John J. Nance is mostly known for his aviation thrillers, but this non-fiction work, his first book, is a great read. At the over 400 pages, the sad collapse of Braniff International is thoroughly looked at, from the airline's spectacular rise after 1965 to become a major world player to the shutdown on May 13, 1982. The problems which led to its downfall are all covered, the over extension after deregulation, the ineffective middle management, the poorly trained and many times hostile ground employees, the dirty tricks campaign by American Airlines and the incompetence of the later executives. Very well done. One minor complaint I have is that there are far too many footnotes. It seems to me most of them could have worked into the text, but it's not really a big deal. The bottom line is that this is a book that should be read by anyone who's in the airline industry. There's a lot to learn from Braniff's mistakes. (Note: This book is out of print, so you're in for search to get a copy, but I think you'll find it worth it.)

I am a former Braniff customer service agent. "Splash of Colors" is the most comprehensive, accurate portrayal of Braniff International. I worked for nine long months for this company. I was given no training whatsoever. I was assigned to work the weight and balance forms in operations, and flight crews continually warned management that my lack of training could cause their Boeing 727 to be misloaded and could cause an accident. Despite this, management gave me no training, instead, telling me to "try harder". Several of the managers I worked for were intoxicated most of the time.

As a former airline employee myself, I have read most of the books out there about airlines. Most of them seem to think that the only employees who matter are upper management. Not so. Nance understands that it is the pilots, flight attendants, ticket agents, and reservations agents -- the ones who have front line contact with passengers -- who ultimately matter the most in the public perception of the airline, and sometimes in its success or failure. However, this book correctly places the blame on the failure of the first Braniff where it belongs, on upper managment and take-over gurus who cheerfully ran the airline into the ground, and apparently never even paid the final paychecks of the employees left stranded and jobless back in 1982. This is the best airline book I've ever read. John Nance is a wonderful writer. I'm sorry he's turned to fiction, as his non fiction is better. His "On Shaky Ground" is the best earthquake book I've ever read.

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot in the process. Read at the right time in a person's life, it could cause them to become a geologist/volcanologist, etc.

How many journalists who follow the American military have ever noticed that in the last quarter-century more U.S. servicemembers have died in preventable accidents than in combat? Not enough, as Al Diehl's superbly told and provactive book, "Silent Knights," makes absolutely clear. Diehl shows how the American public has been hoodwinked by the military brass into believing that "training accidents" and other non-wartime military deaths are an unavoidable consequence of military service. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you have loved ones serving in America's armed forces, this is a must-read book if you wish to learn the true risks of military service. After you've read it, do something more: write your member of Congress & demand they investigate the problems outlined in this book. You will be doing your loved one, and yourself, a huge favor...

Patrick G. Eddington
Former Associate Director of Government Relations
Vietnam Veterans of America
CIA analyst, 1988-96

I'm not the biggest Nance fan, so I was surprised when I enjoyed "Medusa's Child". Medusa is a bomb designed and built by a truly mad scientist. Powered by a 20 megaton nuclear warhead, Medusa uses EMP to knock out virtually every microchip within a huge range of fire, and corrupt any data written near the time of the blast. The former defense researcher/would be destroyer-of-worlds even programs the machine to heap abuse on his poor wife. Completing his mysterious device before dying, he manages to cajole his poor former wife into delivering it (the unfortunate ex not knowing of its purpose) to the Pentagon. Strapped into a 727 freighter flown by a former fighter driver named Scott Mackay, the device arms too quickly (flown over the Pentagon, Medusa's GPS sensors can't distinguish between being in the cellar of the Pentagon, from being 20,000 feet above it) triggering a computer which (having been programmed by a certifiably evil genius) details exactly what it will do. Among other things, the computer also warns about a special safeguards meant to insure that his hated wife accompany the machine to its final debut (one of the device's sensors is keyed to her pacemaker). Mackay now battles a freak hurricane and his own dwindling fuel supply to deep-six the bomb over the mid-Atlantic, setting off the sort of crisis response that insures that we'll see plenty of fighter jets, generals and powerful politicians in settings where they will be surrounded by high-tech. But, at its heart "Medusa" excels because it's a very character driven book - the occupants of Mackay's stricken 727 form relationships that transcend what would otherwise be a straight-to-cable movie like "Pandora's Clock" or the one made of "Glass Cockpit". I've only read "Final Approach" and "Phoenix Rising" - this is the most human of the three.

Medusa's Child is one of the most suspenseful books I have read in a LONG time. The basic plot is a cargo 727 is carrying a live thermonuclear bomb that, in the process of killing millions, will destroy all of the world's computers, shutting down our society. They have to try to stop it in an airplane all in the middle of a tremendous hurricane. Everything that could go wrong does and Nance's ability to make an action scene is amazing. I read Pandora's Clock and liked it so I picked this one up. I thought there would be no way I would like MC better than PC. But I did. I recommend this book to everyone, fan of the genre or not.

