Death in Advertising [Paperback]

Stephen Hawley Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

Written by a former principal of the world-famous Marting Agency, this whodunit won the Writer's Digest Book Award for Fiction and has received extraordinary praise from advertising executives not only because it is a great read, but because of its accurate portrayal of the advertising business. In the words of American Association of Advertising Agencies President and CEO, O. Burtch Drake, "Stephen Hawley Martin knows the advertising business well, but we already knew that. Now we know that he can also write a taut, compelling thriller that keeps the reader guessing from the opening page."

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oaklea Publishing; 1St Edition edition (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964660113
• ISBN-13: 978-0964660113
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,428,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Killer book, December 10, 1999

By 

David J. Flood (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in Advertising (Paperback)

If you've ever worked with a creative director, an accounting manager or anyone in the ad biz, you'll enjoy this book. A 31-year-old ad exec must win the hope chest account, solve a murder, and explore the challanges of management. Some very funny characters, including a gifted but gutter-mouthed Creative Director, a huckster who knows his business, and a vegetarian Kafka-reading Copywriter who romances the protagonist. The use of the whodunit genre gives Martin license to explore the strange world of advertising, the characters and the fascinating process of art against deadline. He touches on enough detail about the financial world without excess, and the believable, well-drawn and colorful dialogue has all the mercurial fury of Wall Street. Makes me want to read more of his books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suspensful novel--advertising and the richmond scene--# 1., December 30, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Richmond, VA 23173) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in Advertising (Paperback)

Martiin, a vetran of the New York and Richmond advertising scene (The Martin Agency) has written a very readable mystery using the Richmond advertising community as his setting. His characters are well-developed and the element of suspense is always with the reader. A delightful bonus for those familiar with Richmond is his accurate descriptions of the geography of the Fan and West End. A very good read. Lit Maxwell, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA.

5.0 out of 5 stars Death in Advertising selected best novel by Writer's Digest:, April 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Richmond, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in Advertising (Paperback)

Amanda Boyd, editor of Writer's Digest, announced on April 16, 1998 that Stephen Hawley Martin had won an unprecedented second Writer's Digest Book Award for Fiction. "No one has ever won twice in this competition," she said. "We'll be featuring Martin's book, Death in Advertising, in the August edition of Writer's Digest." Novels and other book length works of fiction are judged based on the quality of the writing. Writer's Digest staff screens entries and sends finalists to an independent panel of judges made up of publishing luminaries. These judges select the final winner. Advertising executives, and journalists who cover the industry, have also endorsed the work as a fast-paced thriller and an authentic look inside the business." "I'm overwhelmed," Martin said. "I felt good about this book all along, and it was a lot of fun to write, but I'd never have thought it would win the top award from Writer's Digest after they'd given it to me once before. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will do well in the mystery award competitions, too." Death in Advertising, Martin's first whodunit, is set in a fictitious Richmond, Virginia, advertising agency. Shockoe Slip, the Fan District and other prominent sections of the city figure prominently in the story. Martin's previous winner was a suspense novel with a metaphysical theme called, Out of Body, Into Mind. A best seller in the New Age category, it is being reissued in June by Hampton Roads Publishing under the title, The Mt. Pelée Redemption. The first edition under the original title is still available through Amazon as of this writing. (4/21/98)