A MYSTERY FLIGHT ON OLD CAPE COD

 A David versus Goliath story with a young Vietnam veteran, a political scandal, and a big secret which could change a presidential election. 

In the summer of 1969, charter pilot Billy Coates is barely making a living flying the rich and famous around Cape Cod and the islands, when a midnight favor lands him in the middle of a national scandal. With the help of friends  Benedita Lopes and Ned Rogers , Billy deals with the sexy daughter of a wealthy political family pressuring him to keep a big secret, a feisty newspaper reporter bent on solving the mystery, and a tragic airplane crash on Martha’s Vineyard which tests the loyalty of his friends, and Billy Coates’ faith in himself as a pilot and a man.

Flight From Katama is available as an e-book for your Kindle or iPad or as a 68 page paperback at http://amazon.com/dp/B00QKOJBR8

This little novella was fun to write, since  it all takes place at Falmouth, Massachusetts, where I first learned to fly.  The characters came easily, as an amalgam of the sort of young locals I hung out with when I lived  in that seaside resort town for several years in the 1970s.  It’s the story of an up and coming charter pilot’s integrity — which tells him never to reveal the secrets of the passengers who trust him with their lives in the air — against wealth, raw political ambition, and a truth which must be told. 

A word about Chappaquiddick: The unnamed senator in this book, and his associates, are purely fictional characters. Although the events  as written may have been suggested by the tragedy at that bridge at Chappaquiddick, there are many books, both fine and trashy, which attempt to chronicle that incident and offer theories of what actually happened. This is not one of them. 

The one criticism I often hear about Flight From Katama is, too short! Which I take as an invitation to reprise Billy Coates and his extended family in future works, such as The House Rule, due out next year. I’d also love to have a little fun with the character of Chicago Tribune reporter Stan Merkle some time. We’ll have to wait and see about that!