Guest Review: Hijacked Love by Ethan Stone

It’s the winter of 1971 and FBI Agent Zack Pomeroy is hoping to make a name for himself when he’s assigned the case of the century—the hijacking of an airplane by D.B. Cooper. Zack’s used to hiding his sexuality but working with Duke Magruder is even more of a challenge. Not only do they do have vastly different personalities but also contrasting opinions on how to work the case. Nonetheless, Zack is able to earn Duke’s begrudging respect.

Until Duke learns Zack’s secret.

When Zack finds a lead on the case Duke not only refuses to listen, he also refuses to work with Zack any longer. Zack’s career and his assignment are at jeopardy but that doesn’t mean he’s about to give up on finding Cooper, no matter how many years it takes.

Hijacked Love is a blend of mystery and historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in.

Reviewer: Shee Reader


The story is a quick read but spans several decades. It opens in 1971 with a closeted FBI agent on his first day on the job. (This is before I was born, but I have it on good authority that the scene setting was spot on for the seventies) Zachary Pomeroy finds himself slap bang in the middle of an aircraft hijacking and is paired up with the grumpy old agent no-one wants to work with. It's almost thanksgiving and Zack’s partner Phil is going to be awfully disappointed when he doesn’t come home on time. Of course in the seventies there were no cellphones so there’s no secret text to one's boyfriend! There is horrific homophobia and awful ‘lifestyle choices’ language which I found distasteful, but I am reliably informed was of the time.

The case is the bulk of the story and (there is detailed reference to gay literature) the hijacker is never identified until the end of the story when (a now retired Zack) finally cracks the case with some good old fashioned detective work. Zack uses his knowledge of vintage gay literature to piece together the tiny clues. As the story whistles through the years we see sometimes change, Zack and his partner get married for example, and the ending is smart without being overly sappy.

This isn’t a traditional romance novella, though there is the side story of Zack and Phil, but I found it slightly disjointed. It’s as if this little book tried to do too much. Still, it was interesting and worth the time.

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.