Nowhere to Run (Hardcover)

by Mary Jane Clark (Author), Mary Clark (Author) "As Mike slid back into their bed, Annabelle got out of it, not bothering to ask him where he'd been or what he'd been doing..." (more)
Key Phrases: anthrax poisoning, anthrax exposure, medical correspondent, Broadcast Center, John Lee, Jerome Henning (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
CBS veteran Clark (Nobody Knows) brings a network news producer's sensibility to the story of a newsroom in the throes of anthrax-induced pandemonium. In quick chapters that jump-cut among numerous points of view, Clark narrates a nerve-racking week in the life of KEY News producer Annabelle Murphy. When Annabelle's medical correspondent, Dr. John Lee, holds up what he says is a vial of weapons-grade anthrax on morning TV, panic ensues: executives call management meetings, security agents peer into spy cameras, the FBI snoops around and doctors dispense Cipro. Lee's anthrax proves to be table sugar-but then Annabelle's colleague Jerome Henning, who's quietly been writing a nasty tell-all, lands in the hospital and quickly succumbs to the disease. A food-service worker is murdered next, and another person is found dead. Annabelle frets about Jerome's manuscript and tries to figure out what's going on, all the while unwittingly carrying anthrax spores in her coat pocket. Who needs terrorists when there are so many office villains around? There's the aging, control-freak male bigwig, the driven female executive, the insider-trading business reporter and the cocaine-sniffing theater reviewer, to name a few. Clark's spare prose depends on brisk dialogue and rapid-fire action sequences, and her stereotypical characters are pastiches of a few simple virtues, flaws and guilty secrets. Still, the yarn entertains with a little network gossip and a short lesson in bio-terror, all seen through the eyes of a network producer who starts out fearing for her job and ends up fearing for her life.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
When we last visited the KEY News desk in Nobody Knows (2002), there was a serial rapist on the loose and an overzealous reporter dying to break the story. This time the focus changes from the overzealous reporter to a medical correspondent who, in researching a story on the threat of anthrax, shocks his coworkers and audience by producing a vial of the vile stuff and saying, "If I can get my hands on this, just think what the terrorists might do." Panic ensues, of course, and is further inflamed when it's discovered that someone replaced the real poison powder with mere confectioner's sugar. Where, then, is the anthrax? Annabelle Murphy, the medical segment producer, knew nothing of the prank or the theft but finds herself in hot water when trace spores of anthrax are found in her office. Knowing that her coworkers, the feds, and the police will turn this investigation into a publicity op, Annabelle takes it upon herself to uncover the truth. Clark has perfected the lightweight suspense novel, where in classic Christie fashion, everyone is a potential suspect. Harmless (unlike anthrax), timely, and downright fun. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (August 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312288778
• ISBN-13: 978-0312288778
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #783,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrorism in a television newsroom., August 13, 2003

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Mary Jane Clark is a television producer and writer, and she uses her insider's knowledge to good effect in "Nowhere to Run." The main character in Clark's new novel is Annabelle Murphy, a television producer for the fictional broadcast "Key to America." Annabelle's colleagues are a motley crew, from the egomaniacal executive producer, Linus, to the lecherous and unethical business correspondent, Gavin.

Suddenly, anthrax is discovered in the studio where "Key to America" is produced, and one of the station's employees comes down with inhalation anthrax. Who planted this deadly substance and why? Clark exploits the nation's heightened interest in terrorism to make her plot more timely and compelling.

"Nowhere to Run" is a lively page-turner with very brief chapters, a brisk style, and no literary pretensions. Clark skillfully sets up a host of decoy suspects to throw the reader off the scent of the elusive murderer. This novel adheres to the standard thriller formula and breaks no new ground, but Clark effectively builds up suspense and holds the reader's interest. "Nowhere to Run" is good escapist entertainment.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart-racer, July 28, 2003

By A Customer

What a fast, rip-roaring, knock-out of a thriller. I read this in one day (and night).

COULD NOT BELIEVE THE END. No one could guess it, though it makes perfect sense.

Fascinating and entertaining at once. Mary Jane Clark is amazing.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Much cornier than I would have expected!, July 13, 2004

By	Lisa Braun "Love to Review!" (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was my first MJC book, but having read the reviews, I expected an action-packed exciting book. What I got was a book that dragged on and on. I felt the writing was extremely choppy which was very frustrating (I tend to become a slow reader when the writing is this way... when it is well written, like I am able to fly through a book). I didn't feel the characters were that interesting or exciting... Annabelle, the main character, seemed like a nice sweet working mom, but I really couldn't feel passionate about her because the author just didn't create that for me.

And then there's the ending... I really don't think it could have been any cornier... something about someone being allergic to dogs... Someone sneazing near a dog? Oh, please! No offense, but anyone who read and loved this book must never have read a well written, well thought out mystery!