Deadline

July 29, 2013
Domestic terrorism provides the backdrop for this uneven romantic thriller from bestseller Brown (Low Pressure). Dawson Scott, a veteran journalist traumatized by his work in Afghanistan, rejects the fluff piece his editor urges him to write, and instead travels to Georgia to cover the trial of Willard Strong, accused of murdering his wife and her lover, Jeremy Wessum, and feeding them to his fighting dogs. Dawson can’t resist reporting on the case after his godfather, a former FBI agent, tips him off that Wessum might be the son of a pair of famous terrorists. The journalist comes prepared for some courtroom drama, but what he’s unprepared for is falling in love with Wessum’s former wife, Amelia. The death of the nanny of Amelia’s two young sons suggests that a murderer may still be on the loose. Dawson and Amelia’s contrived, torrid love affair undermines an otherwise straightforward whodunit. Readers should be prepared for some cringe-worthy dialogue before reaching the propulsive final scenes. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.

September 1, 2013
A returning war correspondent covering a sensational murder case ends up with more than he bargained for. Dawson Scott has returned from Afghanistan and his job in the trenches for a national consumer news magazine, but he's greeted with a not-so-welcome surprise: His mortal enemy has become his boss. Ready to walk off the job, he instead heads off to the Savannah, Ga., area to cover a murder trial that just might be connected to a pair of famous domestic terrorists: Carl Wingert and Flora Stimel, who were caught up in a hail of bullets back in 1976 when federal and local agents surrounded the Oregon hideout of the Rangers of Righteousness. But after authorities forced their way inside, they found only five of Wingert's followers. Both Wingert and Stimel were missing. Even more worrisome was the evidence they left behind showing Flora had recently given birth. FBI agent and Dawson's godfather, Gary Headly, was present the day the pair fought their way out of the dragnet and has been on their trail since. Now he is retiring and has good reason to suspect that one of the deceased involved in the Southern murder trial, Jeremy Wesson, was the son of the murderous killers. Headly talks Dawson into covering the trial, but when Dawson travels to Georgia, he finds a lot more than a story. He also discovers Wesson's beautiful widow, Amelia Nolan, the daughter of a former congressman, and her children. While Dawson attempts to piece together what happened to Wesson, he falls for Amelia, and Jeremy's past returns to impact the present, somewhat predictably causing Dawson to go off the reservation and do something foolhardy and heroic. Brown's plot doesn't break new ground, but the veteran writer's deft characterizations and eye for detail make this a winner. Satisfying, vintage Brown storytelling.

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