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Anyone who despairs at the tabloid media’s obsession with D list celebrities, will love this colourfully irreverent book by author and advertising copywriter Lawrence Simpson.
Former TV boss Jonathan has a “thing” about The Daily Mail newspaper and given half the chance would love nothing more than to put it out of business – for good! Jonathan’s wish is about to come true when, after being gifted a share of a multi-million-pound lottery win, he assembles a crack team of experts to blow up the Mail’s printing presses and bring down its website. His one-man crusade against a dumbed down, tacky media will pitch him against a top Metropolitan police officer who’ll stop at nothing to catch his man. Can Jonathan dodge the long arm of the law to pull off “the crime of the century” and who/what else is on his media hit list?
According to the Daily Mail is a wonderfully structured crime caper that also happens to be a cracking good read. Yet underpinning the comedy are serious questions about the media, its coverage of news stories, and whether the job of the newspapers is to inform or entertain. The publication of According to the Daily Mail couldn’t have come at a better time as media companies grapple with how they should respond to the proliferation of fake news stories.
Reviewed by Juliette Foster
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