The reporter

the long version

Back cover: "Nic Pappas, a young investigative reporter with the Palatine Star is assigned on his first day on the job to cover a cold murder case known as The Brown's Chicken Massacre. Pappas meets and falls in love with the beautiful Mary Jane Santos, who lost her brother Roland Jr. in the tragedy. Due to the ethical standards of the journalism industry that forbid reporters to get personally involved with their sources, this relationship becomes a tale of unrequited love. After months on the job, Pappas, now an award-winning reporter, comes to believe the only way to end his ethical dilemma is to solve the Brown's case. Pappas and Santos make a pledge to catch the killers, sending them on a journey to find her brother's murderers. A tale of unrequited love, murder, and betrayal threaten to undo an ambitious young reporter covering the story that could make his career. The Reporter explores the conflicts between the heart and head in an investigation of a horrific murder case that has police stumped, the public clamoring for answers, and surviving family members demanding a resolution. One man's hubris threatens to undo him as he gets closer to the one telling clue that will unravel the mystery and grant him his heart's desire. But doing so may cost him everything he has to give."