Rewriting Monday-Jodi Thomas

Rewriting Monday
Jodi Thomas
Berkley, Apr 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425226940

After the fiasco that almost killed her in Chicago, reporter Pepper Malone leaves the Windy City financially broke and more critical spiritually broke as she broke the journalist rule by getting too close to the story; under the covers is too close. She goes to her mother’s hometown of Bailee, Texas near Dallas. Realistically Pepper knows she cannot face the music of Chicago or start over in Dallas. New publisher Michael McCulloch hires her as a reporter for his family paper the Bailee Bugle.

Mike knows his journalist dreams were buried with his late father and older brother as the family paper needs him to survive. However, someone obviously wants the Bailee Bugle to fail and is willing to kill to achieve the goal. Pepper believes the threats are aimed at her, but Mike thinks otherwise.

With a nod to screwball journalist comedies like The Front Page, His Girl Friday and Teacher’s Pet, but with a much more serious tone, Jodi Thomas provides a strong thriller. Fans will say we like Mike who shows passion and tenderness as he sacrifices his dream, but wins a greater prize: the love of Pepper; that is if they survive. Pepper is much more complex, but readers will admire her courage as she considers flight rather than fight like she recently did, but with Mike’s support and love stays. REWRITING MONDAY is a superb journalistic romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner