Open Skies by Thomas Block

by Thomas Block

Smrt pilota Jaye Bridgese během mezipřistání v Chicagu by podle některých mohla vypadat jako nešťastná náhoda, ale Elmer Woodruff, šéf miamské pobočky Trans-Continentalu, o tom není přesvědčen. Brodges nepatřil k oblíbeným zaměstnancům firmy a vzhledem k tomu, že v poslední době peníze doslova rozhazoval plnými hrstmi, vzbudil podezření, že zdrojem jeho příjmů není jen běžný plat.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Thomas Block has written a number of aviation-oriented novels, many which have gone on to acquire best-seller status in numerous countries. His novel writing began with the publication of "Mayday" in 1979. That novel was rewritten with his boyhood friend, novelist Nelson DeMille in 1998 and remains on DeMille's extensive backlist. "Mayday" became a CBS Movie of the Week in October, 2005.

Several of the other novels by Block include "Orbit" (a top bestseller in Germany, among other nations), "Airship Nine", "Forced Landing" (also done as a radio serialization drama in Japan), "Skyfall", "Open Skies" and "Captain". Thomas Block is still writing both fiction and non-fiction, and has edited and updated his earlier novels into ebooks in all the major formats and also into new full-sized (trade soft cover) printed versions.

Block's magazine writing began in 1968 and over the next five decades his work has appeared in numerous publications. He worked 20 years at FLYING Magazine as Contributing Editor, and as Contributing Editor to Plane & Pilot Magazine for 11 years. Block became Editor-at-Large for Piper Flyer Magazine and Cessna Flyer Magazine in 2001. During his long career as an aviation writer he has written on a wide array of subjects that range from involvement with government officials to evaluation reports on most everything that flies.

An airline pilot for US Airways for over 36 years before his retirement in April, 2000, Captain Thomas Block has been a pilot since 1959. Since 2002, he has lived on a ranch in Florida with his wife Sharon where they board, compete and train horses. Complete information (including direct links to booksellers) is available at http://www.ThomasBlockNovels.com or through the author’s additional website at http://www.FlyingB-Ranch.com. For Facebook users, complete information about Thomas Block Novels can also be found at two interlinked Facebook sites:
http://www.Facebook.com/Captain.by.Th...
http://www.Facebook.com/ThomasBlockNo....

Reviews

[Gregory Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Block at his best

Very well crafted, if slightly implausible story line. Still, it could happen... flying and airline details spot on. Appreciation of opera a very interesting side detail, which makes this a very pleasurable read. I doubt you will be disappointed! Hurry up and write some new ones!!!!

[Jerry B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ex-pilot solves airline murder in light but flawed mystery...

Like author Block in real life, "Skies" leading man and ex-pilot Jack Sawyer has hung up his wings; and now runs a private-eye firm he inherited from a friend. That he has little skills to do so is revealed by the rag-tag band of helpers on this case: his tennis partner Max, his soon-to-be-ex-wife Susan, and Tracy, the secretary of the guy who hired him. The issue at hand involves the death of a Trans-Continental Airlines co-pilot who is crushed to death in the scissors-lift of an airlines service truck (ouch!). Though ruled an accident by the authorities, the company suspects foul play, and through a contact with Susan, hires Sawyer to investigate. Soon Jack's sleuthing brings bullets whizzing by him and Max, turning the matter more serious in a hurry. Pursuing thin clues at the airline, Jack stumbles on to what looks like a drug-smuggling run gone bad, as some strange flights by one of the firm's 737s don't seem to make sense. By story end, a thrilling in-flight fight yields a big win for Jack over the bad guys.
Thomas Block hit it big with the best-seller "Mayday" he co-authored with his more famous friend Nelson DeMille. Since then, his solo efforts have been mainly pleasant but not particularly thrilling titles involving aviation technology and related mysteries. To us, this 200-page book fails to deliver enough plot complexity, enough intrigue, enough relationship between characters (what romance there is, is pretty silly), or just enough solid detective work to move readers from indifferent to excited.

That "Skies" was so difficult to find speaks to a very limited production run; and the 1990 publication date, with no books in the bibliography since, suggest this might well be Block's swan song. While we don't consider this or his other efforts bad per se, the author just doesn't seem to generate enough heat or enthusiasm in the reader to justify the light entertainment versus the dollars spent to unearth this item in hardback. Successful airline thrillers form a pretty small genre, despite six attempts from Block. We might not be able to do better, but rate this novel as little more than a curiosity item.