From Publishers Weekly
First-novelist Boyle deftly transplants a big-city noir atmosphere to the western Maine mill town of Androscoggin, where the discovery of a freelance photographer’s body floating in the canal leads newspaper editor Jack McMorrow into a series of intrigues. . . . The author, himself an award-winning columnist, uses his insider’s knowledge of the newspaper business to give his plot plenty of texture; he also delivers realistic characterizations, diverting subplots and evocative descriptions of rural Maine. Turning what could have been a contrived ending into a powerful, scary denouement, Boyle shocks readers into the recognition that life, in all of its subtlety, will constantly contradict itself. A fine debut; one hopes to see more of McMorrow.
From Booklist
Boyle makes an auspicious debut, using his years of experience as a journalist and his knowledge of small-town Maine to create an entertaining mystery-adventure. . . . Boyle’s characters are all engaging; his high-speed plot never bogs down; and his dry wit provides some welcome relief from the hard-hitting action. Fans of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser will love McMorrow, a quintessential male who’s tough, funny, macho, and intelligent, who thrives on danger, and who has a girlfriend who’s almost as cool as Susan Silverman. All he lacks is a sidekick like Spenser’s Hawk.
From Midwest Book Review
Filled with unexpected twists, the reader weaves with the reporter Jack McMorrow through a labyrinth of hidden relationships, murderous intentions and secret pasts. McMorrow is the editor of a weekly newspaper in Androscoggin, Maine who tries to get some answers to why his photographer downed in an icy mill canal, why doesn’t anyone in the town care, and who, if anyone, can he trust? Deadline is a fast, lively and exceptionally well written mystery by a new author in the genre.
In PORT CITY SHAKEDOWN, the first Brandon Blake novel, Brandon gets a full dose of bad guys. A brawl in a funeral home introduces him to Joel Fuller, a sociopathic hustler. Fuller is fresh out of jail and determined to take Brandon out—after Fuller and his sidekick Kelvin shake him down.
Rocky isn’t a tough guy. He’s a skinny little kid with crooked glasses, and he shouldn’t be homeless in Portland, Maine. When McMorrow and Roxanne pluck him from under the stomping feet of a gang of street kids, Rocky latches onto McMorrow–and drags him into a world of murder, both old and new. Why is McMorrow protecting Rocky? The cops want to know. Why is Rocky on the run? McMorrow wants to know. Why does death follow in Rocky’s wake? Jack and Roxanne need to find out before they’re added to the list. 
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Sailing & Yachting…
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