an airline flight from Honolulu to San Francisco. Just past the halfway point, or the point of no return, the flight has a catastrophic engine failure puncturing the wing and fuel tanks. As the flight crew struggles to get the damaged airliner to safety, human drama unfolds for both the crew and passengers

Ignore the dated details like being introduced to your flight crew before boarding, stewardesses taking your coats as you settle into your seat, it being permissible to smoke once en route and so on...and you will have the classic tale of impending tragedy. The story unfolds in the typical fashion. Readers are introduced to the crew, warts and all. Then, the passengers and all their bad habits. Typical of a suspense thriller is the sense of foreboding. Something is wrong but no one can quite put a finger on the exact problem. Everyone, passengers and crew alike, noticed something "off" but either can't articulate the worry or just pass it off as part of an overcautious imagination. As a result everyone on board flight four-two-zero keeps mum until it's too late. It's extremely interesting to watch the fear build in lead controversial character, Dan Roman. ( )

I enjoy reading old best sellers because they usually reveal something more than, perhaps, the author originally intended. This book is the grand daddy of disaster novels and I wondered if it was the inspiration for Arthur Hailey's Airport. It is truly the Grand Hotel goes airborne with a lively and varied cast of characters with multi-cultural back stories. But what's even more interesting is the portrait of air travel almost 60 years ago.Imagine being introduced to your "stewardess" as you check in. Imagine smoking almost continually, right up until 5 minutes before the planes is supposed to ditch in the ocean. These are the kind of details, along with what seems like stone age aviation practices that make this book a fascinating read today. ( )