2021 NYC BIG BOOK AWARD WINNER!
Pilot Jake Silver is haunted by a cruel irony—he secretly suspects that he’s the reason Swede Bergstrom, the hero who saved his life, has fallen on hard times. Upon learning that Swede has been killed during the commission of a crime, the guilt-driven Jake too-willingly agrees to follow Swede’s mysterious and beautiful sister, Christina, on a search to clear her brother’s name. Their odyssey takes them from the canyons of Manhattan to the heart of darkness itself, enlisting the help of colorful characters and dodging death every step of the way.
But is the alluring Christina the loving sister she appears to be, or evil incarnate? The body of a woman discovered in Jake’s East Side apartment and her killer’s ritualistically brutal M.O. lead NYPD homicide cop Pat Garodnik to suspect the latter.
Combining his efforts with those of Jake’s mother—a former DA with enemies on both sides of the law—the pair embark on an odyssey of their own, going to any lengths necessary, legal or otherwise, to find the truth and save Jake before his time runs out.
Literary and atmospheric, Dom Stasi’s debut thriller will have you turning pages late into the night with its high-flying action and intriguing mystery. As answers continue to be uncovered, the final pieces of the puzzle are as shocking as they are satisfying.
“The Strait interrupted my normal sleep cycle…It’s a page-turner for sure and darn hard to put down. Great plot, color, suspense, writing and outstanding in describing scenes and locales that made me feel I was in the middle of things. Readers of mysteries will not be disappointed.” – Donald J. Porter aviation historian/author of A JET POWERED LIFE, and FLIGHT FAILURE.
From The Book:
Something was wrong.
But the airplane was old. She’d grown tired. Wrong was her prerogative.
Tonight, though, as she roared her way northward above a coal black sea, something was deadly wrong, and her pilot, Swede Bergstrom knew it. What Swede didn’t know was why he knew it.
So, caressing the controls, he flew on, clinging to his knowledge of the old plane’s virtues, knowing too that those less enlightened, need only look to the polished metal of her perfect nose. For there, in paint baked brown by 70 summers, once-golden words still whispered her glorious name: Queen of the Southern Sky.
But nostalgia could not temper Bergstrom’s growing unease and he began to feel imprisoned by the old plane’s musty cockpit, constrained as well by his clothing: the threadbare flying suit, the GI jacket, its collar stained dark by the oily blonde hair that brushed his broad shoulders.
Seemingly of its own accord, Swede’s hand moved to the jacket’s right breast where a solitary splash of color–an embroidered crest–depicted a winged sword soaring above the gilded words TACTICAL AIR COMMAND. The crest, like the soiled garment to which it clung, was a vestige of better days, horrible days to be sure, yet better somehow than these.
But, Swede found small solace in gilded words and titles. There was just the wind now, that and the starless sky. It was an angry sky, whose mournful wail pierced the Queen’s weathered seams driving Bergstrom to the brink of an ever-lurking madness.
Confused, angry, growing desperate, he knew the time had come.
Reaching into the knapsack beside his seat, Swede retrieved the bag of white powder. Tucking the bag into his jacket, he pulled the zipper tight across his barrel chest.
Returning to the knapsack, he found the razor-knife and carefully worked its point between the fingertip and nail of his left hand’s middle finger. His breathing coarse, his every muscle tensed, he clenched his eyes and pushed, sinking the little blade to its hilt.
Extracting the knife, he dropped it back into the knapsack, finding now the glassine envelope. Ripping its seal, he removed the contents: a tiny black and gold monolith.
Gripping the object between his teeth, he raised the ravaged finger to his mouth and carefully slid the centimeter-long monolith into the incision, forcing it downward, into the gash until it disappeared beneath the finger’s cold skin.
His promise kept, he jammed the throttles forward and climbed.
Upward through the darkness, man and machine finally burst free. Brilliant moonlight blazed across a sea of white as the clouds fell away beneath the airplane’s wings, and Swede Bergstrom tumbled and burned and died in those clouds as his Queen exploded around him.
I had the opportunity to read this manuscript ahead of publication and help on early editing, I have nothing but high praise for the completed novel. When you read, you will notice how developed the characters are, Highly defined from the leads of course, through secondary and tertiary. The plot moves fast, with many locales and tight spots to keep your blood moving fast. My most fave are the take-offs and landings under harrowing conditions. This is not Delta Air…!!! You will be clutching your chair. And then the breathtaking end. I’ll say no more. Grab this. Read. You’ll LOVE it!
A bold, exciting and adventurous story through to the end ! ! !
As an opener for this review, I must admit that I was asked by the author to act as a technical advisor on the book, providing some insight on some of the aircraft specific details. Even after finishing the novel and knowing in advance where my contributions are found, the technical bits blend seamlessly into the story adding just a touch of background flavor to a wonderfully written book. Therefore, I can submit this review without any bias whatsoever. Once started, I simply could not put it down until read through.
Author Dom Stasi has woven together a complex story of the friendship and fellowship of military comrades torn apart by war, murder and mystery, the professionalism and intrigue of investigation by dedicated officers of the law and loving family, all wrapped up in a serious look at the nastiness of the drug trade and the desperate and inventive measures taken to maintain the flow of supply. From the skies found high above with airline travel, over the war torn sands of Iraq, to the jungles of South America and the waters of Caribbean Isles, the story takes the reader on a globetrotting adventure of mayhem and mystery. The way the story unfolds reminds me of the way Indiana Jones meets Flash Gordon might be written, or the characters of Dan Brown and Tom Clancy interwoven.
Unique and powerful, The Strait is a work of fiction that is based on past and current events that provide the reader with an inventive storyline that could be ripped from a current news headline and in-depth report. Coarse and raw, the characters deal with an evolving mystery that intrigues to the very end. I highly recommend this book and hope Mr. Stasi can take The Strait as the start of a series of sequels, and even develop this novel into a screenplay and an exciting motion picture. Yes, it is that good ! ! !
Commercial pilot, Jake Silver, finds his life turned upside down when he sets out to clear his former Gulf War flight leader, “Swede” Bergstrom’s name after a suspicious air crash that labels Bergstrom as a drug runner. Along with Bergstrom’s sister, Tina, the search leads him on an adventure woven with lies, drugs, kidnapping and of course, murder. When Tina disappears from a mysterious South American jungle airstrip, the hunt for the truth takes an even more dangerous turn.
Meanwhile, back in New York, a beautiful woman is found gruesomely murdered…in Jake’s apartment! Jake’s mother, M.J. Silver, a former D.A., embarks on her own pursuit to clear her only son’s name and to find where and why Jake has suddenly gone missing.
Both adventures take the Silvers on dangerous paths that collide in an explosive ending with a twist that will leave you wanting more!
Dom Stasi is a master at weaving intriguing characters, thrilling situations, complex details and historical facts into a can’t-put-down tale that will leave you breathless.
I was extremely pleased to read “The Strait”. It is filled with intrigue, surprises and great characters. It is a great read for all.