Book Review: Hijack over Weaver’s Needle

--By Duane Hunter on --

Hijack over Weaver’s Needle, by Roland Smith, is a highly entertaining and thought provoking novel with a fascinating plot. Although fiction, it begs the real question; in today’s tough security environment, could an experienced airline employee, with unlimited access to his company’s planes, and an overpowering desire for revenge, hijack a plane in a way that no one would predict or think possible — at least not since D.B. Cooper’s hijacking out of the back of a Boeing 727 over forty years ago.

The daily operation of a commercial airline is punctuated by three connected events; a severe bird strike, an unfortunate on-board accident and an exploding engine that has tragic results. Missteps and cover-ups by the airline’s arrogant management lead to one employee’s life being shattered and he vows to get even. The character relationships are strong and believable and the emotional tension steadily builds as the story unfolds. The scenes in the cabin and cockpit are tense and make this novel a real page turner. Highly recommended.

Roland Smith is a native of Georgia and grew up in a family of hardware store owners.  He is a former Air Force captain and a veteran of more than twenty five years as a manager at a major airline.  Roland is retired and living in Cumming, Georgia with his wife Mary Lou.

Roland is currently working on his next novel, “Beach Angels”, about multiple murders along the gulf coast of Florida.