Insanity, Illinois

News from the Edge #2

by Mark Sumner

Savvy McKinnon, a reporter for the Global Query tabloid newspaper, travels to a small town in Illinois to track down the reason for a series of bizarre incidents among the local townsfolk. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Sometimes credited as Mark C. Sumner or M.C. Sumner.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun and amusing urban fantasy, the second in a series about Savvy McKinnon, a reporter for a tabloid newspaper like the ones that used to be stocked nest to supermarket checkout aisles with stories about Elvis and Bigfoot and JFK and Hitler's retirement homes. Fine fare for fans of Eerie, Indiana or early X-Files.

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Review tomorrow.

[Bill Plott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 2 of Sumner's News From the Edge series that provided the inspiration for the sadly, short-lived TV series The Chronicle. Global Query reporter Savvy McKinnon gets another chance to leave the office and go out in the field. This time she is investigating a series of bizarre happenings in Meridian, IL, things such as appliances menacing a housewife, a farmer with a volcano in his apple orchard, a guy talking to God through his TV set, etc. Like the first book, The Monster of Minnesota an evil scientist is behind the trouble. It's a passable story. But also, like the fist book, it is impossible to see what led to The Chronicle. Perhaps Book 3, the final one in the series, will answer that question.

[Arliegh Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman whose appliances are trying to kill her? A man with snow geese in his toilet? A typical news-day for a tabloid. Until they realize all of the weird reports are coming from one small town.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book! Found it in a used book sale at the local bookstore. I live in Illinois, so this made me laugh. Bonus points for it being set in southern Illinois instead of Chicago. Gonna look for others in the series!

[Jay Sprenkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The protagonist works for the worst kind of tabloid. Weird has a way of catching up with you when you aren't looking. Good prose and an interesting world. Kudos Mark! Kudos!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted a quick, easy read to relax after an especially turbulent week. This fit the bill.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A breezy read. Might appeal to readers of urban fantasy more so than science fiction.

[Tony-Paul Vissage · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always a joy to discover a book one has bought and put on a shelf and, for one reason or another, forgotten. There’s always that “Where did this come from?” feeling and, upon opening it, also a nice surprise when it turns out to be exactly the kind of story one expected when it was purchased. I suppose I bought this novel but I don’t remember doing so. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it, because--it’s my kind of story.

News from the Edge was the basis for the Sci-Fi Channel’s series The Chronicle, one of my favorite shows way-back when. Don’t know where I got this book. It just suddenly…appeared…in my bookshelf. Hmmm. Wherever it came from, I wish I had the entire set. It’s The X-Files meets Kolchak with a dash of The Front Page. A little dated perhaps with its cell phones with retractable antenna (it was published in 1998) but completely enjoyable nonetheless. For a laugh and a shiver, try News from the Edge.


News from the Edge: Insanity, Illinois, was published by Ace Books and is available from Amazon.com
This book was probably purchased by the reviewer, who then forgot that fact, but no remuneration was definitely not involved in the writing of this review.

[Xand50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this one up on a whim. The cover appealed to me and the comparison to the X-Files definitely piqued my interest. After reading some good reviews online I figured it was safe to dive in and see what this book was about. Well, I assumed that it would be decent but I was pleasantly surprised when the book surpassed my expectations. The basic premise is that the main character is a reporter who works for a tabloid. She's sent out against her will to investigate some strange sightings in a small Illinois town. The bulk of the book takes place over a period of a day or so in that town. I liked this approach. It felt very focused and to the point.

With this being such an obscure series I'm sure most people looking up reviews are checking to see if it's worth reading. Here's my two cents for those readers. I thought this was a really fun, well written book. It felt like a cross between the X-Files and the old Goosebumps books, only for adults. The tone never gets overly serious or dark. It's really just a fun adventure story. If this sounds appealing to you then hunt down a copy!

[Millerbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. It's a light fun read. This one wasn't as fun as the first one, but it was still pretty good. This time Savvy is chasing down a story on a whole town gone nuts. Pet eating appliances, a werewolf, and geese flying out a toilet. Mass hysteria at it's best. Not bad.

[Pat Atteberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a used book store a couple of years ago. It is the second in a series of 3, but i have not read the other 2. It was an ok read...it went quickly but it was not great. If i find the other 2 at the used book store, i will get them but i will not buy the others new.

[Antonio Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but all to sweet... I liked Savvy in the first book but now I think I'm in love!! Attacking appliances or barb wire fences will not stop her from getting to the truth. I can't wait for more field work on new weird breaking stories!

[Katiera Morningstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really actually liked this book. If you are a fan of the X-Files, this book is for you. There's nothing paranormal about it, but it's very similar in that sci-fi mystery sense. It's a good quick read and you don't have to read the other two in the series to understand what's going on.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the series of books SciFi based their quirky show The Chronicle on...

I wish there'd been more of the books and the show...

re-read 4/26/10

[Carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 of a trilogy and I thought it was the best of the three!