Drowning, Newman - B

                      This is a classic page turner, one of those novels that you can't put down and rush ahead breathlessly. Will, a designer in the oil platform business, is on a plane that ditches in the waters between Molakai and Maui minutes after taking off. The Airbus stays afloat for quite some time and most get into the water. Will, his ten year old daughter, and about a dozen stay on the plane as fire driven by the fuel oil consumes virtually everyone who made it off. He insists on the two open doors being closed because of the possibility of the fire reaching the interior of the plane. All is well and good until the plane sinks to 175 feet and nestles to a stop. The ensuing rescue is totally nerve wracking and exhilarating.