Releasing today is Engines Over the Amazon by W.M.Tarrant: A novel of seaplanes in the 1930s. A delightful mixture of adventure, suspense and romance, this book will take you back to an era when aeroplanes were new technology and war was a growing possibility.
Description
It’s 1934. The Great Depression is in full swing. Unemployment, soup lines, and desperation are a fact of life for many. Despite the darkness, people of means travel the world. The airplane is quickly becoming a viable mode of travel and flying boats offer the ultimate in luxury. Passengers lounge in ornate spacious cabins, dine on cuisine served on fine china, eat with real silverware, and speed toward their destination at 150 miles-per-hour.
The fictitious Caribbean Airways, with operational headquarters in Nassau, Bahamas, just acquired the brand-new Sikorsky S-42 four-engine flying boat. With this plane, the airline will expand its territory deeper into South America. But first a survey flight must be made to check on facilities and the feasibility of the new route. The story follows the five men who make this flight.
In addition to the two experienced pilots, the crew consists of a former World War I pilot who is now head mechanic for Caribbean Airways and serves as flight mechanic. The navigator is hired specifically for this job. He has a checkered history of excess drinking and other vices. The radio operator doesn’t like to fly. This mix of individuals must work together to complete the flight and overcome mechanical issues, bad weather, corrupt local governments, and Nazi spies.
Reviews for Engines Over the Amazon
“Engines over the Amazon by W.M.Tarrant is a charming story that is so well written that reading it feels as if you are right there in the seaplanes with the pilots.”
Tahlia Newland, award-winning author.
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About the Author: W.M.Tarrant
W. M. Tarrant grew up in rural West Central Illinois. With a wide-open view of the sky, he watched airliners, some of them propeller-driven, fly high overhead, leaving their telltale contrails. Down low Cessna and Piper airplanes flew about. In the Military Operations Area airspace, fighter planes practiced maneuvers, streaking by at near supersonic speeds. This aerial activity sparked a life-long interest in aviation.
At age thirteen, while on family vacation at Bagnall Dam in the Missouri Ozarks, he took his first plane ride, in a Cessna 185 floatplane. A book he read about the Pan American Clippers and pilot Ed Musick solidified his interest in seaplanes and flying boats. Thoughts of the Clippers, Captain Musick, and the excitement of aviation in the 1920s and 1930s stuck with him throughout fifty-five-plus years and led to this book.
He is a member of the American Aviation Historical Society.
He and his wife reside in Galesburg, Illinois, home of the annual National Stearman Fly-In.
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