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Jack McMorrow Mystery #2
Bloodline (Jack Mcmorrow Mystery) by Gerry Boyle
Jack McMorrow is a former New York Times reporter who has opted for the quiet life of rural Maine. But this is a Maine the tourists never see. Here you won't find any pretty postcards of the rock-bound coast, only the grittiness of broken-down towns and families trying to survive. McMorrow himself is still trying to figure out whether he can or wants to do more with his life than keep the refrigerator stocked with beer. Then an old friend contacts him with a proposition about doing an article for an upscale New England magazine. Since his money is dwindling and inertia is in danger of setting in, McMorrow agrees. Unfortunately, what starts out as a simple assignment on "Kids Having Kids" rapidly turns his peaceful existence upside down. While doing research for the article on unwed teenage mothers, McMorrow discovers what he believes to be one success story in an otherwise grim picture - a teenage mother named Missy Hewitt who gave her daughter up for adoption in order to finish high school and go on to college. But within twenty-four hours of McMorrow's talking to Missy, she is found dead. As he begins to investigate Missy's murder, more and more facts just don't add up, and McMorrow is left with the Who arranged for the adoption? Where is Missy's baby? Why is someone taking potshots at his house? And who has a reason to kill to keep all these questions unanswered?
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First published April 6, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 5, 2019
Jack McMorrow is a former New York Times reporter who opted to leave life in the fast lane for a totally different kind of experience in rural Maine. In the book that introduced him, Deadline, Jack had taken a job as editor of the Androscoggin Review, a small rural paper that's about as far from the Times as a newspaperman could get. He expected to find a relatively stress-free, laid-back existence with his girlfriend, Roxanne, but life in Androscoggin turned out to be anything but stress-free. Almost as soon as he arrived there, Jack became entangled in a nasty murder investigation that cost him his girlfriend and soured him on the county and its tiny newspaper.
As the second book in the series opens, we find that Jack has now moved to Prosperity, a poverty-stricken rural town in the middle-of-nowhere. He's living in a rented bat-infested house and spending his days wandering through the woods, watching birds, drinking a lot of beer and accomplishing nothing of any consequence. Roxanne is making a new life for herself out in Colorado, and the only people in Jack's life are Claire and Mary Varney, the couple that lives nearby.
Out of the blue, Jack gets a call from an old friend who's now editing a magazine. He'd like Jack to write a feature article about girls in rural Maine who are having babies way too early--kid having kids. The editor would like Jack to explore the consequences of that for the girls themselves, for their babies, and for the community at large.
Needing the money and having nothing better to do, Jack accepts the assignment. Someone steers him in the direction of a young woman named Missy Hewett, who was something of a star at the local high school. Missy was determined to build a better life for herself than that of her family, such as it was, and better than what most of her classmates could look forward too. Accordingly, she studied hard, avoided the temptations and pitfalls that would ultimately doom most of the other kids in her town, and set her sights on getting into college.
Then she got pregnant.
Rather than surrendering her dreams, Missy gave the baby up for adoption, believing that this was best both for the baby and for herself. She's now attending college in Portland, Maine, and seems to be making a success of herself. Jack decides to make her the focal point of his story. He interviews Missy, and begins interviewing other adults and young people in and around Prosperity. But somewhere along the line, he manages to stir up a reaction he didn't anticipate. All of a sudden, people are shooting out his windows, vandalizing his truck, and it's apparent that Jack has stumbled onto something that may be a lot larger than a simple magazine article.
This is another very good entry in the series, and again, Boyle particularly excels at describing the setting. One feels as if he or she is actually in rural Maine, walking though the woods with Jack McMorrow. The characters are expertly drawn and the plot is a good one. I'm looking forward to moving on to the third book in the series.
As the second book in the series opens, we find that Jack has now moved to Prosperity, a poverty-stricken rural town in the middle-of-nowhere. He's living in a rented bat-infested house and spending his days wandering through the woods, watching birds, drinking a lot of beer and accomplishing nothing of any consequence. Roxanne is making a new life for herself out in Colorado, and the only people in Jack's life are Claire and Mary Varney, the couple that lives nearby.
Out of the blue, Jack gets a call from an old friend who's now editing a magazine. He'd like Jack to write a feature article about girls in rural Maine who are having babies way too early--kid having kids. The editor would like Jack to explore the consequences of that for the girls themselves, for their babies, and for the community at large.
Needing the money and having nothing better to do, Jack accepts the assignment. Someone steers him in the direction of a young woman named Missy Hewett, who was something of a star at the local high school. Missy was determined to build a better life for herself than that of her family, such as it was, and better than what most of her classmates could look forward too. Accordingly, she studied hard, avoided the temptations and pitfalls that would ultimately doom most of the other kids in her town, and set her sights on getting into college.
Then she got pregnant.
Rather than surrendering her dreams, Missy gave the baby up for adoption, believing that this was best both for the baby and for herself. She's now attending college in Portland, Maine, and seems to be making a success of herself. Jack decides to make her the focal point of his story. He interviews Missy, and begins interviewing other adults and young people in and around Prosperity. But somewhere along the line, he manages to stir up a reaction he didn't anticipate. All of a sudden, people are shooting out his windows, vandalizing his truck, and it's apparent that Jack has stumbled onto something that may be a lot larger than a simple magazine article.
This is another very good entry in the series, and again, Boyle particularly excels at describing the setting. One feels as if he or she is actually in rural Maine, walking though the woods with Jack McMorrow. The characters are expertly drawn and the plot is a good one. I'm looking forward to moving on to the third book in the series.
January 29, 2020
No sophomore slump here, and his feel for small town Maine (or the New England area) is superb. This newspaper man, turned author can write a damn fine story.....and I'm glad he chose the mystery genre.
July 30, 2009
I awoke at 2:45 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep, so I finished this book. It was satisfying, and I think I enjoyed it more than the first one. I felt Boyle was getting into more of a groove in this one, and I am eager to read the next in the series.
July 30, 2012
Second in series of mysteries involving Jack McMorrow as a reporter in rural mid-coast Maine. Here a story on teen pregnancy uncovers a murder of a girl who gave up her baby for adoption. The story leads to an ever widening set of clues and fascinating characters. Boyle is in typcial good form in imbuing his hero with sardonic wit, moral conundrums, and crackling dialog.
September 20, 2011
This was a very good book and just as deadline, with a suprise ending that I never suspected. The author is very good at suprise endings.
October 21, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It was a really interesting story and well told. Lots of character development with several main characters having motives keep Missy quiet. The ending did not disappoint.
February 12, 2019
Excellent mystery! Being very familiar with Maine, it made it more fun. I'm still trying to figure out why Jack left NYC and NY Times. I didn't figure out who dun it until the end and look forward to the next in the series. It's funny, being written in 1995, how dated it all is. Finding a phone and phone book, ha!
March 10, 2015
This 1995 Jack McMorrow mystery is a good one, reissued with a short introduction by Boyle.
I really like the way he targets surprise endings and this one was a ripper.
McMorrow has left NY and Providence for Rumford ME and now the end of the road in Prosperity ME, near the Belfast coast.
He takes a freelance offer to do a piece on teen pregnancy and what might break the cycle of rural poverty and attitudes. Instead he finds himself at the center of a murder mystery and his own sardonic, self-centered attitude feeds the fire.
Suffice it to say that the rural roads are full of secrets and many have things to hide.
I liked the road to the truth here.
I really like the way he targets surprise endings and this one was a ripper.
McMorrow has left NY and Providence for Rumford ME and now the end of the road in Prosperity ME, near the Belfast coast.
He takes a freelance offer to do a piece on teen pregnancy and what might break the cycle of rural poverty and attitudes. Instead he finds himself at the center of a murder mystery and his own sardonic, self-centered attitude feeds the fire.
Suffice it to say that the rural roads are full of secrets and many have things to hide.
I liked the road to the truth here.
April 23, 2015
First I would like to thank Goodreads, the author and publisher for awarding me this book as part of the Goodreads giveaways. I read for enjoyment and to relax after extremely long workdays. This book was a great book for this. The book is as fresh and relevant as when it was originally published in 1995. The characters were well developed and the story was logical and easy to follow. The subject matter is still relevant and does make me realize how lucky My family life was. The prose was such that you felt you were in the rural Maine landscape and the characters seemed real
Thanks again
Thanks again
September 18, 2008
BLOODLINE - VG
Boyle, Gerry - 2nd in Jack McMorrow series
Reporter Jack McMorrow sticks his head above the tree line long enough to contract for an article on kids having kids, then homes in on one particular high-school kid--Missy Hewett, a success story of sorts who puts her baby up for adoption . . . having second thoughts about the adoption . . the day after she phones Jack . . . She's found dead.
I love book set in Maine and I really like the character. This book was slightly better than the first. I'll stick with the series.
Boyle, Gerry - 2nd in Jack McMorrow series
Reporter Jack McMorrow sticks his head above the tree line long enough to contract for an article on kids having kids, then homes in on one particular high-school kid--Missy Hewett, a success story of sorts who puts her baby up for adoption . . . having second thoughts about the adoption . . the day after she phones Jack . . . She's found dead.
I love book set in Maine and I really like the character. This book was slightly better than the first. I'll stick with the series.
May 27, 2009
Well crafted and set in the woods of Maine, Bloodline is the first Gerry Boyle mystery I've read and one I'm glad to have been given.
The plot line is well done, with characters both likable and believable and a setting that is well described in a nearly photographic way.
The plot line is well done, with characters both likable and believable and a setting that is well described in a nearly photographic way.
August 20, 2016
My first book by Mr. Boyle. The book ended pretty strong but the smart-ass dialogue wore pretty thin 3/4 through. He seemed pretty glib about everything. We didn't need to hear about each beer he drank or each bagel he ate.
April 23, 2019
I loved this book. Jack McMorrow has his quirks and a bent for trouble but the portrait of real Maine people is dead on. The reissue of Gerry Boyle's series is timely because those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat it.
December 26, 2022
The crime packs a little less of a punch than the first in terms of conspiracy… but man has Boyle hit his stride by this one! The writing is sharp and funny, he trusts his reader a lot more… can’t wait for the next.
December 5, 2008
Jack is trying to eke out a living in Maine by doing freelance journalism and is asked to do an article on teen pregnancies but during the research he inadvertently stirs up a dangerous situation
October 13, 2014
Good story.
Teen pregnancy.
Teen pregnancy.
December 30, 2015
An interesting plot line.. Boyle also brings the character of Jack McMorrow more to life.
May 13, 2024
My public library had a book sale - all you could stuff in a box for $2. Gerry Boyle’s novels have been on my reading list for a while. So I when I found a copy of Bloodline at the sale, decided to give it a try.
The book concerns a washed-up reporter named Jack McMorrow who has retreated to a small home Maine. McMorrow gets a freelance assignment to write about unwed mothers in rural New England. The story leads him down a very dark path.
I liked Bloodline, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Boyle gives some vivid descriptions of Maine and of the hardscrabble lives of many of the people who live there. Unfortunately, there are some formulaic elements to the book - the wisecracking protagonist, the morally-bankrupt plutocrat, and the too-neat ending.
If I came across another McMorrow novel, I would read it. But I won’t make a special effort to find them.
The book concerns a washed-up reporter named Jack McMorrow who has retreated to a small home Maine. McMorrow gets a freelance assignment to write about unwed mothers in rural New England. The story leads him down a very dark path.
I liked Bloodline, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Boyle gives some vivid descriptions of Maine and of the hardscrabble lives of many of the people who live there. Unfortunately, there are some formulaic elements to the book - the wisecracking protagonist, the morally-bankrupt plutocrat, and the too-neat ending.
If I came across another McMorrow novel, I would read it. But I won’t make a special effort to find them.
July 18, 2021
Another very engrossing chapter in the life of one tough newspaper reporter
Jack McMorrow is the reason and focus for these stories. And I'm glad to get to know him through his misadventures. The other main character is rural Maine, which the author captures perfectly. If you know this area, the setting will add a lot to your enjoyment of the story.
But all that aside, this is an engrossing mystery of poor, single mothers and an exploitative system and society getting cross ways with a genuinely honest, decent, stubborn, and brave former newspaper reporter. Throw in a heart breaking murder and conspiracy and you're hooked!
Jack McMorrow is the reason and focus for these stories. And I'm glad to get to know him through his misadventures. The other main character is rural Maine, which the author captures perfectly. If you know this area, the setting will add a lot to your enjoyment of the story.
But all that aside, this is an engrossing mystery of poor, single mothers and an exploitative system and society getting cross ways with a genuinely honest, decent, stubborn, and brave former newspaper reporter. Throw in a heart breaking murder and conspiracy and you're hooked!
December 25, 2022
While there is much to like about Jack Morrow, his wonderful neighbors, Clair and Mary, and of course, Roxanne, the story meanders a lot.
His detecting skills seem lacking.. right after he tells Genest that Missy wants her baby back, Missy is murdered…gee I wonder who could be behind that? I didn’t expect Genest to do her own killing so that was the only surprise
The plot twist where someone wants to meet and say things they don’t want to say on the phone is a tired gimmick many authors use.
His detecting skills seem lacking.. right after he tells Genest that Missy wants her baby back, Missy is murdered…gee I wonder who could be behind that? I didn’t expect Genest to do her own killing so that was the only surprise
The plot twist where someone wants to meet and say things they don’t want to say on the phone is a tired gimmick many authors use.
February 25, 2020
Jack is a smart aleck freelance reporter transplanted to Maine and kind of floundering after some years in big city papers. He certainly attracts trouble even when he can't figure out why. Good fast moving murder mystery contemporary to the 1990s!
Okay, so I already knew that I like listening to narrator Michael A Smith because I've listened to others he's narrated!
I won this audiobook in a giveaway!
Okay, so I already knew that I like listening to narrator Michael A Smith because I've listened to others he's narrated!
I won this audiobook in a giveaway!
September 5, 2023
Wow! This one was even better than the first! This one kept me wanting to put down whatever I was doing, find a quiet corner and read it. I loved the poetry of word choice, including a scene where Jack sees chickadees “tumbling” through the brush along with many others. I love the romance, the open mindedness and the actually fear that bleeds through the words. Excellent second novel!
May 24, 2020
Jack wants the quiet life in rural Maine, he needs money and taking a job, that leads into murder. Good characters and narration
Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
September 21, 2020
Jack McMorrow mystery/ok read
November 12, 2020
A very good book about a very sad subject. While it is a murder mystery and as that it is fiction there is a lot that rings true due to the affliction of poverty.
August 29, 2023
Interesting series. The locale of this book reminds me of upstate Pennsylvania.
October 28, 2024
Was a slow read
Had the mystery figured out about half way through
Had the mystery figured out about half way through
October 27, 2025
I liked this second novel a lot. Kept me page turning!! I will read more Maine based Jack Mcmorrow stories by Gerry Boyle. 👍
November 28, 2025
I like reading books set in Maine. Jack moves to a small town for a fresh start. But his life quickly becomes complicated when he gets involved investigating a murder.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews