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Cover Story

by Gerry Boyle

Saw-tooth prose with a faint hint of Robert Parker's 'Spenser' categorizes Cover Story, the 6th Jack McMorrow novel by Gerry Boyd. A great tale, hard to put down, with an exciting spin on corruption in New York City politics (so what's new) tracked to the source and brought to light by a former city journalist for the sake of a life-long friendship. Cover Story is Gerry Boyle at his best, even though it's not set against his familiar Maine backdrop. Everybody and anybody – including those of you who love living in an urban atmosphere and those of us who don't – can enjoy this book. Manhattan has its own type of charm, typical of any large city, and the underbelly of political ambition is found everywhere. Gerry Boyle has written a compelling novel.

Cover Story opens with a prologue demonstrating the initial reason for the closeness between the protagonist, Jack McMorrow and his friend Butch Casey. This is a friendship which lasted all through McMorrow's years as a reporter for the New York Times and even after Jack moved to Maine and married, although in recent years the contacts between the two men have been limited to an occasional card.

Jack McMorrow moved to Maine when Casey's wife was murdered and the murderer set free. Jack had written a fiery story about the unscrupulous politics involved and was promptly called on the carpet for bias, since his friendship with ex-cop Casey was well known. Now two things have brought him back to New York City – the first is that the Times has changed, and wants him to be freelance for them in Maine – the second is that he's received a message from Butch who says he has a big story for Jack.

The story concerns the Mayor of New York, John Fiore. The majority of New Yorkers love their mayor, who makes all kinds of promises for ridding the city of crime and seems to be accomplishing that very thing. Even Jack believes him. But Butch intimates John Fiore isn't as clean a character as he appears. Then the Mayor is murdered – stabbed in the heart in a restroom – and Butch is accused of the murder. Jack McMorrow is left with a plea from Butch to look into the mayor's background, including the criminals John Fiore had either set loose after being found guilty, or released too soon after being incarcerated.

New Yorkers are furious at losing their hero, and automatically think Jack is also involved, since he was Casey's friend. Jack is besieged by the media – TV, newspapers, tabloids and radio – all trying to get quotes or even offering huge sums of cash for a story. Jack hides out with a female former lover, an artist, Christina Mansell. Christina has a large loft in a suburb, and there she attempts to renew their old relationship. McMorrow discourages Christina however, remaining faithful to his love in Maine, Roxanne. Christina helps him anyhow.

Jack's search leads him to contact all the criminals during a certain period – the period when they were released early or completely absolved of their crime. The list has been supplied by Butch Casey. And knowledge that something is fishy steadily grows, even while the media accuses Butch of hating the former mayor simply because Butch lost his wife during John Fiore's reign. The fact that Jack is close to discovering the truth is emphasized when his own life is threatened, Christina is attacked, and Roxanne is promised death.

The climax occurs when Jack confronts the final name on the list, and both men are abducted by those who want the facts to remain concealed. Jack manages to free both himself and the criminal, getting hospitalized in the process, but revealing the truth about the former mayor and his cronies at last. John Fiore is no longer thought of as the savior of New York City.

Gerry Boyle writes an intriguing book about a man with whom you can't help but root for and sympathize. Cover Story gives us a Jack McMorrow who, unlike the majority
of the male sex, remains unfazed by the strongest of temptations, resolute in the face of the worst possible adversity, and is altogether a rather unbelievable specimen – yet commands our complete admiration and homage. The adventures of Jack McMorrow are therefore a very real tribute to Gerry Boyle's adept storytelling and written word.


Alan Paul Curtis

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