After reading Pandora's Clock I thought a book could not be better! THAT WAS WRONG. This is the best book that's ever written. It's great from the first to the last page. Nance does understand what people want to read. Some writers are boring you with details which don't have anything to do with the story. But Nance won't. I hope that there will be a new Nance book soon. Because on this moment he's the best 'Techno-Thriller' writer. GO READ THIS BOOK

I bought this book after being intrigued by the ads for the miniseries on TV, which I missed due to work. I'm a big fan of Michael Crichton (I believe I've read "The Andromeda Strain over a dozen times) and the techno aspects of his books. I also enjoyed the movie "Breakout," and was looking forward to another "viro-thriller."

Unfortunately, this story left me wanting. It did start well, immediately captivating me while reading Prof. Helm's adventure in the Bavarian forest. It kept up a good pace until the last quarter of the book, when it disappointingly became mediocre and predictable. Mr. Nance also seemed to introduce new characters on a whim, just because he needed them at that certain point in the story line. How many government departments and companies does Dr. Rusty Sanders have friends working at? I was also disappointed that Mr. Nance did not immerse more into the technical aspects of the story, detailing with greater accuracy the mechanics of virus infections or the workings of the aircraft and other equipment, along the lines of Tom Clancy. Especially considering that his character development did not enable me to have feelings for any of story's main characters.

I would say the story is acceptable as a time filler, such as while on an airplane (or, maybe not considering its plot). Not one I would ever consider reading for a second time.

I am starting to be a fan of John J. Nance after reading "Headwind." That book was fast-paced from beginning to end. It was like reading two books in one. Pandora's clock is good but not as compelling as Headwind. I felt that the story was coming from watching all those air disaster movies from the past.

Pandora's Clock is about a biological virus that has infected a Boeing 747.
The story focuses on two parts of this deliema.
One: If the virus is contagious, will it infect the population
Two: What do we do with the passenger?

In flight, the pilot of the Boeing 747 has to decide what to do when he finds out that his aircraft might be infected. But on the ground, the CIA suspects the aircraft as a threat. Now what does the pilot do? Does he follow orders or does he take things in his own hands.

This is a gripping thriller that will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next. In beginning it might take some time to get into the story, but by the end it would have seem like time passed fast. I gave it a four star because the story moved and the overall book was good. I would have given it a 5, but there was some unnecessary talk with passengers that have nothing to do with the plot. I felt like I was reading a book version of past air disaster movies like "Airport", where there was unnecessary slowing down to create emotion with the passengers. Stick to the main characters and we will decide how the passengers would fell.

I love the way Nance mixes aviation, secret government plots, and national burocracies. His writing style is very detailed. The plot involving the CIA is full of exciting twists, turns, and wild goose chases that build excelent tension, however if you do not follow it closely you will be easily confused. I, being an aviation enthusiast myself, found the aeronautical aspects of the book to be very thrilling, although somtimes a bit unbelievable. Over all it is an excellent read.

I started this book in anticipation of a great read, but was sorely disappointed. After about a hundred pages, we had a "hijacked" plane, the FBI and other law enforcement was getting organized to find out who was behind it and why, and...that's it. I love a good thriller, but this one simply could not keep my interest. I'm in the minority among the reviewers, but I've read other authors who kept the pace moving far better.

This is the third book by Nance that I have read and they just keep getting better and better. I couldn't put it down. I hope that it's not too long until he comes out with another novel.

This is my first book by Nance, but I can assure you it won't be my last. Very fast read. If you enjoy stories around the flying/airline industry, this is worth a look. I found the plot to be quite real with enough twists to keep you involved right to the end.

A top international lawyer is hired by the Peruvian president to arrest the former president-for tortures committed in Peru-when the plane arrives in Athens. The captain of the European carrier that is carrying the ex-president has different ideas and will do what ever is possible to keep this from happening. While flying all over Europe to evade this legitimate warrant for arrest, the reader is treated to some suspenseful reading and some interesting cat and mouse ploys. This is a fast paced action thriller with some political overtones. Most of the action and descriptions seem to come from a knowledgeable pilot/author, but I truly must question one glaring error I noticed in the book that a pilot would never make. Squawk 266.....9? A nine? In a squawk? Not likely Mr. Nance.

Overall great entertainment.

OK. Let's get the biases right up front. I am a pilot, a lawyer and I have an interest in politics and current events. So naturally I am going to give five stars to a book that deals with all four, right? Not so fast, Pilgrim.

