Review: Deadline Man Fantastic Mystery!

Deadline Man


By Jon Talton

Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 9781590587232
287 Pages


 
You know how some books are called page-turners? Well, Deadline Man, by Jon Talton, is what I've coined a "read-faster!" I don't really know whether it was the writing, his style, the main character's profession, or the suspenseful mystery, but I found myself moving faster and faster across the words to see what was going to happen next! Fantastic!

He was now a well-read Business Financial columnist, having worked himself up from writing obits at Seattle Free Press, a privately owned newspaper that had, under its previous leader been a strong contender in being first in hard news on major issues. However, on her death, the family was interested only in getting their money and if that meant selling the newspaper, then so be it. One of the problems they faced, however, was that there might not be any buyers, given the declining industry.

And it was just a routine interview with Hardesty, whose hedge fund had just invested $75M into a new startup, which he was enjoying, when everything started to go south. He had merely tried to gain new material for his column and picked out a company, Olympic International, that had not been highlighted for many years. But later he would push to remember everything that had happened that day.

--He had heard on the news immediately before the interview that Megan Nyberg, a teenager, was missing.

--He was still thinking about his previous night with Pam, while Troy teased him about being involved with Rachel Summers. Actually he normally had three or four lovers at any given time...

--A blond had shoved past him as he was leaving; he remembered her later when she was trying to kill him.

--Troy Henderson fell from his high-rise terrace immediately after he had left!

--During the interview, Troy had asked him casually whether he had ever heard of eleven-eleven...

And then he wrote his first column on Olympic International...

After that, he was running for his life as men who professed to be FBI pursued him, a prostitute yells after him, "eleven-eleven--you'll get yours!" And he finds himself in bed with Pam, who is dead.

Needless to say, I loved this one. I enjoyed learning about the newspaper business mechanics, such as the lede spelling change, and empathize with the individual employees as they feared losing their job and considered what they would do. Talton has shared a real-time issue with readers as he has also given us a beautifully entwined mystery that keeps readers guessing, but meticulously comes together as if the author had created a tapestry!

This is a must-read for mystery lovers...well above a 1-5 ranking, earning a 9 or 10 in my opinion! Let me know if you agree!

Book Provided Through
Net Galley by Publisher



G. A. Bixler

Men of Gain Exposes Costly Wall Street Shenanigans

Timely New Psychological Mystery Novel Men of Gain
Exposes Costly Wall Street Financial Shenanigans

Hunter McClelland’s new psychological mystery novel, Men of Gain, dramatizes the financial and psychological collapse of a hedge fund manager whose decisions costs his clients millions of dollars, when Wall Street undergoes its greatest meltdown in 80 years.

“I felt this story needed to be told as a compassionate study of the personal and emotional life of a man,” McClelland explains. “In today’s society, men’s emotions tend to be ignored. I wanted to trace the psychological evolution my protagonist Evan Tipton goes through when faced with a very stressful situation, where something goes very wrong in his life. When the U.S. financial crisis hit in September 2008, I realized that this was the perfect situation in which to explore men’s nature.

“The book deals with several very timely and controversial issues, including malpractice, risky hedge fund investments, sub-prime mortgages and business ethics. I believe this story is unique, and I am unaware of any other novels dealing with the current financial crisis from this perspective. Men of Gain is meant to be enjoyed but also to promote discussion and insight into how this financial collapse was created. The main reason I write is to show the reality the financial disaster has played out with people, not just with the markets.

“In Men of Gain, Evan struggles personally and morally within the crucible of the financial world. However, the novel also explores whether this fund manager was guilty of unethical practices or was simply naïve as to what was going on all around him.”

San Francisco banker and writer Roland Bianchi says, “You recognize at the outset that the author has a passion for the subject, as well as talent and style that earn your trust. A must read!”

Burlingame, CA doctor Dana Wemple declares, “With this first novel, Hunter McClelland presents an intelligent and perceptive view of current American culture, examining the value in numbers and in relationships. The characters take us on a compelling journey well worth reading.”

And Berkeley, CA educator James Lippincott adds, “Evocative and warm, this page-turner explores the men and events contributing to the economic meltdown of the 21st Century. Magnificently narrated: a voice of the times.”

***

About Author Hunter McClelland
Author Hunter McClelland was born and educated in Richmond, CA, earned a B.S. in psychology from University of California at Davis, and then undertook a nursing degree and a Ph.D. in physiology from Johns Hopkins University. She worked primarily as an operating-room nurse, and also taught nursing for 10 years at Stevenson University in Maryland. During her medical career, McClelland lectured and developed courses in pathophysiology and biology. Currently Hunter is working on her second novel, which deals with green technology and the auto industry.


Men of Gain
116-page paperback; $12.95
Published by Strategic Book Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60860-068-7
Available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.strategicbookpublishing.com and selected bookstores



2009


Media Contact:
Charlie Barrett, The Barrett Company Communications, Los Angeles, CA
Phone: 310-471-5764; E-mail: cbarrett@thebarrettco.com

Watch for my review coming soon if this sounds like YOUR kind of book!