Into The Blast

Into The Blast

Not a novel but a rather novel detective story! An intriguing pageturner that can only be compared with those modern writers who delve into history seeking answers to unsolved crimes. Only with this one, most people who knew the dead suspect were still alive to be interviewed.

Writer, Robert Blevins turns detective, and works alongside Skipp Porteous, of Sherlock Investigations.  The dynamic duo put forward what appears to be the final solution to one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time — the D B Cooper hijacking of an airliner in 1971 for a $200,000 ransom. We are taken step by step into this intriguing crime. Intriguing, partly because no violence ensued and the man whom Blevins and Porteous puts the finger on, was a kindly person who apparently was a bit of a Samaritan.

This mystery of ‘who was the hijacker D B Cooper?’ now appears to be solved, although the writers accept there can be no absolute certainty.  Even so, following the investigations recoded in this book, Kenneth Christianson appears to be the most likely person.

It becomes clear to the reader that the FBI were totally negligent in their failure to investigate the airline staff. One of the staff was Kenny Christianson, employed as a purser.  This man had received parachute training in the army. He knew everything necessary  for jumping from a plane. And later, he had acquired money from other sources than his low income.

The one big negative in the writing of this book is the failure to wait for the results of a chemical test on the ‘hiding place’ found in the loft of Christianson’s original house before producing the book. The test had been organised during the making of a TV programme  in 2010 concerning the hijacking event. Will the results be published in a future edition?

With or without the test result, a jolly good read, especially for those who enjoy thorough step by step investigations into unsolved mysteries. Lots of photographs too.

Into The Blast — click here, not just for ordering but to find out much more about the writing of book, and it is also possible to hear Blevins being interviewed. Wow, that should get mystery fans reading!

The book is well edited by the author Geoff Nelder.