Black & White and Dead All Over

May 19, 2008
William Randolph Hearst meets Agatha Christie in this entertaining crime novel from Pulitzer Prize–winner Darnton (The Darwin Conspiracy
). When assistant managing editor Theodore S. Ratnoff is found murdered in the offices of the New York Globe
, a major newspaper struggling to stay afloat amid ever-decreasing readership, circulation and stock value, the killer could be any number of Globe
employees who've been humiliated by the tyrannical Ratnoff over the years. Aided by enigmatic NYPD Det. Priscilla Bollingsworth, the Globe
's investigative reporter Jude Hurley begins the daunting task of exonerating a laundry list of suspects, who include rogue cops, a reporter suspected of plagiarism and a disgraced executive editor. When the Globe
's gossip columnist and food critic turn up dead, the case suddenly becomes much more complicated—and dangerous. Loaded with subtle social commentary and wry humor (a teen's Web journal, teenage.snivel.com, gets “close to 1.5 million hits a day”), this highly intelligent whodunit will keep readers guessing.

June 15, 2008
When a hated editor turns up dead in the newsroom with a news spike in his chest, it looks like an inside job at the "New York Globe". Hot-shot investigative reporter Jude Hurley gets the story assignment shortly before the gossip columnist is murdered in a bundling machine. Then the food critic is poisoned during a live, televised cooking demo while the killer leaves taunting literary teasers. Jude and an attractive, young NYPD detective warily work together trying to stop the carnage while keeping the paper going. Although Darnton's four previous novels incorporated a science element ("The Experiment; The Darwin Conspiracy; Neanderthal; Mind Catcher"), here he makes skilled use of his four decades as a "New York Times" reporter, editor, and correspondent. Wit and sarcasm show in the insider anecdotes, the jabs at editors, even in characters' names. A Murdoch-like empire builder is named Moloch, and the publisher's twin sons are Rosen and Guilden. It's a lot of fun with melodramatic twists all arising from a really bad lede. Recommended for public and academic collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 3/1/08.]Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2008
Adult/High School-This fast-paced whodunit entertains on several levels. A domineering, powerful, spiteful editor of a major national newspaper is found murdered with the same spike in his chest that he used to kill reporters' stories. A young, single, clever female detective teams up with a young, single, clever male reporter to solve the case. The evidence points to a multitude of suspects. Then another victim is found dead, and then, still another. Each time, the method of murder is more gruesome, and more telling. Obviously, the murderer (murderers?) is sending a message, but exactly what that message is remains elusive. The suspense mounts, and most readers will remain puzzled to the end. In addition to these elements of a traditional mystery, readers are treated to an inside look at a rapidly changing, and some would say dying, profession of print journalism. With considerable attention to detail, Darnton portrays the key players in this transformation: the resentful old guard, the clueless publisher, the aggressive career builders, the talented but unappreciated reporters, the self-centered columnists, and the ruthless international media tycoon. With abundant wit and panache, the author navigates his way between the rising cliffs of cynicism and romanticism to arrive at some semblance of truth concerning this not-yet-expired institution in our society. The daily newspaper is still alive in America, even if several newspaper workers are dead all over in Darnton's entertaining and enlightening tale."Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2008
A feared and hated editor at the New York Globe turns up dead, a mocking note pinned to his chest with an editors spike. His colleagues are shocked, certainly, but theyll be damned if theyre going to let the competition scoop them. Up-and-coming iconoclast Jude Hurley gets the story and soon finds himself navigating a labyrinth of personalities and politics--and covering more killings, too. Few professionals embrace their own mythology quite like journalists, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Darnton, a writer for the New York Times, clearly has ink under his fingernails. But though this rollicking newsroom farce pays homage to the fabled Front Page, theres no clatter of typewriters here. Indeed, much of the tension is derived from the real-life troubles facing the newspaper industry today: declining readership and revenue, competition from the Web, and so on. And the basement that once housed the papers mighty printing press is now dark and empty, a perfect place for murder. Anyone drawn to the hubbub of journalism will enjoy this very funny mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)