Nowhere to Run

KEY News #6

by Mary Jane Clark

Botulism, anthrax, smallpox, plague: as medical producer for television's highly-rated morning news program, Annabelle Murphy makes her living explaining horrific conditions to the nation. So when a KEY News colleague dies with symptoms terrifyingly similar to those of anthrax, she knows the panic spreading through the corridors of the Broadcast Center is justified.

As one death follows another, Annabelle's co-workers look to her for assurance, but she finds it hard to give comfort. To her, the circumstances surrounding the infections suggest diabolical murders.

And when the authorities lock down the Broadcast Center with the identity of the killer still unknown, neither the victims nor the murderer can escape...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Crime, Audiobook

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Mary Jane Elizabeth Behrends Clark (1954-) is the author of thirteen novels, including 12 in the KEY News media thriller series, and one in her new Wedding Cake mystery series. A veteran writer and producer for CBS News, Clark worked for almost three decades at the network’s New York City headquarters. Her books are published in twenty-three languages. She lives in New Jersey and Florida.

Clark's former mother-in-law and sister-in-law are the authors Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, respectively.

Reviews

[Thalita Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lido em português!
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Primeira vez que leio um livro da autora, que aliás é cunhada da Mary Higgins Clark que é um autora de sucesso nesse ramo de livro policial/suspense.

Minha primeira impressão foi boa, gostei da ambientação (uma emissora de TV, nunca tinha lido algo similar) e do "fator problema" que é o bioterrorismo (esse já é meu amigo velho nas leituras do gênero). Personagens bem caracterizados, texto leve e um plot satisfatório.

Talvez eu esteja sendo exigente demais, mas vi na história uma certa falta de dramaticidade sabe? Afinal de acordo com a autora a coisa toda se passa um tempo após o 11 de setembro, uma ameaça bioterrorista assim ficou muito rasa. Se você leu acho que vai entender. Como se as únicas pessoas realmente preocupada com a chance de pegar a tal doença fosse somente as pessoas da empresa. Cadê a histeria coletiva? Afinal o começo da trama com aquele pózinho do mal foi toda televisionada. Sem falar no "amadorismo" de como foi abordado o crime, mas nada muito drástico.

Essa foi minha única ressalva quanto ao plot. Gostei muito dos personagens bem variados, você vai acabar odiando um deles de um forma ou de outra, e isso vai fazer você querer ler. As páginas vão passando e você vai tentando quebrar a cabeça pra saber quem é o assassino pois quase todo mundo tem motivos aqui.

No geral, muito bom sim! Estes pequenos detalhes que citei na minha resenha talvez nem faça diferença para muitos. Mal posso esperar para ler mais da autora!

ps: uma grande menção honrosa à nossa personagem principal, nos dias de hoje é difícil ver uma personagem tão profissional mas tão humana!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a part of a series when I picked it out at a thrift store. The characters are employees in NYC newsroom, mostly journalists & producers. I didn't feel I was missing out on anything, most connections the characters had to each other were suitably explained. The setting is only a year or two post 9-11 & people are still on edge about potential terrorism whether it comes from the skies, bombings or the use of biological weapons. Anthrax is introduced into the newsroom, ostensibly for a story, but when one of their own is infected with the deadly spore, panic and further problems & deaths ensue.
This mystery has two narrators, one is Annabelle who tells things as they unfold and the other is our mystery perpetrator. A jealous colleague, a spurned lover, someone trying to cover up secrets? All the main characters could have a motive as more about them is revealed.
Easy read & some very short chapters! Good book for passing time in waiting rooms, in the airport or over lunch.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

FINALLY done. I was really only reading this when on breaks at work and mostly wound up chatting to coworkers.
This book was difficult to get in to. Sure, it's got anthrax, and all the haute topics that followed in pocket fiction in the early days after 9/11, but, eh. The book was enjoyable enough as a means to kill time, and was a swift read because the chapters are so ridiculously short. Most were only a page, some only a couple of sentences. That kind of choppy style really annoys me, though some authors (including my favourite, Mary Higgins Clark [my sister mistakenly bought me this book thinking it was one of hers]) can do it successfully. I do have to say, though, I didn't guess "whodunnit", though the clues were there. Perhaps because I was only reading intermittently over the course of a month or more, otherwise I might have remembered what was going on.
I do h

[Megan Luff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Nowhere to Run was a really good book. It kept me guessing until the very end of the book. I will definitely recommend this book and author to family and friends. Also, I plan on checking out more of her books since this was the first book I read by Mary Jane Clark. 5 stars!!!!

[Aubrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy was there is a lot going on in this book. I won't spoil anything by listing the details but suffice it to say there was a bit too much going on for my taste. I suppose the great number of reprehensible characters was meant to create a large pool of suspects and keep the reader guessing whodunit right up until the big reveal. It didn't work, at least not for me. Nowhere to Run was my first Mary Jane Clark and probably my last. Judging from the reviews this book is typical of her writing style which just doesn't jive with my reading style.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Clark’s suspense novel, Annabelle Murphy is the medical producer for the morning news. When a staff member dies showing symptoms of anthrax, panic sets in and the staff looks to her for answers. As the bodies pile up, all with the same symptoms, it becomes clear that this attack is murder. And when the authorities quarantine the station, Murphy goes in pursuit of a killer hoping to find him before he can kill again.

A fast-paced storyline that keeps the reader hanging on.

[Lauryn Johannsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The day started off normal at Key News, until “Dr.” John Lee aired his new segment on the deadly substance, anthrax. As the segment airs, concern and terror spread across the county as Dr. Lee holds up a vile of the dangerous anthrax particles on live television. Key News’ reputation is dented and the whole building must be evacuated to prevent possible exposure. A few hours later, the test results show that the so called “anthrax” that was in the vile shown, was actually powdered sugar. Everyone is relieved that they are safe, but upset that they looked like fools. The normal routine at Key news is resumed, until Dr. John Lee states that the particles he brought to the set were definitely anthrax particles, as he had obtained them from a lab. This meant that someone had switched out the real anthrax for fake anthrax and that it was still out there somewhere. The next day, a worker is found murdered. Three days later, another employee dies, but of anthrax exposure. The day after that, another employee dies of the same thing; anthrax exposure. The Key News building is again evacuated and traces of anthrax are found in multiple areas throughout the building. Panic spreads across Key News. An investigation is quickly opened and mistakes in the anthrax owners trail lead them to the killer.

Out of the three books I have read by this author, this one was by far the best. In other books of Mary Jane Clark, she had a very crazy and confusing story line. In this book though, the plot was easy to understand and I was able to follow along and understand what was happening overall. This is definitely an improvement but, the chapters were still short and choppy. That is not a critical component in the book, but I prefer longer chapters so I can fully grasp what is happening from each characters point of view. When the chapters are short and constantly changing, I can’t really figure out what is going on with each character.
I really enjoyed the surprise and suspense in this book. When I read the book summary, it said that three people died. Going into the book, I had absolutely no clue who was going to die and who it ended up to be really surprised me. The plot also had lots of suspense to it. I would never have guessed that the anthrax was powdered sugar and the real anthrax was switched out. I never would have guessed who the killer was. Parts of the book like that keep me hooked on the book and help me to enjoy it.
Overall, this was a great story and I would definitely recommend reading it! Loved it!

[Laura Ruetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is told from varying viewpoints, including the killer's, and made for an engaging read. Very well paced thriller that really brings the excitement into the story and drew me into the story.

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family problems and murder - a good plot and well narrated. Pretty clean and a nice plot.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good mystery by Mary Jane Clark. I enjoyed the interesting topic of chemical weapons and enjoyed following the different storylines of all the characters.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me in suspense until the end!

