats so often (if you had a nickel for everytime a character says "Sorry?" in response to another character you'd probably equal Nance's royalties from this book) that this novel ultimately lands with a thud. If you don't mind overlooking such flaws then go ahead and enjoy yourself, but I really expected a lot more. I actually thought the first chapter was pretty well written, which is why I bought this in an airport, but as soon as I dug into it I realized the rest of the novel from a stylistic perspective quickly goes downhill. Plot is interesting though.