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The Deadline |
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 The Deadline byRon Franscell Write Way Publishing 308 pages, 2000 ISBN 1885173733 Reviewed by PJ Nunn Sometimes what you see is what you get. And sometimes, what you see is what you want to see, or what somebody else wants you to see. In 1948, The Bullet - Winchester, Wyoming’s weekly newspaper - painted a portrait with words and photos of a cold, heartless man who drank hard and played harder, sporting a tattoo that said "terror" on his arm. When Aimee Little Spotted Horse’s lifeless body was dragged from the banks of the Black Thunder River, nobody questioned Gilmartin’s guilt. He was tried and convicted before he ever reached the jail cell. Gilmartin, released from prison 48 years later because he is dying of cancer, approaches Jeff Morgan, new owner of The Bullet. Morgan questions his own sanity in even listening to the old man’s plea of innocence. But something about it rings true and the reporter in him asks questions. Little does he know that he is about to unleash a series of desperate acts on his tiny hometown - acts that will threaten everything he holds dear. Wrestling with his conscience and with friends he’s known since childhood, Morgan barrels through threats and intimidations with the tenacity of a bulldog, determined to find the truth for Gilmartin and for himself. THE DEADLINE is a masterfully woven mystery, filled with colorful characters. Franscell brings scenery to life with his words, allowing the reader to hear the roar of the river, to feel the wind sweeping across the Iron Mountain Bridge, and to inhale the scent of wildflowers in the vast Wyoming landscape. This is a book that plays more with the mind than with emotions. Characters provoke interest without leaving the reader drained from an emotional roller coaster. The plot mirrors the bends in the river, perhaps because the murder took place so long ago. Readers will enjoy a trip to another place and time, with plenty of suspects and a surprising yet satisfying conclusion. |
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