Arctic Showdown: An Alaskan Adventure

A fierce Arctic blizzard, an emergency landing in the Alaskan wilds, a party of inexperienced newsmen — and only a 16-year-old boy, using his Air Force Survival School training, between them and certain death.

Young Andy Driscoll is perfectly able to handle the job of keeping himself and his tenderfoot friend John alive and healthy until help comes, but aiding the adult members of the party is a more difficult task, for the men, led by a loudmouthed bully, are reluctant to accept the leadership of a young boy. The story of Andy’s desperate struggle against overwhelming odds to save the lives of ten helpless men makes a tense, exciting, and extremely informative reading adventure.

Here is a book that will appeal to all — for the vivid description of Alaskan country; for the accurate representation of approved military survival-school techniques; for the fascinating information on a little-known segment of our defense system; and, above all, for the sheer excitement of a first-rate adventure story.

The author, John Ball, is best known for mystery novels involving the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. Tibbs was introduced in the 1965 novel IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, which won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and was made into an Oscar-winning film of the same name. Ball's departure from the mystery genre was a bestselling what-if political thriller THE FIRST TEAM. Mr. Ball was also a member of the Aviation Space Writers Association and served for a time as the public relations director of the Institute of Aerospace Sciences. His interest in and knowledge of aviation adds a sense of authenticity to ARCTIC SHOWDOWN.