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Skyjack
The Hunt for D. B. Cooper
Book Summary
In 1971 a man hijacked a Northwest Orient flight, took $200,000 and parachuted into the woods of the Pacific Northwest. Geoffrey Gray investigates the unsolved crime of the man dubbed D.B. Cooper.
This book is about:
- Criminal investigation,
- Hijacking of aircraft,
- Cooper, D. B,
- United States
NPR stories about Skyjack
Author Interviews
'Skyjack': The Unsolved Case Of D.B. Cooper's Escape
September 25, 2011 America's only unsolved airline hijacking happened the day before Thanksgiving in 1971. D.B. Cooper's demands — $200,000 and four parachutes — were met. He ordered the plane to take off again. When it landed in Reno, Nev., he was gone, along with the money and a parachute.
Book Reviews
'Skyjack': The Search For The Parachuting Fugitive
August 19, 2011 Author Geoffrey Gray is hot on the case of D.B. Cooper, a debonair skyjacker who disappeared 40 years ago after jumping from a plane with a $200,000 ransom.
Critics' Lists: Summer 2011
Books Preview: Spotting Summer's High Fliers
May 31, 2011 The season of pleasure reading is upon us, and the publishing world has readied a handful of thrilling titles to be released just in time for the summer heat. After surveying the crop, here are our picks for fun reading in the sun.
Note: Book excerpts are provided by the publisher and may contain language some find offensive.
Excerpt: Skyjack
The wheels of the jet are moving across the tarmac. In first class, Alice takes her seat near the front door. In the rear, Flo and Tina sit next to each other and wait for a month of flying and living together to finally be over.
The tension started their first night in the hotel room. Flo was getting ready for bed. Tina asked her a question.
"Are you a Christian?"
Flo was taken aback. Where were they, church? Flo also noticed that Tina carried a Bible with her in the hotel and on flights. Tina would say things to her like, "Have you been saved?" Tina also spoke to passengers about Christianity, Flo noticed. Was Tina some kind of undercover missionary? Was she deployed by the Church to cleanse the airlines of sin?
Twenty-eight minutes to Seattle . . . Twenty-eight minutes to Thanksgiving vacation. Soon Flo will be in the hotel room, and the hot scalding water of the shower will massage her itchy scalp. By this time tomorrow, Flo will have flown back to Arkansas to reunite with her ma and pa in Fordyce. After Thanksgiving dinner, she will cruise to the Dixie Dog with her old friends.
"Miss?"
A man is talking to her. She looks up. It is the same man who ordered a bourbon and Seven. He is holding a white envelope in his hands. Flo takes the envelope and drops it into the pit of her purse. She'll look at the love note later. Or never.
The jet moves faster along the runway. The fuselage shudders. Northwest 305 will be in the air any moment.
"Miss?"
Him again. Mr. Bourbon and Seven.
"I think you better have a look at that note."
She reaches into her purse. She retrieves the envelope.
The Northwest jet barrels down the runway. Seventy knots. Eighty knots.
In the cabin behind the pilots, passengers cross themselves and close their eyes. Some grip the armrests bracing for liftoff, hoping the jet doesn't explode.
Flo opens the note. She can see the words are written on a thick piece of paper. The ink is black. The words look printed by a felt- tip pen. She can see the curls of the letters—neat, crisp. The words are pretty to look at. Is this man an artist? She looks into his eyes. She reads the words again.
MISS,
I have a bomb here and I would like you to sit by me.
Excerpted from Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray. Copyright 2011 by Geoffrey Gray. Reprinted with permission of Crown Publishers.
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