In Michael Connelly's latest thriller, The Scarecrow, Connelly's hero Jack McEvoy is forced to take a buyout. What other novels about reporters and reporting does Connelly like? In Tim Windsor's interview with Connelly for Nieman Journalism Labs, Connelly responds to that question:
"I can’t recall very many at the moment. The thing is, reporters observe the action but rarely force the action. Novels are about characters who force the action. I think this is why my two “newspaper novels” were half accurate procedure and half fantasy. Nevertheless, a few novels come to mind. Pete Dexter’s Paperboy is probably the high watermark. Carl Hiaasen has had several strings through his novels that deal with the newspaper. Tourist Season and Double Whammy come to mind. Former journalist Jonathon King wrote a novel about the biz called Eye of Vengeance that was a great take on it, too. John Katzenbach wrote a book called In the Heat of the Summer that kept me riveted when I read it. It’s funny; I think every book I just mentioned is set in Florida. That was not intentional."
You can read more interviews with Michael Connelly through his website.
Several lists of favorite novels about journalism and journalists.
"I can’t recall very many at the moment. The thing is, reporters observe the action but rarely force the action. Novels are about characters who force the action. I think this is why my two “newspaper novels” were half accurate procedure and half fantasy. Nevertheless, a few novels come to mind. Pete Dexter’s Paperboy is probably the high watermark. Carl Hiaasen has had several strings through his novels that deal with the newspaper. Tourist Season and Double Whammy come to mind. Former journalist Jonathon King wrote a novel about the biz called Eye of Vengeance that was a great take on it, too. John Katzenbach wrote a book called In the Heat of the Summer that kept me riveted when I read it. It’s funny; I think every book I just mentioned is set in Florida. That was not intentional."
You can read more interviews with Michael Connelly through his website.
Several lists of favorite novels about journalism and journalists.