"A literary thriller"
Terry and Abigail Mathers are the owners of the town's
weekly newspaper THE WEBSTER CHRONICLE. Even though the
couple is separated and have significant others, they still
care about each other and have the paper and a child tying
them together. Terry has always lived in his father's
shadow, a Walter Cronkite type figure who is a top gun on
television. While he can't beat his father on the national
level, he hopes his hometown will have a hot story that
will make his name a household word too. Terry's chance comes when the owners of the Alphabet
School pre-school and their employees are accused by two of
the townsfolk of child abuse and molestation. The gossip
spreads like wildfire and more parents who have placed
their children in the preschool come forth with tales that
their children have told them. Terry starts out by being
an objective journalist but as he plunges deeper into the
story, he crosses the line that separates the watcher from
the participant. THE WEBSTER CHRONICLE is a fabulous work that
demonstrates how rumors, innuendoes, and accusations
quickly can turn into a very ugly witch hunt. Daniel Akst
has written a credible yet frightening story that
spotlights the role the media has on the justice system.
This insightful work is worthy of award nominations. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted September 12, 2001
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