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Overview
Jack McMorrow is a former New York Times reporter who has opted for the quiet life of rural Maine. But this is a Maine the tourists never see. Here you won't find any pretty postcards of the rock-bound coast, only the grittiness of broken-down towns and families trying to survive. McMorrow himself is still trying to figure out whether he can or wants to do more with his life than keep the refrigerator stocked with beer. Then an old friend contacts him with a proposition about doing an article for an upscale New England magazine. Since his money is dwindling and inertia is in danger of setting in, McMorrow agrees. Unfortunately, what starts out as a simple assignment on "Kids Having Kids" rapidly turns his peaceful existence upside down. While doing research for the article on unwed teenage mothers, McMorrow discovers what he believes to be one success story in an otherwise grim picture - a teenage mother named Missy Hewitt who gave her daughter up for adoption in order to finish high school and go on to college. But within twenty-four hours of McMorrow's talking to Missy, she is found dead. As he begins to investigate Missy's murder, more and more facts just don't add up, and McMorrow is left with the questions: Who arranged for the adoption? Where is Missy's baby? Why is someone taking potshots at his house? And who has a reason to kill to keep all these questions unanswered?"Reporter Jack McMorrow sticks his head above the tree line long enough to contract for an article on kids having kids, then homes in on one particular high-school kid--Missy Hewett, a success story of sorts who puts her baby up for adoption . . . having second thoughts about the adoption . . the day after she phones Jack . . . She's found dead."--Kirkus Review.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Boyle's effective, low-key sequel to Deadline brings back ex-New York Times reporter Jack McMorrow, who is making a habit of getting in trouble in his new home in Prosperity, Maine. Jack has taken a high-paying assignment from New England Look magazine to write an article on ``Kids Having Kids.'' Poking about a nearby high school leads him to Missy Hewett, who gave up her baby for adoption before moving to Prosperity where she intends to finish her schooling. Questioning local teenagers gains Jack an enemy who shoots up his house and sets fire to his truck. After Missy is found murdered, the police make the nosy journalist their prime suspect. At the same time, Jack is getting involved again with his ex-girlfriend, who left him because of the craziness he got into in Deadline. Boyle deftly establishes mood and setting, clearly defines his characters and offers lots of reflection from Jack, whose subdued first-person narration gives this solid mystery an intimate, small-town air. (Apr.)School Library Journal
YA-``Kids having kids'' is not a subject with which Jack McMorrow, a 38-year-old former New York Times writer transplanted to rural Maine, is familiar. Living a solitary existence off a steadily dwindling retirement fund in a bat-infested house and spending his days bird-watching and drinking beer, however, make the offer of a freelance job look pretty good. Jack accepts, thus setting out on a road that leads to harassment, violence, cover-up, and murder. Boyle writes evocatively of rural life in all of its manifestations and, along with his very real characterizations and sly, subtle humor, offers readers much more than simply a good story. Robert B. Parker enthusiasts will welcome the advent of Jack McMorrow.-Pamela B. Rearden, Centreville Regional Library, Fairfax County, VAWes Lukowsky
Jack McMorrow is a former "New York Times" reporter mending his soul in rural Maine. But a man's gotta eat, so when an offer comes to do a story on teenage motherhood, Jack accepts. He starts with Missy Hewitt, a local girl who recently gave her baby up for adoption. She supplies Jack with several sensible reasons for her decision, but a couple of days later, she leaves Jack a message saying she wants to get her baby back. Then she turns up murdered, and before you can say phone trace, the cops are viewing Jack as a suspect. Meanwhile, Jack's investigation--it's a big-time story now--puts him in contact with all the various agencies and lawyers in the area who operate in the potentially lucrative adoption market. There are bucks in babies, and where there's money there's motive. This second entry in the McMorrow series is an improvement over the first, "Deadline" (1993). McMorrow is less a collection of traits and quirks and much more a fully realized character. There's also an intriguing cast of secondary characters who bode well for future McMorrow adventures.Book Details
Published
March 1, 1996
Publisher
Boulevard (Mass Market)
Pages
324
Format
Paperbound
ISBN
9780425151822