Occupational Hazards

By Jonathan Segura

Bernard Cockburn is a beat reporter for the Omaha Weekly News-Telegraph . His boss has him chasing dead-end stories on real estate and county funding irregularities when he'd rather be working on that handful of neglected expos s in his bottom desk drawer -- or self-medicating in the apartment he shares with an on-again, off-again girlfriend. Then Cockburn finds himself at a bloody crime scene in downtown Omaha and uncovers a lead in what soon becomes the only story worth pursuing, one that just might pull him down and keep him there for good. From street level to small-town bureaucracy, and even the staff at the paper, a vigilante league is intent on cleaning up the ghetto for profit, even if it means killing a few people to get it done -- an elaborate conspiracy too unbelievable for newsprint. Like the detectives of all great noir, Cockburn's got a past that threatens to invade his present at any moment. Work has become a diversion from his personal life; but almost no one knew about his connection to the death of his best friend's little sister, and now he's begun receiving disconcerting blackmail threats. Debut novelist Jonathan Segura has all the right instincts when it comes to plotting a relentless and tightly packed story. Darkly funny at times, and even wryly emotional, Occupational Hazards is a sharply observant, suspenseful read from a new and worthy writing talent.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416562915
• ISBN13: 9781416562917
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Hard-Boiled, Well-Done

Make no mistake - this book has a severe absence of rainbows, kittens, babies dressed up like flowers, or anything else that's likely to make you coo. It's gritty and foul-mouthed and the characters are like biting tinfoil. And it's really, really well-written. The narrator is wholly unlikeable and yet completely sympathetic - I couldn't stand him and couldn't stop rooting for him. I think this is largely because his voice is really clear and believable and well-developed, and though he (and everyone else in the story) is deeply flawed, it's because he's entirely human, and often very, very funny. The plot is genius - if someone just told you, "Well, it's about corruption in Omaha," you'd probably be non-plussed, but Segura manages to make that corruption vital and menacing and turns the tiny town's drama into a pot-boiler of the highest order. If they make a movie out of this book, it'd be in that same green-gray wash as Fight Club, and it'd be every bit as captivating.

Easy Killer

Killer of time that is. Occupational Hazard will steal your time away if you don't pay attention to the clock; but that's okay, it's time well spent. Author Segura paints characters that are vivid and likeable yet human (a reminder we aren't perfect). Segura writes with ease (or so it seems). Worth the money and then some.

Darkly Enjoyable

Unremittingly dark, but leavened with humor. Every time you think the (anti-)hero is about to show a little warmth and fuzziness he veers back into his world of booze and pill fueled misanthropy. Though the plot at times is a bit convoluted, the sharpness of the writing and deftly handled dialogue carry the reader's attention through. Segura's a talented new voice. I look forward to reading his next novel.

purebred urban noir

Reporter Bernard Cockburn works the crime beat for the Omaha Weekly News-Telegraph; though in his late twenties, Bernard is already burned out with only alcohol and some questionable drugs enabling him to walk the mean streets of Omaha. His lover pregnant Allison demands he grow up by giving up the booze and drugs for the sake of their unborn, but so far that haze is the only thing that keeps him obstinately working; he detests her nagging and prefers she rid them of the fetus especially in light of all the sh*t they have used. His current interest beyond the latest foolishness of Police Detective Dick, an apropos name if their ever was one, is a strange downtown land deal that smells of city kickbacks. His efforts to learn why LLC is buying decaying property meet roadblocks and official bureaucratic stalling; he struggles to even identify the group members. However everything turns dark when LLC board members die after he interrogates them; soon Bernard links their homicides to a vigilante neighborhood watch cleansing the streets brutally and lethally of drug and sex traffickers. Bernard is not likeable; in fact he is reprehensible with his irresponsible and uncaring nature. However, in spite of his only desire being the next hazy high, readers will appreciate this antihero whose asides are poignant from a negative outlook. His dissertation on motive is on target as befitting a depraved cynic who feels there is nothing a person will not do. The inquiry is fun to follow as Bernard stays in character with his dirty purple haze outlooks throughout while walking the streets of Omaha and while fighting with Alison over the rug rat growing inside her. Not for everyone, purebred urban noir fans will welcome this unwelcome protagonist. Harriet Klausner