Stephen Harrigan, Challenger Park

Challenger Park

Stephen Harrigan

Kopf, Apr 2006, $24.95

ISBN: 0307264742

Envying her spouse Brian who has flown two missions, thirtyish Lucy Kinceloe waits for her chance to go into space on the shuttle. When her turn finally comes, Lucy, the mother of two, is euphoric even though the mission is a "simple" routine supply run to equip the space station.

While Lucy and her teammates prepare for their mission, training team leader widower Walt Womack is attracted to her. She feels for the nondescript somewhat melancholy Walt, who is the opposite of her dynamic spouse. They have an affair before Lucy heads into space. However, an accident leaves Lucy stranded on the space station with help at least three months away. Her family and her lover worry about her while Lucy copes with her marooned status.

CHALLENGER PARK is at its best when it concentrates on the space program as the audience obtains insight into Cape Canaveral, family members of the astronauts especially when they are on a mission or in training and the ground crew and astronauts' fears and elation about going up (no pun intended). When the storyline focuses on the tryst, it loses some of the punch of an astronaut in trouble. Interestingly, as Lucy waits rescuing, the distance to earth is a little more than the mileage between NYC and DC yet seems so much further. Stephen Harrigan provides a deep thriller that literally keeps readers on the edge of their seats once the accident occurs and everyone knows she has a problem.

Harriet Klausner