The Evening News

From Publishers WeeklyIn his first book in six years, Hailey ( Airport ; Hotel ; etc.) links the infamous Medellin drug cartel with the violent revolutionaries of Sendero Luminoso --"the Shining Path"--a Maoist terrorist group that in this scorcher kidnaps the family of CBA-TV news anchor Crawford Sloane. After a slow, creaky start, and despite a pasteboard cast of guerillas who shoot off more stilted phrases than bullets, the story moves with speed and heat as Crawford's valiant wife Jessica, her young son Nicky and flinty father-in-law are smuggled in coffins to Peru, then marched to a steaming, remote jungle village. Back in the States, heavy-weight correspondent Harry Partridge, Jessica's old lover, spearheads an investigation that the network's slimy parent company, Globanic Industries, tries to hamper. Gripping behind-the-scenes action at CBA-TV and a vivid primer on terrorist tactics pepper the boiling pot. Credibility gaps in the final chapters are paved over by sheer, reckless drama. Literary Guild main selection; Reader's Digest Condensed Book Club selection. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal"We interrupt our regular programming to bring you a special report. . . police . . . have reported the apparent kidnapping of the wife, young son, and father of CBA news anchorman Crawford Sloane" summarizes the plot of this exciting novel. Readers will feel a part of the team of CBA staffers who become detectives in the exciting race to rescue the family from ruthless Colombian terrorists rather than give into their demands for free air time. Readers also witness life with the captives--both the brutal and the kinder moments. In typical, well-researched Hailey fashion, the behind-the-scenes world in the news department of the network is realistically brought to life. Italicized flashbacks present background that develops the characters more fully. The length of the novel may prevent many students from picking it up, but those who do will find an action-filled adventure that's hard to put down. The novel may also appeal to students interested in electronic journalism as a career; in addition to depicting newsroom life, the book will open their eyes to both the close camaraderie and the bitter conflicts that can exist in a large organization. --Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VACopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers WeeklyIn his first book in six years, Hailey ( Airport ; Hotel ; etc.) links the infamous Medellin drug cartel with the violent revolutionaries of Sendero Luminoso --"the Shining Path"--a Maoist terrorist group that in this scorcher kidnaps the family of CBA-TV news anchor Crawford Sloane. After a slow, creaky start, and despite a pasteboard cast of guerillas who shoot off more stilted phrases than bullets, the story moves with speed and heat as Crawford's valiant wife Jessica, her young son Nicky and flinty father-in-law are smuggled in coffins to Peru, then marched to a steaming, remote jungle village. Back in the States, heavy-weight correspondent Harry Partridge, Jessica's old lover, spearheads an investigation that the network's slimy parent company, Globanic Industries, tries to hamper. Gripping behind-the-scenes action at CBA-TV and a vivid primer on terrorist tactics pepper the boiling pot. Credibility gaps in the final chapters are paved over by sheer, reckless drama. Literary Guild main selection; Reader's Digest Condensed Book Club selection. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal"We interrupt our regular programming to bring you a special report. . . police . . . have reported the apparent kidnapping of the wife, young son, and father of CBA news anchorman Crawford Sloane" summarizes the plot of this exciting novel. Readers will feel a part of the team of CBA staffers who become detectives in the exciting race to rescue the family from ruthless Colombian terrorists rather than give into their demands for free air time. Readers also witness life with the captives--both the brutal and the kinder moments. In typical, well-researched Hailey fashion, the behind-the-scenes world in the news department of the network is realistically brought to life. Italicized flashbacks present background that develops the characters more fully. The length of the novel may prevent many students from picking it up, but those who do will find an action-filled adventure that's hard to put down. The novel may also appeal to students interested in electronic journalism as a career; in addition to depicting newsroom life, the book will open their eyes to both the close camaraderie and the bitter conflicts that can exist in a large organization. --Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VACopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.