Mr. Nance has earned his rating with this novel which details the efforts of the President of Peru to arrest and extradite a former United States President under the Treaty Against Torture (the same treaty that Chilean ex-President Pinochet recently dealt with). The story takes us from Greece to Sicily to London to Belfast and to Galway as well as from Laramie, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado on a ride in a Cessna Skyhawk that none of us would want to have been on. The international flying is an odyssey of the finest kind as the captain of the German commercial airline's 737, a US Air Force Reserve Officer, tries to keep his former Commander in Chief from being arrested much to the chagrin of his British First Officer who sees their jobs evaporating with each new escapade.

Add to the excellent flying portion of the story, a chess game on the ground between two international lawyers with very different backgrounds and the story only gets better.The Peruvian government has hired a British Barrister who is tops in his field. The American ex-president hires a former partner, who while once a very able international lawyer, has had a bit of a time of it lately, having been disbarred as a Judge and suspended as a lawyer and is waiting out his suspension teaching classes at the University of Wyoming when the call comes.

The Peruvian government seems to have irrefutable evidence of the crimes of the former president and therein lies more twists and turns in this most compelling novel.

The characters are well drawn, the dialogue flows smoothly and the story moves seamlessly across the pages of the book until, alas, you are at the end. Looking for a page turner? Look no further.

Headwind is impossible to put down after the first page. The suspense never lets up as the story unfolds quickly. Ex-president John Harris, his assistant, and a secret service agent are about to land in Athens Greece. The police are waiting for his 737 to land in order to arrest Harris for violating the Treaty Against Torture. Peru is claiming that a CIA operation resulted in the murder of hundreds of innocent civilians and was santioned by then President Harris. The pilot, Craig Dayton, is a U.S. Airforce reserve military who backs the plane out and takes off in a daring escape.

The plane makes its way to Italy and on to Ireland before trying to get back to the United States. In the meantime while onboard, John Harris hires an old friend, Jay,an attorney who has been teaching international law in Laramie, Wyoming to represent him. The legal battle is finally fought in Ireland with a wonderful series of legal manuevers [...]

Read the book for the rest of the story. The characters are well developed, the dialogue is believable, and the landings are incredibly suspenseful.

Well I'm absolutely disapointed ! I like to read books with airplanes and am ready to forgive a lot of wrong plots, impossible survivals and so on.
But this book is very strange. Leaders of major organisations are playing dumb - just an example : CIA tells the President, that a jumbo pilot may have been blinded by crashing into a smaller jet, because the explosion of the smaller jet before his cockpit was so bright - and still its known, that the jumbo was absolutely free of damage - and the President is buying that explanation ...
Well, most of the people in the book are unrealistic and unpleasant. Women in the wrong footwear drag ablebodied man that try to resist through the forrest of Vietnam ... and so on. Just buy another book. This one is just plain bad.

I picked this book up at Dallas-Ft. Worth airport just before leaving for Geneva via Brussels this week. I finished the book by the time I got to Geneva. Few books have kept me turning pages like this. Tom Clancy's books (the real ones, not the Op-Center and Net-whatever balony) have gripped me like this as well, but they are much longer.

I guess it helps that John Nance is a pilot, and that I am an aviation nut. He goes into a lot of detail on how to fly a 747 in the first half of the book, and I don't remember spotting a single technical error, which is very unusual.

The plot is quite plausable, and there is enough information withheld (and fed to you bit by bit) to keep you guessing right up to the final chapters as to who are the bad guys and who isn't, unlike certain books which give the reader all the info and you have to read how the characters discover what you already know. So good marks to John Nance for that.

The only reason I give 4 instead of 5 stars is that the book COULD have been a lot more. Just imagine if John Nance had given the manuscript to Tom Clancy for a bit of reworking. The book would have come back with a LOT more character development, and more artfully crafted descriptions of scenes and action. The book may have ended up being twice as long, but the story and characters are easily interesting enough to keep your attention for a good, long round-the-world trip.

Charles

The Book Blackout, by author John Nance, was a very exciting book. Having this be the first book of his I've read, I found this book interesting at all times leaving me wondering, "what happens now. The story evolves around 2 characters running from an terrorist group out to keep them from taking. Kat Bronsky a very well know FBI hostage negotiator is out to save the survivors of a plane crash over Vietnam jungle and also find out what keeps bringing down al these jumbo jets. One of the survivors that she is trying to keep alive is Robert McCabe a polister prize winning writer thinks he knows the answers, but his contact is dead and the only person who can tell him what is going on is lost somewhere in the U.S. This is the only book I've read that I have found interesting enough to keep my attention. I am only 15 years old and don't really like to read all that much. The readers who enjoy fast pace interesting books would really enjoy reading this book. The only thing I really found in this book that I didn't like was the ending of it. I guess John Nance leave the ending of the book for the reader to decide.