The Dead HourThe Dead Hour
a Novel
Title rated 3.75 out of 5 stars, based on 44 ratings(44 ratings)
Book, 2006
Current format, Book, 2006, 1st ed, All copies in use.Book, 2006
Current format, Book, 2006, 1st ed, All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formatsThe domestic dispute in a wealthy suburb seems like nothing unusual. The elegant blonde bleeding in the shadows doesn't want help; and the well-dressed, ingratiating man at the front door tells investigative journalist Paddy Meehan everything's fine. Then he asks her to make sure nothing appears in the paper, slipping cash into her hand. The next morning Paddy sees on TV: the blond woman had been tortured, beaten, and left to die. The untraceable man was neither her boyfriend nor her husband. Soon Paddy begins to make connections, and after a suicide is pulled from the river, she finds links between the two deaths. It's the story she's dreamed of, but she'll lose all credibility if word gets out about the bribe, and her boss at the newspaper is impatientwith her hunches. Only Paddy cares enough to pursue a brutal truth that could make her career--or kill her.--From publisher description.
Responding to a late-night disturbance call only to be reassured by a blonde woman that nothing is wrong, Paddy Meehan is horrified to learn the following morning that the woman, a lawyer from an upper-crust community, has been murdered.
Responding to a late-night disturbance call only to be reassured by a blonde women that nothing is wrong, Paddy Meehan is horrified to learn the following morning that the woman, a prosecution lawyer from an upper-crust community, has been murdered, a case that Paddy links to the death of a suicide victim. By the author of Field of Blood. 50,000 first printing.
Paddy Meehan thought she'd be farther along in her career as an investigative journalist by now. But three years after breaking a big story, she's still on perpetual night shift, chasing police calls for a story that will promote her out of a twilight existence that makes candy bars and coffee a medical necessity. With her father and brothers unemployed and her family perilously short of money, she needs the work.
The domestic dispute at a house in a wealthy suburb seems like nothing unusual - at first. The elegant blonde in the shadows bleeding from a head injury doesn't want any help; and the well-dressed, ingratiating man at the front door tells Paddy everything's fine and that she should leave.
And then he asks her to make sure nothing appears in the paper, slipping cash into her hand before he closes the door.
The next morning Paddy sees the lead TV news story: the blond woman had been tortured, beaten, and left to die. The untraceable man was neither her boyfriend nor her husband, and Paddy can't understand why the victim passed up the chance to walk through the door and live. Far from the spoiled trophy wife Paddy assumed her to be, the victim was a prosecution lawyer with a social conscience that clashed with her privileged background. Soon Paddy begins to make connections no one else has seen, and after she witnesses the body of a suicide being pulled from the river, she finds surprising links between the two deaths.
It's the story Paddy's dreamed of, but she'll lose all credibility if word gets out about the bribe. The police who attended the call are twisting the evidence for reasons of their own, and her boss at the newspaper is impatient with Paddy's unproven hunches. Only Paddy care enough to pursue a dark and brutal truth that could make her career - or kill her.
The most praised thriller writer to burst onto the scene in years returns with a brilliant new story of suicide, murder, violence, and greed.Responding to a late night-call, Paddy Meehan arrives at an elegant villa, where a calm blonde with blood running from her mouth answers the door. She has already convinced the police to leave and soon Paddy realizes how-she slips 50 bucks into Paddy's hands and begs her to keep the incident, whatever it is, out of the press.The next morning Paddy sees the lead news story: The blonde woman has been murdered, and far from the spoiled trophy wife Paddy assumed her to be, the victim turns out to be a prosecution lawyer with a social conscience.Bewildered why the woman didn't take the chance to leave the house when she could, Paddy begins to make connections no one else has seen. When she witnesses the body of a suicide victim being pulled from the river shortly afterward, Paddy suspects links between the two deaths and follows her idea to its shocking-and deadly-conclusion.
Responding to a late-night disturbance call only to be reassured by a blonde woman that nothing is wrong, Paddy Meehan is horrified to learn the following morning that the woman, a lawyer from an upper-crust community, has been murdered.
Responding to a late-night disturbance call only to be reassured by a blonde women that nothing is wrong, Paddy Meehan is horrified to learn the following morning that the woman, a prosecution lawyer from an upper-crust community, has been murdered, a case that Paddy links to the death of a suicide victim. By the author of Field of Blood. 50,000 first printing.
Paddy Meehan thought she'd be farther along in her career as an investigative journalist by now. But three years after breaking a big story, she's still on perpetual night shift, chasing police calls for a story that will promote her out of a twilight existence that makes candy bars and coffee a medical necessity. With her father and brothers unemployed and her family perilously short of money, she needs the work.
The domestic dispute at a house in a wealthy suburb seems like nothing unusual - at first. The elegant blonde in the shadows bleeding from a head injury doesn't want any help; and the well-dressed, ingratiating man at the front door tells Paddy everything's fine and that she should leave.
And then he asks her to make sure nothing appears in the paper, slipping cash into her hand before he closes the door.
The next morning Paddy sees the lead TV news story: the blond woman had been tortured, beaten, and left to die. The untraceable man was neither her boyfriend nor her husband, and Paddy can't understand why the victim passed up the chance to walk through the door and live. Far from the spoiled trophy wife Paddy assumed her to be, the victim was a prosecution lawyer with a social conscience that clashed with her privileged background. Soon Paddy begins to make connections no one else has seen, and after she witnesses the body of a suicide being pulled from the river, she finds surprising links between the two deaths.
It's the story Paddy's dreamed of, but she'll lose all credibility if word gets out about the bribe. The police who attended the call are twisting the evidence for reasons of their own, and her boss at the newspaper is impatient with Paddy's unproven hunches. Only Paddy care enough to pursue a dark and brutal truth that could make her career - or kill her.
The most praised thriller writer to burst onto the scene in years returns with a brilliant new story of suicide, murder, violence, and greed.Responding to a late night-call, Paddy Meehan arrives at an elegant villa, where a calm blonde with blood running from her mouth answers the door. She has already convinced the police to leave and soon Paddy realizes how-she slips 50 bucks into Paddy's hands and begs her to keep the incident, whatever it is, out of the press.The next morning Paddy sees the lead news story: The blonde woman has been murdered, and far from the spoiled trophy wife Paddy assumed her to be, the victim turns out to be a prosecution lawyer with a social conscience.Bewildered why the woman didn't take the chance to leave the house when she could, Paddy begins to make connections no one else has seen. When she witnesses the body of a suicide victim being pulled from the river shortly afterward, Paddy suspects links between the two deaths and follows her idea to its shocking-and deadly-conclusion.
Title availability
About
Details
Publication
- New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2006.
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community