Skyjack

Soldiers of Barrabas #19

by Jack Hild, Robin Hardy

PBK

218 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

About the author

"Jack Hild" is a pseudonym shared by multiple authors ghostwriting the Soldiers of Barrabas (SOBs) series of action-adventure novels. The most prolific of these authors were Robin Hardy and Alan Philipson.

Despite Hild's output being the work of several authors, the novelist Warren Murphy provided a cover endorsement saying "Jack Hild is simply the best and gutsiest action writer around today."

In backmatter to some of the SOBs books, the publishers Gold Eagle jokingly stated Hild's "whereabouts are unknown. No one associated with Gold Eagle Books has ever seen Jack, in person or in a photograph... If you should ever meet Jack Hild... let us know."

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mercenary team are training for the inevitable day when they will have to assault a hijacked airplane when we start out on this one. What are the odds? Even before the paint balls that they used in their exercise are dried, a 727 is skyjacked and lands with hostages in Beirut. Among the hostages is a scientist who has his "virtual cockpit" with him. There is a big suprise in store for the team this time around.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one, the team is hired to get back a scientist and his experimental virtual cockpit helmet. The plane he was on was hijacked and along with the rest of the passengers he was taken as a hostage. Plans fall apart when a handful of hijackers turn into an army. However the sobs are adaptable. Also a totally unexpected return that made me have to read it twice.

Highly recommended, like all of them it can be read as a stand alone but without context the big reveal won't mean much.