Tightrope for Three

Mystery veteran Babson's latest effort involves a high-powered tycoon, a disintegrating family and a hijacked aircraft. In the midst of a boardroom battle and a divorce, Paul Jarvis is about to fly from his estate in Dartmoor to London to try to salvage his company's fortunes when his daughter is stricken with appendicitis. As he prepares to rush the child to a London hospital, accompanied by his wife, Genevieve, and his mistress, Lillian, the helicopter is commandeered by a murderer escaped from Dartmoor Prison. The armed killer, Slade, demands to be taken to France. Paul, Genevieve, Lillian and Carson, the pilot, each try to distract and disable Slade, but the lack of communication among them dooms their efforts. New alliances are forged between the formerly inimical women, and Jarvis must honor his ties to both before their ordeal can come to an end. While Babson ( So Soon Done For ) produces a taut and at times chilling thriller, the characters and the plot remain, unfortunately, one-dimensional. ( Jan. )