FATHER OF THE MAN

Mooney adds an unusual twist to the usual hostage standoff plot in his debut novel, a solid effort in which a dispirited, deranged bus driver from Binghamton, N.Y., hijacks his vehicle and demands to see his son, a Vietnam vet who has been MIA for a dozen years, in return for the release of the seven passengers on board. The novel starts off with a series of WWII flashbacks that establish the patriotism of Dutch Potter, who struggles to find rewarding work after the war and ends up as a bus driver whose unhappy marriage offers little solace. Potter turns his attention to trying to find his MIA son, Jom, but as the years pass Potter becomes increasingly disaffected and his behavior grows erratic. The passenger hijacking represents a quantum leap in his criminal résumé, bringing in not only the local police but also the FBI and finally a Marine officer who specializes in tracking down MIA veterans from the Vietnam era. The plot takes an unlikely positive turn when the officer turns out to have information about Jom's postwar fate, cooling down the standoff in a series of events stretching the credibility of the story line. Mooney's writing gets carried away in several of the background scenes establishing Potter's various quirks and foibles, but as a character study the novel is otherwise consistent and quietly effective. The author doesn't quite pull off his high-concept suspense plot, but his acute (and timely) take on the psychology of the disgruntled military vet and the well-observed family dynamics establish him as a promising newcomer. (Oct. 22)