Title: Don’t Stop The Presses
Author: Mike Stetz
Publisher: Self-Published
ISBN: B0G852SF5T
Pages: 307
Genre: Fiction / Dark Comedy
Reviewer: Alyssa Avina
Pacific Book Review
What happens when a journalist with a story that could easily be front page news and would rock the world has gone rogue just to get it published? That’s a huge part of what we get to explore in this page-turner of a novel, Don’t Stop The Presses by author Mike Stetz.
Ben Roberts is a reporter at the San Diego Sun and is about to break the story of his career when he is suddenly laid off. Feeling lost and as though he is without his purpose but merely has “above average typing skills,” he feels as though he is at an impasse. With The Sun being acquired by a private equity firm, gone are the days of hard-hitting, old-school journalism and print newspapers and now? Now we have puff pieces and online live animal birth videos.
With no longer able to publish, he decides to take matters into his own hands by taking over the newsroom and taking the editors hostage. His only demand is to publish his story about a city councilwoman who wants to be mayor that is being bribed to vote for a $4 billion pro football stadium, and have it be on the front page of the Sun on the Sunday paper.
Roberts starts to make his own headlines with his last-ditch effort to get this important piece of journalism published for the city of San Diego now that the cops are surrounding the building due to his hostage situation. Feeling as though he has nothing left to lose, he creates a rebel newsroom of sorts by trading editors with laid-off reporters who also had stories killed before they ever saw the light of day.
This story has plenty of twists and turns and is a fresh take on telling the tale of the dying world of print newspapers. It is bold and has a dark humor that is impossible not to appreciate as a reader. The author has a sharp wit that we don’t see often enough and I loved the darkly funny writing style throughout this exciting read. You will be on the edge of your seat, wanting to find out who is behind the bribe itself and the twist will be sure to shock you. Mike Stetz delivers a gripping tale that proves the most dangerous weapon isn’t a gun, it’s the truth. A solid original, Don’t Stop the Presses by Mike Stetz is sure to become a favorite page-turner!
