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A R C H I V E S

BOOKSHELF

Danger Within
Mark W. Danielson
275pp $15.75
http://www.durbanhouse.com

     Mark Danielson is a pilot for FedEx. His first book, a work of fiction, details a horrific crash. Danger Within is filled with the kind of inside air cargo information that only someone who is part of this industry would be able to relate in detail.
     The book’s central character Kevin Hamilton hadn’t expected to be blown out of the sky, to be left bobbing in a cold ocean with two crewmembers. He’d had enough excitement flying fighter pilot missions with the Marines. Now he wanted a steady job flying overnight freight in tri-jets, building his seniority, providing for his wife and children.
     But over a hundred feet down in the broken wreck of his DC-10 lay secrets that meant life or death. And when the Government began investigating, and Explosives Ordinance Division divers from the Navy finned their way down into the depths, men began to die . . .
     When a secondary explosion erupts from the wreck and almost destroys his salvage ship, Skipper Ed Battock puts out a call for the FBI.
     Special Agent Mike Pentaglia, a savvy, not always by the book agent, flies to Oklahoma City and meets with Kevin Hamilton who had been making some inquiries of his own.
     Against pressures of a marriage in trouble, a frightened wife and kids, Kevin becomes increasingly involved with Pentaglia, until by pulling strings the FBI has Kevin working undercover. The bloody trail leads from cold ocean depths to a Los Angeles warehouse where a firebomb almost kills him. And as more men die, Kevin wonders if leaving the Marine Corps was a good idea . . Danger Within is a fast-paced, good read. Improbable, even unimaginable at one time, but not in an airline world where everything has changed, Post 9/11, Danger Within will hold your attention.
     We spoke to Mark Danielson in between flights. Turns out the author and Captain of the Clouds is also a preservationist.
     “I’m kind of a nut on saving old buildings and aircraft myself. My last job in the Navy was to transform the former Carswell AFB into NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.
     “No one gave me any guidance so I did it my way.
     “I created a 15 aircraft static display museum throughout the base. A monument was crafted to honor Major Carswell. Somehow we managed to get all the services to cooperate. I feel pretty good about that.
     “There will be a new book coming next fall — kind of true case study where fiction imitates life.”