Deadlines

By Paul McHugh

"Deadlines" launches into action when a land-use activist, Beverly Bancroft, is slain on a stretch of California shore. The killers, who disguise her death as an accident, work for Cornu Point, an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1935448048
• ISBN13: 9781935448044
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Lost Coast Press
• Length: 243 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Loved it!

Maybe it's a sign of the times that some of the best crime reporting being done right now is being done by former reporters. Connelly. Larsson (sadly not writing anymore). And now Paul McHugh. All reminding us what is best about investigative reporting - and what we're increasingly missing in journalism as retrenchment in the industry continues. Deadlines is a raised shot glass to that industry. It's also testimony to the fact that great reporters are first-and-foremost great storytellers - no matter what kind of paper those stories are printed on. And this is a great story!

Fascinating tale, journeyman talent

My wife and I shared it on a trip down the coast, (past some of the sites mentioned) and had a great time with this political-enviro-sport-mystery (she tore out the pages she had read and gave them to me, while I waited for each next installment). McHugh must be thinly disguised as the main character, and with his journeyman's experience in a colorful big city newsroom, the book rang true. There's plenty of City Desk lingo and archetypal people in this book--humor and quirks and twists. I've always liked hard-boiled reporter/investigator characters. There's a Steinbeck-like streak that runs through it. I happen to remember his stories from the Chronicle a few years ago when he wrote up his epic kayak trip along the rocky coast. So we picked it for the trip. He comes at this material honestly and with the ability to nail it accurate. McHugh has a way with extreme description (adventure, fights, booze, women, politics), and characters that have me waiting for the next story. Quote: "Journalism may be a cranky, wheezing, fractious, unwieldy amalgam of the most obstreperous, independent and feisty souls on the planet, but when the enterprise gathers itself to deliver a bolt of hot, fresh, major news to the republic, there's nothing more thrilling than being a part of it." I could practically taste the hot lead type. You won't be disappointed.

Good mystery story well told

We enjoyed this mystery because of its Bay Area setting, the believable characters and the excellent narrative. We can hardly wait for McHugh's next book. A & H

Deadlines

My husband and I really enjoyed this fast-paced novel. Paul McHugh uses detailed descriptions of the characters and locations which make the reader feel right in the middle of the action. We highly recommend Deadlines!

Whatever happened to journalism?

Sometimes a book comes along that answers a question forming in your mind for a long time. Deadlines did this for me. Why is it that the respected profession of journalism seems at an end, with papers crashing left and right, rehashed stories, and only NPR willing to offer explanations. McHugh's book takes you into the ICU of big city papers dying, showing you the forces that modern journalists must contend with. And he does it in a damn fine tale.