Synopses & Reviews
Bernard Cockburn is a beat reporter for the
Omaha Weekly News-Telegraph. His boss has him chasing dead-end stories on real estate and county funding irregularities when he'd rather be working on that handful of neglected exposés in his bottom desk drawer -- or self-medicating in the apartment he shares with an on-again, off-again girlfriend.
Then Cockburn finds himself at a bloody crime scene in downtown Omaha and uncovers a lead in what soon becomes the only story worth pursuing, one that just might pull him down and keep him there for good. From street level to small-town bureaucracy, and even the staff at the paper, a vigilante league is intent on cleaning up the ghetto for profit, even if it means killing a few people to get it done -- an elaborate conspiracy too unbelievable for newsprint.
Like the detectives of all great noir, Cockburn's got a past that threatens to invade his present at any moment. Work has become a diversion from his personal life; but almost no one knew about his connection to the death of his best friend's little sister, and now he's begun receiving disconcerting blackmail threats.
Debut novelist Jonathan Segura has all the right instincts when it comes to plotting a relentless and tightly packed story. Darkly funny at times, and even wryly emotional, Occupational Hazards is a sharply observant, suspenseful read from a new and worthy writing talent.
Review
"[A] profane, grimly witty newsroom noir set on the mean streets of Omaha....[S]mart, fast-paced, cleverly plotted and with a gritty and persuasive city setting an auspicious debut." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] savagely funny first novel....The beauty of [Occupational Hazards] is Segura's ability to walk a line between the comedy and the horror of Burn's story....Plus he's one hell of a funny narrator." Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post Book World
Synopsis
Bernard Cockburn is a beat reporter for the
Omaha Weekly News-Telegraph. His boss has him chasing dead-end stories on real estate and county funding irregularities when he'd rather be working on that handful of neglected exposes in his bottom desk drawer or self-medicating in the apartment he shares with an on-again, off-again girlfriend.
Then Cockburn finds himself at a bloody crime scene in downtown Omaha and uncovers a lead in what soon becomes the only story worth pursuing, one that just might pull him down and keep him there for good. From street level to small-town bureaucracy, and even the staff at the paper, a vigilante league is intent on cleaning up the ghetto for profit, even if it means killing a few people to get it done an elaborate conspiracy too unbelievable for newsprint.
Like the detectives of all great noir, Cockburn's got a past that threatens to invade his present at any moment. Work has become a diversion from his personal life; but almost no one knew about his connection to the death of his best friend's little sister, and now he's begun receiving disconcerting blackmail threats.
Debut novelist Jonathan Segura has all the right instincts when it comes to plotting a relentless and tightly packed story. Darkly funny at times, and even wryly emotional, Occupational Hazards is a sharply observant, suspenseful read from a new and worthy writing talent.
Synopsis
Newcomer Segura presents this fast-paced newsroom thriller about a burnt-out reporter who uncovers a shocking, deadly conspiracy and who finds his own sharply funny, endearingly dysfunctional self along the way.
About the Author
Jonathan Segura is the deputy reviews editor for Publishers Weekly and holds a masters degree in fiction writing from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn.