The Croaker

About the Book

Dysfunctional reporters converging on a sleepy small town, expecting "no news", become consumed by an avalanche of events that defies their understanding. Sometimes gruesome local traditions draw local outrage when reported. Past secrets are not talked about. Crimes become deeply personal for the entire community.

Reporters grapple with their emotions in trying to understand it all, while also enduring public contempt for the paper. The alcoholic editor misses typo after typo, which sinks stories into absurdity and makes the paper a laughingstock; hence the nickname, The Croaker.

The town itself is a victim of atrophy. Store after store goes under and the arrival of corporate-owned business spells the death of Main Street. The paper becomes such a victim, becoming a shopper. The reporters move elsewhere.

About the Author

Larry Wills spent most of his 40-year newspaper career in the rural West and Midwest where he witnessed small cities in decay. A prize-winner editor and reporter, he also saw the economic disruption as corporations destroyed Main Street and the culture of the community.

For him and others sensitive to the heritage, it was painful to see part of Americana fade away. Now retired, he is living in rural Texas.