Death on the hour

the long version

Clayton Carter was one of the best reporters in the business and head of IBC's news department. Even during his off-duty hours he carried his 'gimmick' — a tiny television set to monitor other IBC news programmes. Carter's gimmick did a good job of keeping him informed; it did an even better job of killing him when somebody tampered with it. Assistant District Attorney Bernie Simmons takes a personal interest in the subsequent investigation. Police Captain John Stein has his own theory about the killing. He's zeroing in on the estranged Mrs Carter and her gentleman friend, a vice-president of IBC — and Bernie agrees they had a motive in the money and IBC shares that Mrs Carter will inherit. But there are still too many unexplained detailssome telephone-tapping, a briefcase full of hundred-dollar bills, and a mystery man trying to pull off a baffling masquerade. This deftly plotted and intriguing novel explores some timely topics: government pressure on the news media, invasion of privacy, and the acquisitive greed of large conglomerates.