Deadline by Terence J. Quinn

Publisher's Synopsis

Journalist Jonno Bligh is headhunted to London by Russian media mogul Borya Bolshakov to be editor of his flagship tabloid UK Today.

When Jonno and ace reporter Shiv O’Shea investigate the murders of a high-profile activist and a princess by jihadi terrorists, Jonno is threatened with deadly reprisals after a controversial editorial.

Then he uncovers Bolshakov’s shady links to a plot to rid Russia of crippling sanctions – and the billionaire’s plan to use UK Today as a mouthpiece.

When Jonno uncovers a murderous conspiracy reaching into the very heart of Downing Street and democracy itself, he must decide whether to risk everything -- his reputation, his family, his life – by publishing the truth.

My Review of Deadline by Terence J. Quinn

This is a slight change of pace compared to The Scoop, the first book in the Johnno Bligh series. Rather than the action adventure tone that introduced us to the journalist/author, Deadline is more of a suspense style of thriller that leans more towards the investigative journalistic qualities and the ability to dig deeply into an unfolding story.

Bligh, partly through his journalistic abilities and partly due to his celebrity, has managed to pick up the plum job of editor of a major British tabloid. At least, he thinks it’s due to his abilities as a journalist, but it quickly becomes clear to us that he’s been given the job by the paper’s owner, a bent Russian oligarch for other reasons.

Jonno’s editorial style is aggressive and unorthodox and he unapologetically steps on the toes of radical extremists, political cabinet ministers and, err, Russian oligarchs. The result is reasonably predictable with death threats, attacks on his family and lawsuits becoming a disturbingly regular event.

As we discovered when we first met him when he was sailing the seas around Indonesia, Jonno Bligh is not afraid to take on dangerous situations. But, with a family to consider now, he’s got more than just himself to consider when he draws fire from his enemies. 

And that’s where there’s a disturbing disconnect in his character. On the one hand he wants to be the devoted husband and father, yet in the same breath he’s almost completely devoted to chasing down the big breaking story, no matter how dangerous it might be. It was difficult to reconcile these two sides of him without becoming annoyed at his selfishness.

One thing is for certain, though, the tabloid press has never been so exciting or dangerous as Jonno and his team of reporters chase a major breaking story. And that danger not only comes from outside the office walls but also, and perhaps even more ominously, from within them as well.

He appears to be doomed to attract maniacal power-hungry megalomaniacs wherever he goes. First Indonesian pirates and now a Russian newspaper owner. Watching him navigate the tricky British newspaper biz while keeping himself and his loved ones in one piece is the big attraction to Deadline. 

It’s fast, action packed and constantly filled with impending menace with a high potential for death. It also does a pretty good job at taking us into the hectic world of tabloid journalism with the tight deadlines, the need to break a big story and the constant fight to prop up dwindling readership numbers. 

I found myself properly absorbed and enjoyed the way the story unfolded. There were no real major surprises at the end which was no great concern to me, in fact, I appreciated the way things were neatly tied up at the end.