When her estranged father commits suicide in jail shortly before becoming eligible for parole, TV reporter Tess Abbott considers it belated justice. After all, she saw him murder her motheror did she?
An anonymous phone call sends her back to the small town where the crime took place, in search of the truth. There, she meets Spencer Reed, a journalist determined to bring down gubernatorial candidate Everett Cainethe man who successfully prosecuted her father. The two join forces, despite the objections of the local sheriff, and begin asking questions. Questions that make someone nervousnervous enough to kill anyone who has knowledge about the case, including Tess.
Even though Tess' actions occasionally make the reader question her intelligence, Deadline is a gripping readand the romance that develops between Tess and Spencer is both sweet and believable. Even more fun, however, is the secondary pairing of sheriff Andy and Maggie. (Nov., 384 pp., $6.50)