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Cold Open
Jack Steele was at the top of his game. Anchor of Steele Yourself, the nation’s number one rated cable news show. With a gorgeous young wife and a Fifth Avenue apartment, he was a bona fide member of the “Had It All Club.” Until he turned up floating in the East River.
The cops are calling it a suicide, but Steele’s widow, Robbie, is convinced he was killed. Convinced enough to call the reporter who broke the news, Sam North, and let him know he was wrong, despite the suicide note Steele left behind. Sam meets Robbie and next thing he knows, part of him believes maybe Steele was killed. The other part thinks Robbie Steele is nuts.
Sam is a story-hungry cable reporter too young to be in the twilight of his career, even though it’s looking that way these days. He’s willing to take a chance on Robbie, ask around a bit, see if maybe there’s something there. Hell, if Robbie Steele is right, he’s looking at the biggest story of his career.
Problem is, once Sam starts asking around people start telling him the same thing–Robbie Steele is flat out crazy. He hears if from the sleazy TV consultant who had been working with Steele to get the ratings up. He hears it from Steele’s power broker agent who thinks Robbie is a gold digger. Worst of all, he hears it from his boss, Ross Clayton, president of Liberty News. It occurs to Sam that it’s not a good thing to have the guy signing your checks questioning your judgment.
But the more Sam asks around about what was going on in Jack Steele’s life, the more things start happening to him. Things like a fedora-wearing thug telling him to leave it alone. Things like the window of a passing car being lowered and shots being fired. It’s enough to give a guy a complex.
Sam keeps asking questions and then starts connecting dots, and all the dots lead him to Buck McConnell. Buck is one of the Texas McConnells, a family who’ve built themselves a nice little empire in the energy business. But Buck is one of those guys who is long on arrogance and ambition, but short on brains. Might not be so bad if Buck was happy to be a middle-aged guy running the company his dad and granddad built. But no, Buck has it in his head that he should be leading the country. Yup, as in President of the United States.
Sam can’t quite figure out how, but he has a real strong gut feeling that Buck is involved in the sudden passing of his colleague Jack Steele. Sam turns up the heat on Buck, asking questions and being a nosy reporter. One source leads to another, and then another, until Sam comes across a successful Wall Streeter who knows a little something about Buck McConnell. A little secret McConnell has kept buried for forty-years. A secret that would keep McConnell out of the White House.
As Sam closes in, he discovers maybe, just maybe, Jack Steele didn’t kill himself after all.
The cops are calling it a suicide, but Steele’s widow, Robbie, is convinced he was killed. Convinced enough to call the reporter who broke the news, Sam North, and let him know he was wrong, despite the suicide note Steele left behind. Sam meets Robbie and next thing he knows, part of him believes maybe Steele was killed. The other part thinks Robbie Steele is nuts.
Sam is a story-hungry cable reporter too young to be in the twilight of his career, even though it’s looking that way these days. He’s willing to take a chance on Robbie, ask around a bit, see if maybe there’s something there. Hell, if Robbie Steele is right, he’s looking at the biggest story of his career.
Problem is, once Sam starts asking around people start telling him the same thing–Robbie Steele is flat out crazy. He hears if from the sleazy TV consultant who had been working with Steele to get the ratings up. He hears it from Steele’s power broker agent who thinks Robbie is a gold digger. Worst of all, he hears it from his boss, Ross Clayton, president of Liberty News. It occurs to Sam that it’s not a good thing to have the guy signing your checks questioning your judgment.
But the more Sam asks around about what was going on in Jack Steele’s life, the more things start happening to him. Things like a fedora-wearing thug telling him to leave it alone. Things like the window of a passing car being lowered and shots being fired. It’s enough to give a guy a complex.
