Final Deadline

by Robin McGibbon

Vengeance comes at a price. A loyal reporter faithful to an emotional secret pact. A power-crazed editor hungry for revenge, A corrupt police chief obsessed with money, A loving wife who fears the worst. All four caught up in a scandal of blackmail and vice that disgraced Scotland Yard and changed the way Britain was policed.Final Deadline, a fast-paced, dialogue-led story, soaked in the atmosphere of 70s’ London, tells the story of ex-national newspaper reporter Ross McLean, whose misplaced loyalty to former local paper colleague Harry Wise has catastrophic consequences for both of them.Having left Fleet Street to write books, Ross is enjoying a utopian life by the sea with wife Jacquie when Harry - now fearsome editor of Britain’s biggest Sunday newspaper - begs him to investigate a story with a powerful link to their past.Jacquie, who detests Harry, tries to persuade Ross to refuse, but he succumbs to persuasive emotional blackmail, based on a secret pact he and Harry made as cub reporters. Ross finds himself trapped in the avaricious world of two frighteningly-powerful men, where money is God, and loyalty and truth count for nothing.Harry, bitter about his past, craves to be rich, no matter the price.Jack Barclay, a bullying pervert, with a greed that shocks his police colleagues.Then there is Ross’s close friend, Stewart Jameson, a wealthy star-struck charity fundraiser, whose big-story tips got Ross into Fleet Street. When Harry seeks to destroy the self-made millionaire, the scene is set for an unbearably tense and deadly outcome no one could have foreseen…proving that vengeance and betrayal come at a price.Final Deadline, based heavily on fact and the author’s personal experience, is the ultimate crime, newspaper novel.

508 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2021

Reviews

[Richard Shears · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing tale of life in the famous Fleet Street of the '60s'. Mr McGibbon has cleverly pieced together events of which he clearly has first hand knowledge and moulded them into an intriguing story. Many names have been disguised to protect the guilty (!) but those of us who were there will guess who is who.
This is a page turner, as I found myself reading well after midnight to find out 'what happens next'. The main ingredient is the play between a power-hungry editor and a former ace journalist who agrees to take on a special mission for the editor. Along the way, we are introduced to the corruption that existed among people in high places. The story twists and turns, with fascinating fine detail being inserted, such as the phone box on the street corner near the Daily Sketch building, which this reviewer can testify as being a real addition, having personally used it. It is such fine detail that makes Final Deadline a winner.

[Solveig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final Deadline reveals the corruption and blatant sexism in the male dominated Fleet Street of the 1970s. It’s a well-researched novel/memoir written with intelligent vivacity. The main characters are clearly based on real people as are beautifully scripted and instantly recognisable. The cast of supporting characters is superbly crafted too. The dialogue is pacy and the plot is engrossing with lots of twists and turns.
I am from South East London / Kent so particularly enjoyed all the charming references to places local to me.
This is a must read for anyone with an avid interest in newspapers, Fleet Street in its heyday and a trip down memory lane. I absolutely loved it.