[Laetitia]

Annabelle est journaliste au sein d’,'une cha�ne d’,'information des plus r�put�es en Am�rique : Key News. Elle est la productrice d'’,une chronique m�dicale pr�sent�e par John Lee. Ce dernier veut donner un gros coup de pouce � sa carri�re en agitant une fiole contenant de l’,'anthrax en direct ! Pour l’,'�quipe de "Key to America", l’,'�mission matinale o� se d�roule ce fameux moment de � journalisme �, c’,est le d�but des tracas. Et quand le critique litt�raire de l’,'�mission semble �tre atteint de la maladie du charbon, c’,est la panique totale... Si l’,'auteur voulait �tre dr�le et imp�tueuse, c’,'est loup� ! L'’,intrigue est tr�s banale, tout comme l’,'�criture. Cette lecture m'a beaucoup d��ue. Mis � part quelque bons moments de lecture et quelques situations sympa, il n'’,y a pas grand-chose de positif � tirer de cet ouvrage.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is number six in the series you can easily pick it up in the middle of the series as I did. The KEY news team is in action as one of the TV personalities decides to show the world how easy it is to get Anthrax on his segment without permission. Then another person in the newsroom gets sick with Anthrax and dies. Was it an accident or on purpose.

I did figure out who did before the end but didn't know why until the end. Lots of twists and turns and I love the short chapters. They are like potato chips.

[Jovdb · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an entertaining audio book, well narrated. It left me feeling as though everyone in the TV news industry has questionable ethics!

An anthrax scare has everyone at Key News on edge. Annabelle Murphy, as medical producer for the group, is put on the spot. She also has concerns at home due to her husband’s PTSD related to 9/11 - he is a firefighter.

There were a lot of characters and much going on.

[Susan Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Everyone is a suspect... Everyone has a motive... Everyone is in danger..." I love how Annabell loves and is ever patient with her husband Mike, who is fighting depression from a bad incident at a Fire, working as a fireman, but is on leave for now. How she works so hard at the "Key News", by supporting others, helping others, trying to keep her marriage, family and job in tact while being in danger of an Anthrax story and scare at her news station.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not seat gripping. Mary Jane Clark gives us a novel worth reading as her main character, Annabelle, is faced with fear in a n anthrax scare. She delivers a light on the life on news casters and how far some will go to reach that fame they desire. Not only who to trust but Nowhere to Run is certainly seen in this mystery.

[Linda Klager · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of drama, suspense, danger and back biting involved in this book. I didn't care for the bad language although I can see that certain persons who were trying to get ahead in the news business might use strong language at times.

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up almost a year ago. I enjoyed this story although I didn't know it was part of a series, very fast paced finished it in one day. Will see if the local library has more by this author.

[Megan Norred · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I started reading this book cause I misread who the author was. Fortunately it wasn’t a bad read. The author is a good writer. The plot did drag though. It’s not a spectacular book but it’s a decent read if you want a simple mystery.

[Regan Maris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a quick read that captures the essence of post 9/11 New York, but it doesn’t age well. I did not enjoy the portrayal of any of the female characters except the protagonist, Annabelle. Short chapters kept me going. Nice ending but anticlimactic.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda, Elkton patron, July 2018, 5 stars:

A fantastic mystery book. Ms. Clark is one of the best writers I have read. This book is a great read anytime.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read Mary Jane Clark before, but will now watch for her books. I did not want to put this book down.

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery

[rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

She never disappoints, excellent

[Grace Rusten Skaggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The format of this book really detracted from the story for me. Having a chapter change every few paragraphs was very distracting.

[Marissa Hamel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stoped reading at page 40..I just couldn't get into it.

[Janet Womack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise for the story was good. But, I struggled to finish. The story seemed to drag on.

[Jane Breithaupt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you think you can figure out the mystery, you don't see it coming.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading. Never guessed the villain. Really was surprised.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another page turner!! I love this series!!