Sam keeps asking questions and then starts connecting dots, and all the dots lead him to Buck McConnell. Buck is one of the Texas McConnells, a family who’ve built themselves a nice little empire in the energy business. But Buck is one of those guys who is long on arrogance and ambition, but short on brains. Might not be so bad if Buck was happy to be a middle-aged guy running the company his dad and granddad built. But no, Buck has it in his head that he should be leading the country. Yup, as in President of the United States.
Sam can’t quite figure out how, but he has a real strong gut feeling that Buck is involved in the sudden passing of his colleague Jack Steele. Sam turns up the heat on Buck, asking questions and being a nosy reporter. One source leads to another, and then another, until Sam comes across a successful Wall Streeter who knows a little something about Buck McConnell. A little secret McConnell has kept buried for forty-years. A secret that would keep McConnell out of the White House.
As Sam closes in, he discovers maybe, just maybe, Jack Steele didn’t kill himself after all.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2012
86 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
Greg Clarkin
6 books6 followersHi...I'm Greg Clarkin. A former print and TV reporter. I've worked as a reporter for the New York Post, CNN and other major media outlets. And my writing has appeared in the New York Times, Men’s Journal, and other publications and websites.
My first first book was , "Cold Open, A Sam North Mystery." I've added a YA title, "The Laughing," and a short story, "Mahoney & Mills," to the line-up. I'm currently at work on the next Sam North mystery.
I live in Connecticut with my wife and our three children. Please, feel free to check out my weekly column at GregClarkin.com.
And always feel free to shoot me an email, question, comments, anything at: Greg@gregclarkin.com
My first first book was , "Cold Open, A Sam North Mystery." I've added a YA title, "The Laughing," and a short story, "Mahoney & Mills," to the line-up. I'm currently at work on the next Sam North mystery.
I live in Connecticut with my wife and our three children. Please, feel free to check out my weekly column at GregClarkin.com.
And always feel free to shoot me an email, question, comments, anything at: Greg@gregclarkin.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 20, 2014
Wants to be president, murders and money.
Should be read and enjoyed. Another one from Texas thinks he's the only one can run this country, no body should stand in his way. His rich daddy took care of his problems growing up, now rich himself and company in Houston. Buying his way to contracts with our enemies, killing anybody stands in his way.
Should be read and enjoyed. Another one from Texas thinks he's the only one can run this country, no body should stand in his way. His rich daddy took care of his problems growing up, now rich himself and company in Houston. Buying his way to contracts with our enemies, killing anybody stands in his way.
June 2, 2018
Great story of suspense and murder
Sam is a world class reporter who crosses thru a lot of threats to close in on a gangster who's heading for the Whitehouse. Lots of twists and turns, some bad language along the way. I'm not sure why authors can't resist the foul language. To bad for a very good book otherwise.
Sam is a world class reporter who crosses thru a lot of threats to close in on a gangster who's heading for the Whitehouse. Lots of twists and turns, some bad language along the way. I'm not sure why authors can't resist the foul language. To bad for a very good book otherwise.
January 18, 2025
Fun quirky story
Sam is a funny and quirky hero of this story. He has an unusual sense of humor and an easygoing way about him as he navigates a very crazy and dangerous investigation. The way he keeps his head along the way makes this interesting. I liked the other funny characters in here as well. Plus, It's a good storyline to hold it together. Good read.
Sam is a funny and quirky hero of this story. He has an unusual sense of humor and an easygoing way about him as he navigates a very crazy and dangerous investigation. The way he keeps his head along the way makes this interesting. I liked the other funny characters in here as well. Plus, It's a good storyline to hold it together. Good read.
December 28, 2022
A great mystery!
I loved the complexity of the story line, the cast of characters that the author brought to life and the pace. The dialog was witty and laced with the sights and sounds of New York. Can't wait to read more from Greg Clarkin.
I loved the complexity of the story line, the cast of characters that the author brought to life and the pace. The dialog was witty and laced with the sights and sounds of New York. Can't wait to read more from Greg Clarkin.
June 20, 2019
Cold Open
Loved every minute of this story. Well written, the kind you don’t want to put down till finished...so many twists and turns..
Loved every minute of this story. Well written, the kind you don’t want to put down till finished...so many twists and turns..
February 5, 2022
Good read! Loved Sam's character!
October 23, 2024
Definitely worth it
Great storyline, fantastic characters and a plot that will keep you turning page after page. Definitely a trip worth taking
Great storyline, fantastic characters and a plot that will keep you turning page after page. Definitely a trip worth taking
December 19, 2016
Very good read
Every so often a book comes along that grabs you and keeps you reading without stop until the end. This book was great, characters real and story riveting. Loved it, cover to cover!
Every so often a book comes along that grabs you and keeps you reading without stop until the end. This book was great, characters real and story riveting. Loved it, cover to cover!
May 11, 2013
I really liked this book.
It was a fast moving plot with a fast talking character. In fact, it was the pace of the dialog that made it so enjoyable. Was the dialog almost cartoon-ish in a way? Sure. But that is just part of the charm of the book.
The plot is predictable to a degree. A less than stellar news anchor / reporter happens to pick up an incredible tip and chance to scoop the entire world. Someone of great celebrity is found floating in the river. And as luck would have it, the body belongs to the biggest media star of the cable news network for which the main character is a reporter.
It sure looks like suicide. But is it? The more we find out the more the poor dead guy the more he seems to have lots of reasons to live. Maybe it is murder. He had been trying to boost ratings with some attacks on some high profile folks and making some pretty significant claims of wrong-doing.
I won't spoil the end of it for you because I think you will enjoy the story enough to read it for yourself.
It was a fast moving plot with a fast talking character. In fact, it was the pace of the dialog that made it so enjoyable. Was the dialog almost cartoon-ish in a way? Sure. But that is just part of the charm of the book.
The plot is predictable to a degree. A less than stellar news anchor / reporter happens to pick up an incredible tip and chance to scoop the entire world. Someone of great celebrity is found floating in the river. And as luck would have it, the body belongs to the biggest media star of the cable news network for which the main character is a reporter.
It sure looks like suicide. But is it? The more we find out the more the poor dead guy the more he seems to have lots of reasons to live. Maybe it is murder. He had been trying to boost ratings with some attacks on some high profile folks and making some pretty significant claims of wrong-doing.
I won't spoil the end of it for you because I think you will enjoy the story enough to read it for yourself.
May 21, 2014
I would have given this four stars because it was entertaining enough. I cut one off because rather too many of the characters sounded alike in their half-assed jokey way. Amusing when one person does it but variety is the spice of a story. The intention to give a distinctive flavour to the Sam North collection was good but from a dialogue p.o.v. there was more than one Sam.
The only other cavil was the descriptions seemed to come in clumps. For example, in the first page or two Charlie 'was dressed in his summer uniform...' We get a breakdown of shorts, sneakers, T shirt and Sam's suit (colour, maker, favourited, jacket location), shirt, tie (folded, stuffed - location). All this naturally adds to our seeing the picture clearly but drip feed is far better than a para pause with itemized list. Small point really but the flow becomes a shade more bumpy than it need be if this occurs too often.
All in all, though, this was a good enough start and if the stories are a shade more novel or unexpected in content, then all the better.
The only other cavil was the descriptions seemed to come in clumps. For example, in the first page or two Charlie 'was dressed in his summer uniform...' We get a breakdown of shorts, sneakers, T shirt and Sam's suit (colour, maker, favourited, jacket location), shirt, tie (folded, stuffed - location). All this naturally adds to our seeing the picture clearly but drip feed is far better than a para pause with itemized list. Small point really but the flow becomes a shade more bumpy than it need be if this occurs too often.
All in all, though, this was a good enough start and if the stories are a shade more novel or unexpected in content, then all the better.
