Into the Abyss: An Extraordinary True Story

Carol Shaben

May 2013 · Sold by Grand Central Publishing

About this ebook

Read the "gripping and emotionally affecting" book where four men survived the plane crash. The pilot. A politician. A cop... and the criminal he was shackled to (Washington Post).

On an icy night in October 1984, a commuter plane carrying nine passengers crashed in the remote wilderness of northern Alberta, killing six people. Four survived: the rookie pilot, a prominent politician, a cop, and the criminal he was escorting to face charges. Despite the poor weather, Erik Vogel, the 24-year-old pilot, was under intense pressure to fly. Larry Shaben, the author's father and Canada's first Muslim Cabinet Minister, was commuting home after a busy week at the Alberta Legislature. Constable Scott Deschamps was escorting Paul Archambault, a drifter wanted on an outstanding warrant. Against regulations, Archambault's handcuffs were removed-a decision that would profoundly impact the men's survival.

As the men fight through the night to stay alive, the dividing lines of power, wealth, and status are erased, and each man is forced to confront the precious and limited nature of his existence.

Ratings and reviews

I don't normally read nonfiction, but this book was good! It's the story of four airplane crash survivors as told by the daughter of one of the survivors. It was a slow start for me to get into it, mainly because I found all the author intrusions to be too distracting. Shaben went to great lengths to describe things that she couldn't possibly of known. It seemed like it was a lot of unnecessary filler, but the story is interesting, so I was able to put that aside.

About the author

Carol Shaben won two Canadian National Magazine Awards -- a Gold Medal for Investigative Reporting and a Silver Medal for Politics and Public Interest -- for articles that highlighted the subject of this book.