"Paper cuts" by Colin Bateman

An audio book.

Rob, who works at The Guardian (but is under a cloud), returns to Belfast for an old colleague's funeral. The colleague had been editor of a local newpaper a few miles away, the Bangor Express. Jerry, the owner, asks him to be a managing consultant for a day because the paper's in trouble. Peter is the acting ed. Alex (female) is a young, promising senior reporter. Michael is a reporter. Janine does the ads. Rob thinks she's been raking 20% from the fees - she's the accountant too.

They're approached with photos of a local robbery that could lead to a scoop. Rob realises that when writing for a local paper you often risk upsetting people you know. McCarthy, the father of the photographed robber is a counsellor. He comes to the newspaper's office with heavies asking for the photos back. Rob decides to become editor. He visits Sean the photographer, saying that he admires his work. He's been roughed up.

Janine's not been pocketing the money. It's a protection racket and she gets roughed up too.

Dylan, imprisoned for manslaughter (drunken driving), is out after 3 years, living in a halfway house. Alex sees him drinking and driving and confronts him. That night the halfway house is set alight. Dylan saves people - convict to hero. The office equpment is repossessed.

McCarthy has been using his influence to stop advertisers using the newspaper. Janine has photos of the 2 of them together, when they were having an affair. She blackmails him to get the advertisers back.

When Michael's send to cover court cases he changes the name of a criminal because his sister chats him up after. With little cases like that, the biggest punishment is to be mentioned in the local paper.

Rob likes being a big fish in a little pool. He makes their web-site useful. A month into the job his wife and kids turn up - a surprise to the reader and his colleagues. The couple are friendly but separated.

Rob saves the life of a prostitute frpm Prague. Is that a local interest story? They help her friend escape from captivity. The story is picked up by bigger papers.

A shopping centre is being built on a graveyard, perhaps without the builders knowing. The graveyard contents were dumped by a farmer in his field. Michael wants to write an article on it, but the village would benefit from the shopping centre.

An old lady is found in her house, dead for weeks. The paper decides to point out the tragedy of this. Researching into her, they find she'd been active in Civil Rights, and that someone's still drawing her pension.

A shopkeeper is taken hostage by Patrick, who's armed. He wants to negotiate with Rob who he used to work with on a paper. Rob exchanges himself for the hostage. Rob's journalistic skills help him out.

So, many little stories that gradually give us a portrait of the town, and of the developing spirit of the newspaper.