July 17, 2014
I think this was a Kindle freebie. A good detective story, with the main character, Sam North, being a reporter/newsman for Liberty TV channel. The hot talkshow host is found in the harbor, and suicide is ruled to be the cause of death. His hot wife, however, thinks someone killed him, even though a suicide note was found. She turns to Sam for help. He almost gets fired, but tries to find out the scoop anyway. He runs into a lot of dead ends, but when he is targeted, he starts taking things more seriously and the story starts to unravel. The level of deceit goes even higher up the food chain than even Sam believed and several people get murdered before Sam is able to put it all together.
Probably not super-high quality fiction, but a fun, fast read. Entertaining, to say the least.
Probably not super-high quality fiction, but a fun, fast read. Entertaining, to say the least.
June 2, 2016
Hard to put down once I got into the story about how a highly rated investigative news anchor gets killed by some unsavory types trying to make it look like suicide. Moneyed presidential hopeful seems to be behind the plot twists and turns. It did seem strange with all the pot-shots taken at the reporter looking into the anchors death never got reported to the police. Ah the literary license to skip real life.
March 1, 2015
A murder mystery starring a news anchor as the detective who is trying to figure out why another anchor at his station was killed.
A bit choppy, a number of possible stories that tie all the characters together.
A twist in who/what is the cause of the murder and who is included in the plot and why.
A bit choppy, a number of possible stories that tie all the characters together.
A twist in who/what is the cause of the murder and who is included in the plot and why.
January 18, 2013
I liked the film noir, hard boiled detective feeling to this story. I also loved the setting (NYC), and I work in tv news so there's that too. I was incredibly frustrated at times because the main character is so dense. However the dialog and action were enough to keep me interested in reading.
September 9, 2013
Well plotted and developed. In reading this I almost felt like I was part of the investigation. The wise cracking and attitude shown by the protagonists made me think of cop humor as I saw it in real life. The characters were believable as was the plot. Well done!
August 29, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought Sam North was a decent, intelligent character and enjoyed his interaction with the people around him. I'll definitely look forward to reading more by this author. I give it 4.5 stars.
August 30, 2015
I liked Sam's persistence to get the truth in the face of jeopardizing his job and putting himself in danger. The plot was somewhat predictable but with enough surprises thrown in to keep it interesting. Fast-paced.
May 29, 2013
Decent book with enough action to keep me entertained. The plot was good but predictable. One of the conspirators was surprising to say the least and that was why I gave it an extra star.
February 15, 2014
Very fast read and likable characters. Would like to see another Sam North book in the future.
December 19, 2014
Good Story
One starts liking the good guys as the plot evolves and the bully finally "gets his" . There are several humorous moments plus a good amount of cynicism.
One starts liking the good guys as the plot evolves and the bully finally "gets his" . There are several humorous moments plus a good amount of cynicism.
December 31, 2014
Intriguing
A very entertaining read. Author was able to keep the storyline moving in several directions making the reader anxious for the next step.
A very entertaining read. Author was able to keep the storyline moving in several directions making the reader anxious for the next step.
December 30, 2014
I enjoyed the author's writing style. The characters were well developed. Believable plot. Will read more in the series and from this author; when they become available.
December 31, 2014
I had to push myself to finish this book. It just dragged on. Giving it one star cause the plot was good just didn't moved fast enough for me
December 31, 2014
Breezy, easy to take, almost predictable.
January 18, 2015
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading this author's next book.
January 21, 2015
Great Story
Will keep you reading right to the end if you like who did it dialogue you will love this one.
Will keep you reading right to the end if you like who did it dialogue you will love this one.
June 15, 2015
Parts were great, parts were bad. The story has a lot of potential, but I felt these were not developed as much as they could.
July 14, 2016
Good read! Loved Sam's character!
August 9, 2016
Interesting story, but too many, supposedly funny, sarcastic repartee. I don't think I will continue the series.
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February 14, 2016Jim might like
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews