Synopsis
Published in 2012 by Oregon author William L. Sullivan, The Case of D.B. Cooper's Parachute is a fast-paced mystery novel that presents an imaginative, fictional solution to the real-life 1971 skyjacking of a Northwest Orient flight. The story follows Portland police detective Neil Ferguson, a middle-aged, guilt-ridden investigator whose routine workload takes a sharp turn when a series of strange clues surfaces regarding stolen icons from a local Russian Orthodox church, leading to a broader web of murder and blackmail.
As Ferguson digs deeper, the evidence unexpectedly links back to the legendary D.B. Cooper case, suggesting that the long-lost hijacker who parachuted with $200,000 into the Pacific Northwest wilderness may still be alive—and that there might actually be more than one person claiming or sharing the identity. Teaming up with a mysterious Russian translator, Ferguson finds himself pulled through a series of local landmarks across Oregon, from Portland’s historic Shanghai Tunnels and dragon boat races to Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge, while navigating high-stakes encounters involving international art theft and Russian mobsters.
Ultimately, the novel blends historical intrigue, Pacific Northwest geography, and suspenseful fiction. Sullivan uses the cold-case legend of D.B. Cooper as the springboard for a multi-layered crime thriller, building to a dramatic conclusion that answers the riddle behind the missing parachutist, the original ransom money, and the true identity of the infamous fugitive.