Blades: The Autobiography of a Rescue-Helicopter Pilot

This four-part novel follows the life of a teenage boy over five years,taking him from Darwin, in Australia's tropical north, to California'swilderness.In "Street Kid," we meet 12-year-old Julian Moreland and his widowedfather, Craig, a military helicopter pilot. Craig's decision to retire fromthe army and accept employment south in Melbourne as a civilianpilot turns to tragedy. Julian finds himself alone and homeless, untilhe saves the life of a baby girl and is taken in by her wealthy family.At age 17, and newly qualified as a helicopter pilot, Julian saves thelives of three more children, including two American boys lost in themountains of southeastern Australia, in "High Country." He also meetsthe love of his life, Alison, the missing boys' sister.Invited to visit Los Angeles by the parents of the rescued boys, Julianfinds himself flying helicopter missions during a wildfire emergencyin the Sierra Nevada Mountains, saving even more lives. Meanwhile,love continues to blossom between him and Alison, his Americansweetheart, in "California Dreaming."When Julian returns to Australia, his world begins to fall apart, asthe traumas of his past catch up with him. It isonly after a serious act of violence against a closefriend, that Julian starts the long road back tocontrolling his life in "Aftermath."Author J. William Turner was born in England andmigrated to Australia as a child in the mid-1960s.Blades is his third published novel.