Review
"An entertaining and engaging story, with solid characters, a vivid setting, and a fascinating mystery at its heart. Highly recommended."
—Sue Barnard, Author of the Heathcliff: The Missing Years
"With Meeting the Deadline, author Joan Livingston has penned her best Isabel Long mystery yet. This time, Isabelisn't mining clues to solve a cold case. She's trying to get to the bottom of a possible suicide attempt ... or was it attempted murder of a well-known literary agent? There are a few suspects with the crime trifecta of motive, means, and opportunity. But who did it — the victim or someone angry or jealous enough to try?"
—Frederick Fullerton, Author of The Writer of Unwritten Books
"A brilliant read. I thought I knew where it was going but the twist caught me off guard. Another great read."
—Paula RC Readman, Author of The Funeral Birds, Stone Angels and The Phoenix Hour
"Another cracker! Every book in the Isabel Long series is a joy to read. Each story is crafted around the centralcharacter, Isabel, with a superb supporting character list. My favorite has to be the indomitable and sharp-witted Ma, Isabel's 93-year-old mother and co-sleuth, but the Old Farts come a close second! This tale moves, appropriately, intothe publishing world and Isabel is commissioned to solve the mystery of the shooting of literary agent Gerald Danielson. The reader follows her through a number of local hilltowns, meeting potential suspects and some willing, and not-so willing witnesses. A great read and a definite page-turner."
—Angela Fish, Author of The Fractured Globe
From the Author
I extend my appreciation to the people who have encouraged me to write, as well as those who have helped me navigate the publishing world, including Steph and Laurence Patterson, Teresa Dovalpage, and Frederick Fullerton. As I did when I was a reporter, I count on others for technical information. In this case, I credit the late Bob Manners, a long-time paramedic who has had experience with trauma.
My thanks, also, to the folks living in the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts who made our family feel welcome for so many years. I so enjoyed sharing their stories as a journalist. Certainly, those experiences have inspired this series and other books I've written. The towns, characters, and the story come strictly from my imagination, but I'd like to think I could plunk the fictional hilltowns I've created among the real ones, and they would fit just fine.
About the Author
Joan Livingston is the author of novels for adult and young readers, including the Isabel Long Mystery Series. Missing the Deadline is the seventh in the series, featuring a longtime journalist who becomes an amateur P.I. solving cold cases in rural New England. She draws upon her own experience as a longtime journalist in Massachusetts and New Mexico to create Isabel Long, a sassy, savvy widow who uses the skills she acquired in the business to solve what appears to be impossible cases. She also relies on her deep knowledge of rural Western Massachusetts, where she lives, to create realistic characters and settings. Other books set in the fictional hilltowns of Western Massachusetts that are not part of the series are The Sacred Dog, Northern Comfort, and The Sweet Spot.
