This story was a good, solid throwback to the glory days of noir. It has everything- reporters, nurses, cops, trains, damsels in distress, and menacing over all of it the evil villain.

At some points the story telling is a little clunky, predictable, and heavy-handed. There's not much mystery or nuance, and the attempt to throw in 1950's sports references just came off as more awkward than I think the author intended.

Overall, it's a pleasant read with fairly developed characters and a decently interesting story line which takes the reader on a narrative journey that thankfully doesn't fall too far "off the rails." ( )

I enjoyed this book very much. It reminded me of the old Perry Mason TV show except the main character was a small town reporter instead of a big city lawyer. There were parts of the story that I found extremely frustrating, particularly when it touched on domestic abuse (those parts made me furious). The story dealt with the reinvestigation of a railroad accident and the premise that the man convicted of the crime didn't do it. The investigation hit several snags along the way and I would fear that all hope was lost but then there would be another break and things would start moving again. The story was well paced and the action was believable, sometimes even too believable. Once into the story I was pulled along by the action which resulted in a relatively quick read. It also offered a nice peek into small town 1950s Midwest America, what happens in a small paper newsroom, and the snags that occur in the investigation of crime. ( )

A journalism procedural crime novel (like a police procedural, but centered on a journalist). And as such, a little dry, but the setting and characters are likeable and the plot engaging. We know who did it and how by about the middle, but how to catch him? Reporter Stan Ellis gets in deeper than he expected when a straightforward story turns out to be anything but. ( )

Very good mystery book with engaging characters. Enjoyed tremendously. Kept my attention and hard to put down. Looking forward to reading more books by this author. ( )

I enjoyed this book about a young small-town journalist who sets out to investigate and right a wrong. Due to the setting and Stan Ellis's right-minded but sometimes not very well thought out actions, I read him with a little bit of Jimmy Stewart/George Bailey feel. The characters were authentic, the plot believable and the writing clean. Even though it deals with a train wreck, wife-abuser and more, it's generally a gentler mystery. I hope this will be the first in a series. ( )