Occupational Hazards

by Jonathan Segura

Bernard Cockburn is a beat reporter for the Omaha Weekly News-Telegraph . His boss has him chasing dead-end stories on real estate and county funding irregularities when he'd rather be working on that handful of neglected exposés in his bottom desk drawer -- or self-medicating in the apartment he shares with an on-again, off-again girlfriend.

Then Cockburn finds himself at a bloody crime scene in downtown Omaha and uncovers a lead in what soon becomes the only story worth pursuing, one that just might pull him down and keep him there for good. From street level to small-town bureaucracy, and even the staff at the paper, a vigilante league is intent on cleaning up the ghetto for profit, even if it means killing a few people to get it done -- an elaborate conspiracy too unbelievable for newsprint.

Like the detectives of all great noir, Cockburn's got a past that threatens to invade his present at any moment. Work has become a diversion from his personal life; but almost no one knew about his connection to the death of his best friend's little sister, and now he's begun receiving disconcerting blackmail threats.
Debut novelist Jonathan Segura has all the right instincts when it comes to plotting a relentless and tightly packed story. Darkly funny at times, and even wryly emotional, Occupational Hazards is a sharply observant, suspenseful read from a new and worthy writing talent.

Genres: Fiction

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Craig Morgan Teicher · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/3

I found this in a book barn in New Zealand and thought I'd give it a go, even though it's not really something I'd normally read. It was a good read for the plane, but it was a struggle to keep my attention at points. Also, I didn't connect with any of the characters, the main character felt quite 2D and predictable.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author. I’d like to read another one.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: the author of this book is my editor at Publishers' Weekly. Which means I probably wouldn't have written any review at all if I hadn't liked the book and I feel obligated to say something nice since I DID like it.

Bernard Cockburn is a cranky, self-absorbed, unpleasant, caustic, drug-addicted alcoholic asshole who actively antagonizes everybody around him, from his boss to his girlfriend to his interviewees. How anybody could possibly root for such a character is hard to imagine - and yet, somehow, I did, all the way to the bizarre, violent end of this book. It's a hard thing for an author to write an utterly unsympathetic hero and not alienate his readers, but this is exactly what has happened here.

Cockburn, a reporter for a second-rate alternative newspaper in Omaha, is working on a run-of-the-mill gentrification puff piece when he begins to uncover some strange connections between a local group of vigilantes and the real estate developers setting up shop in his old neighborhood. The paper trail deepens and people start dying as Cockburn digs and digs; some twists are highly predictable, some couldn't possibly have been anticipated by any sane person, and it all builds to an insanely twisted and violent conclusion that's at once sickening and satisfying. The dark humor, as well as the balance of smart writing and suspense, recalls Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn. It's a fast read, but one that will stick in your head for days afterward.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

With "Occupational Hazards," first-time novelist Jonathan Segura has written an assured, delightfully profane, sometimes hilarious 21st-century noir set in the genre of hard-boiled fiction but gives us a newswriter as the protagonist instead -- and a memorable protagonist he is. Bernard Cockburn is a going-nowhere journalist writing for a go-nowhere newspaper that nobody cares about when he stumbles onto a potential scandal involving real estate. And his maybe-girlfriend Allison gives him the unwanted news that she's pregnant. That's all you need to know going in; the plot is secondary to watching Segura unleash Cockburn's inner monologue, an attitude that is almost refreshing in its retrogradation.

Eventually the story, whose plot is teased out slowly, comes careening to a rather sudden and violent climax, but it doesn't affect the novel adversely since Segura has kept the tone consistent throughout. The language is vulgar and spare, like Chandler pumped up on steroids, and the humor tests the boundaries of good taste in all the best ways. I admire Segura's commitment not to redeem Cockburn in any way, up to and including the very last sentence (which of course makes Cockburn all the more sympathetic). I dock a few points for the thinness of the supporting cast in relation to Cockburn, but mostly this book is just a lot of fun.

[Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't have very high expectations for this one and really only picked it up because it was in the Borders clearance section and I needed to fulfill the other half of a buy-one-get-one-free promotion.

The quick review: The beginning was ok, really enjoyed the middle 150 pages, and didn't care for the ending so much.

Slightly longer review: The tough-guy neo-noir speak felt a little forced at first, but grew on me. The character is pretty unlikeable, but that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker for me. I don't find many people to be very likable in real life, but that doesn't mean they can't be interesting. Bernard Cockburn turned out to be a very smart and resourceful fellow.

With regards to the ending, I didn't care so much for the way the storyline about the houses was resolved. I can't quite put my finger on what didn't do it for me there, but I've only just finished the book and I will likely figure it out as I reflect over the next few days. The ending with regards to Cockburn, however, worked for me. If he'd suddenly cleaned up his act and decided to give it the ol' college try with Allison, I doubt I would've bought it. The guy has spent his entire life running from responsibility and civility. Why would he start now? Near-death experiences aren't always a cure-all for everyone.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occupational Hazards was an enjoyable enough book, and kept my attention throughout, but sadly the book's structure and plot was better than the execution. The book is largely the internal (and external) monologue of a single mildly irritating character, which ends up being the book's Achilles heel because I never felt like I was rooting for him. His thoughts and conversations often seemed awkward or unrealistic, like the work of an overenthusiastic English major rather than a regular person, preventing me from becoming engrossed in the book. There are several likable secondary characters, many of whom play excessively minor roles or their stories go unresolved entirely, even as the book ends. Given the great underlying story and a strong few chapters toward the end, the ending took me by surprise by being weak and oddly unresolved.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's such a risk when the main character has a largely disagreeable personality. When he's a sardonic, degenerate, substance-abusing, ne'er-do-well it's even tougher to engage an audience. Then to this add the fact that the story is told in first person so there's no. escaping. his. mind...EVER...and you have this book.

I didn't even care about the story after a while. Nothing would be worth the beating I went through to find out what the character would find out. Made me question the category of 'noir'. This just seemed mean and gratuitous.

[Jordan A. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased as a friend of the author but honestly speaking, I loved it!! This is a book where you can't stop thinking about it while you are reading it, wanting to know how things turn out for the characters, feeling empathy and repulsion simultaneously. Well done, when does the next book come out?

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the effort of full-disclosure, I should make it known that my boyfriend's good friend wrote this book. That said, that would have gotten, from me, an obligatory read only to page 60. The protagonist's style of speech makes makes for a bit of a bumpy start. Once I acclimated to the writing style, it definitely drew me -- fast. Very dark and sarcastic. Not for wusses. Great book.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another $1 find. Would've been very disappointed if I'd paid much more.

A reporter at an Omaha weekly gets embroiled in a neighborhood mess. Yawn. Not sure if being about the news biz should've made me more or less interested, but as a thriller there was little to recommend it and as literature, even less.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have given up on this one halfway through, but I didn't. Main character is a foul-mouthed jerk who is constantly swearing and putting other people down--very hard to identify with. This was a truly grungy, awful book, but I stuck with it to the end.

[Sandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Supposed noir about a journalist covering the mean streets of Omaha. Another drug/drink filled narrative with a slimy but angst ridden lead character that all it had going for it was that it was short.

[Ellen]

Hey, my editor at Publishers Weekly is putting out his first novel!

[eric yoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny, muddy, bloody, noir-y

[Tito · Rating 3 out of 5]

hard-boiled noir set in Omaha? sign me up!

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

good first novel. good noir character and sensibilities. who'd a thought omaha was as fucked as every other place.

[Leslie Banker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great first novel that has an utterly unsympathetic hero. I want to read Volume II, where the hero lands five years later.

[Sarah]

really dark and noir-y. Fast plot, intriguing protagonist even if the other characters are a bit one-dimensional.

[Shawn Kupfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather good, niorish story that reads like a contemporary Marlowe or Chandler, but with a lot more bite. Recommended highly, and looking forward to the author's next book.