Missing Man [Hardcover]

Keith Cowing, Editor, NASA Watch: When I first saw the cover of this book and read "A stunning thriller of murder and betrayal at NASA", I thought, "yikes, not ANOTHER "NASA insider" mystery novel. Luckily, that thought passed rather swiftly. This book had something going for it right off the bat: its author, Michael Cassutt, is the coauthor of the best seller Deke!", the author of the authoritative "Who's Who in Space: The International Space Station", and a well-known television producer and writer ("Seven Days" and the eerily prescient "Max Headroom" among others). Cassutt has certainly been sufficiently exposed to NASA such that he had the opportunity to see how it did/didn't work. Given Cassutt's resume, I thought I'd give it a read. I am certainly glad I did. Having worked at NASA I usually cringe at the way writers try and put forth an aura of NASA authenticity and, in so doing, invariably get an acronym woefully wrong, portray spaceflight so as to be in violation of the laws of physics, or develop their characters along absurd caricatures. Cassutt walks into the story armed with a crisp plot, real characters, and solid technical background. I never flinched once as he laid his tale out before me. From a technical standpoint, the author clearly knows the systems, the hardware, the acronyms and how NASA's team actually uses them. He also portrays NASA internal and external politics dead on. While the prominent characters are all fictitious, you can clearly see personality traits and reactions to events exhibited by the folks who actually run JSC and the Astronaut Corps. Cassutt stages his story against a fictitious backdrop of the Shuttle-Mir program during 1998-1999. While the events differ from what is happening now, it is remarkably plausible. This is a book about human weaknesses and strengths, about loyalty to NASA and loyalty to the truth, and what happens when all of these things collide against a backdrop of the risky business of spaceflight and suspicious lethal accidents. Cassutt weaves these themes together deftly with an air of realism. Indeed, at one point, I caught myself thinking about the events I was reading from the perspective of how I'd handle this information if it came my way at NASA Watch. A knowledgeable writer is one thing, but a writer who can tell a story - convincingly and in an entertaining fashion - is quite another. Cassutt keeps you turning the pages right until the end. His screenplay expertise clearly shows. Plots twists keep you guessing nearly to the conclusion. Once many of the mysteries are resolved Cassutt takes the story to an end point which will ring true with many who work at NASA - or once did. This is not a novel designed to motivate someone to join the space program. Nor is it intended to be. Rather it is a somber tale which serves to portray the NASA world as it really is: an agency of motivated and highly talented people beset with the pressure of being perfect day in and day out -- and what they might do if something went very, very wrong. It will get you thinking.

This is the best thriller about NASA I've ever read. You'll learn more about how astronauts think, work & feel than in a dozen documentaries.

Dont pick up this book if you have anything planned. I found myself ripping through this techno thriller, devouring each page as the story drew me in. Each main character is well fleshed out, and the pacing is perfect. Admittedly I found myself looking at this from a SF movie goers point of view, and this is destined to be an excellent romp on film. As in all good thriller/mysteries, there is enough (just barely) info about the story that the reader will make an effort to figure out the ending as it unfolds, but true to other great authors, Michael Cassutt knows how to twist the end around just enough to keep us reading and learning about the story as we go.