Dead Air

When a desperate gunman holds an investigative reporter hostage live on TV, NYPD Detectives Gemma Capello and Sean Logan are called in with their respective teams to prevent a bloodbath . . .

Tonight, the nightly news has become the news. An armed man dressed in a janitor’s uniform bursts into ABC studios in the middle of a broadcast and holds investigative reporter Greg Coulter at gunpoint, demanding he retract a story. Both Gemma and Logan have a mixed history with the newsman, but he was instrumental in saving their lives in a hostage situation in Grand Central Terminal. Now it’s their turn to save him.

The gunman is streaming the broadcast on his phone and threatens to kill Coulter if the feed is turned off. Fortunately, Gemma is able to speak directly into Coulter’s earpiece to talk him through the tense standoff while at the same time trying to calm the hostage taker via speakerphone.

A rapid background check reveals the assailant to be an addictive personality with mental health issues. An appeal to reason may only go so far, so to end this standoff without loss of life, Gemma and the team will need to think outside the box. Meanwhile, Logan sketches out the internal setup of the studio in the event negotiations collapse, and they need to risk a tactical incursion to take the gunman by force. But just as Gemma seems to be making headway, the teams suddenly—and completely—lose control of the situation . . .