Crashers

Haynes's compelling first thriller takes familiar elements—a mysterious airplane crash, a bent FBI agent, a deadly female spy—and mixes them with the world of National Transportation Safety Board aviation disaster investigations. When pathologist Leonard “Tommy” Tomzak, who's attending a Portland, Ore., medical conference, sees a TV report of a nearby jetliner crash, he rushes to the site via helicopter. There Tommy takes charge of the investigation, though he quit the NTSB a few months earlier in a huff. As other NTSB personnel (known as “crashers”) make their way to the crash scene from around the country, Tommy and his local crew secure the site. The forensic details fascinate but aren't for the weak of stomach. Haynes (Sacrifice Play and two other mysteries as Conrad Haynes) nicely integrates several subplots involving terrorism. The slam-bang crash landing of a conclusion will leave readers anxiously awaiting the promised sequel. 100,000 first printing. (June)