Deadline -- by Sandra Brown

 

Clever, clever, clever, and not overworked.

Author Sandra Brown's Deadline sucks the reader in, leading to some surprises in the final chapters. The clever plotting nicely sets you up for the entertainment awaiting. I don't want to spoil everything. It's that good. There were possibly three or four words or phrases that halted me for an instant, but there were no other distractions...

Except.

"That's Headly!"

Harvey Korman's immortal words from Blazing Saddles have been dancing and strutting in my head since Headly, the godfather/FBI character entered. I still see and hear that bouncing from the left brain and back to the right brain, again and again.

So much for the empty spaces.

Personally, I also appreciated the Savannah and nearby island story local. I live a little over an hour's drive and have a general working knowledge of that area. Under better circumstances, I would know it much better than I do. The author is also originally from very close to where my parents live in Texas, and her surname could land her in a more familial association. However, those are only superfluous in reading a really good book.

This one managed to take me to the nearby Atlantic beaches that elude me too much, and into a bit of Savannah where I seldom have the chance to visit. It was good, fast-moving, continuous content with many good storytelling elements. I found myself frequently reading straight through the chapter breaks. One could follow it with a notepad full of points young, ambitious writers should consider.

Some people might notice by now that I don't waste time on poor books unless I need part of it for research in my works in progress. Life is definitely not too short for Deadline, wrapped around a magazine journalist's quest for a great story, learning much more than he ever bargained for.