Filled with the tension and drama of a hurricane itself, this is a brutally realistic novel of "Hurricane Hilda," the victims of its unrelenting fury, and the men who try to understand, forecast, and minimize the effects of this deadly ravager. In this gripping novel, William C. Anderson, himself and ex-hurricane hunter and Air Force pilot, explores the terrifying and awesome world of Captain Louis Sheffield, one of the unsung heroes of man's battle against the natural elements. Assisted by only a skeleton crew, Sheffield must fly into the calm eye of the raging turbulence of Hilda in order to determine the power and potential of her winds. Anderson weaves an absorbing tale of suspense as the irascible HIlda spews forth her wrath, creating a series of agonizing crises for all those in her path : at Houston Space Center, Texas, the success of a multi-million-dollar Apollo moon shot and the lives of the astronauts are at stake; off the Florida coast a wealthy New York advertising tycoon and his beautiful young daughter are trapped in the eye of the hurricane without food or fuel; in Washington, D.C., a stroke victim whose one chance for survival lies in a heart transplant is readied for a crash landing on an airfield already buffeted by hurricane winds; and around the country thousands of others wait and hope for survival as the storm plows its deadly course up the coast. Each year the hurricane season threatens to devastate the Atlantic Coast. By going behind the scenes, into the lives and hearts of those who must deal with hurricanes, often with feeble aircraft in which they fly reconnaissance missions as dangerous as those in combat, Anderson has captured the dangers, the violence, and the heroism in a novel of great power. It is also a warmly human story of the love and devotion shared by the dauntless Captain Sheffield and his brave new bride. An exciting account of man's batter against nature unleashed, THE HURRICANE HUNTERS will prove engrossing reading for all who are intrigued by the adventure and scientific challenge presented by one of the world's most destructive natural forces.