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General Discussion => What I'm Reading => Topic started by: Becke Davis on January 15, 2021, 12:41:33 am

Title: DEADLINE by John Dunning
Post by: Becke Davis on January 15, 2021, 12:41:33 am
I'm a fan of John Dunning's but I didn't realize I'd missed some of his earlier books. I was lucky enough to find some old copies, and I'm currently reading DEADLINE. Unlike the last book I read, I've been flying through this one. Here's the back cover blurb:

"When a circus tent fire calls Tribune reporter Dalton Walker into action, he's disturbed to find that no relatives have come to claim the body of a young victim. Dalton is also covering the story of a young Amish woman turned famous New York dancer. But not every story is what it seems, and soon Walker is heading down a terrifying seductive path toward the truth, and the unrelenting deadline."

I started reading this book this afternoon and I'm almost finished with it. It has really gripped me!

I was hooked by the circus fire, mainly because I remember hearing/reading about a similar fire when I was young. A few years back, I read a non-fiction book about that fire:

https://www.amazon.com/Hartford-Circus-Fire-Tragedy-Disaster/dp/1626190690

"Through firsthand accounts, interviews with survivors and a gripping collection of vintage photographs, author Michael Skidgell attempts to make sense of one of Hartford's worst tragedies.

Almost 7,000 fans eagerly packed into the Ringling Brothers big top on July 6, 1944. With a single careless act, an afternoon at the "Greatest Show on Earth" quickly became one of terror and tragedy as the paraffin-coated circus tent caught fire. Panicked crowds rushed for the few exits, but in minutes, the tent collapsed on those still struggling to escape below. A total of 168 lives were lost, many of them children, with many more injured and forever scarred by the events. Hartford and the surrounding communities reeled in the aftermath as investigators searched for the source of the fire and the responsible parties."

I'm not into true crime books, but I am drawn to books that depict events I heard or read about, like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Angels-Story-Fire/dp/156663217X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Chicago+city+of+angels+school+fire&qid=1610699835&s=books&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/Peshtigo-Fire-1871-Captivating-Northeastern/dp/1647487269/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Wisconsin+fire+peshtigo&qid=1610699942&s=books&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/Eastland-Disaster-Images-America/dp/0738534412/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1KPF2065BO392&dchild=1&keywords=eastland+disaster&qid=1610700005&s=books&sprefix=eastland+%2Cstripbooks%2C541&sr=1-2





Title: Re: DEADLINE by John Dunning
Post by: JRob on January 15, 2021, 04:25:37 am
I'm not sure if I've ever read this book but it does seem familiar to me for some reason.
Title: Re: DEADLINE by John Dunning
Post by: Becke Davis on January 15, 2021, 04:15:48 pm
I finished it last night (got very little sleep, but I had to finish it!). I liked it a lot. Torn between reading another John Dunning oldie or another book from the ever-growing waiting-to-be-read pile. Considering SPEAK NOW by Margaret Dumas or DEVIL IN A HOLE by Charles Salzburg.