Missed Approach

Adams draws on his experience as an aircraft sales executive in his impressive thriller set in the world of aircraft manufacturing. In 1978, passage of the historical U.S. Airline Deregulation Act leads Salo Montero, CEO of the Brazilian company RioAero, to see a business opportunity. Salo believes that the legislation will result in major air carriers pulling out of unprofitable markets, creating a void for newer airlines to fill—with just the kind of new commuter airplanes RioAero builds. Three years later, American Rick Harris, a character who resembles the author, becomes RioAero’s director of aircraft sales, charged with selling the company’s new aircraft, the WindStar-100, in the North American market. When a series of disturbing incidents raise safety concerns about the WindStar, Rick hires a PI, Tommy Maxwell, to investigate. Further developments, including an attack on a WindStar by heat-seeking missiles, up the ante considerably. Readers who would have thought that they had no interest in aircraft-industry intrigue will be pleasantly surprised. [em](BookLife) [/em]