Rating: 
Summary: Radio noir
Review: "2:00 Eastern Wartime" is author John Dunning's eleagic tribute to the WWII homefront, the noir mystery (maybe you'll have an image of Robert Mitchum in your head as you read the story of Jack Dulaney), and especially radio before the age of television. As you follow along with the twists and turns of the plot as Jack and his sometime girlfriend Holly adventurously try to find out who murdered Holly's father (you may not like them much--they're obsessed and self-absorbed), you'll also be swept up into the life of the mythical Jersey Shore radio station, WHAR, as the staff, with the encouragement of the station's owner, puts on radio dramas (and the author's re-creation of the way those dramas were produced is fascinating) that have relevance for the time the novel is set in--and that time is 1942, the early days of the war before it was clear that the U.S. would prevail. It was an uncertain time of gasoline rationing, German espionage (the scenes in New York City's Yorkville are especially chilling), FBI surveillance, and the rounding up of U.S. citizens of Japanese extraction, as well as the advent of daylight saving time (then called wartime, hence the title of the book). And it was a time when radio networks functioned similar to the way the "over the air" TV networks do today, producing comedies and dramas. The author not only ensnares the mystery with breathless complications (although the tacked-on "coda" seems unnecessary--the book should have had a colder ending) but he also gives you a taste, by way of his fictional radio station, of what quality radio might have been like, had it only been given the chance. But it didn't get that chance: soon the war was over and television arrived. Radio drama gave way to the dj. As Mr. Harwood, the strange visionary station owner tells Jack at one point, he fears "not that radio's greatest days will fade away but that its greatest day will never come." It never did.
Rating:
Summary: Radio noir
Review: "2:00 Eastern Wartime" is author John Dunning's eleagic tribute to the WWII homefront, the noir mystery (maybe you'll have an image of Robert Mitchum in your head as you read the story of Jack Dulaney), and especially radio before the age of television. As you follow along with the twists and turns of the plot as Jack and his sometime girlfriend Holly adventurously try to find out who murdered Holly's father (you may not like them much--they're obsessed and self-absorbed), you'll also be swept up into the life of the mythical Jersey Shore radio station, WHAR, as the staff, with the encouragement of the station's owner, puts on radio dramas (and the author's re-creation of the way those dramas were produced is fascinating) that have relevance for the time the novel is set in--and that time is 1942, the early days of the war before it was clear that the U.S. would prevail. It was an uncertain time of gasoline rationing, German espionage (the scenes in New York City's Yorkville are especially chilling), FBI surveillance, and the rounding up of U.S. citizens of Japanese extraction, as well as the advent of daylight saving time (then called wartime, hence the title of the book). And it was a time when radio networks functioned similar to the way the "over the air" TV networks do today, producing comedies and dramas. The author not only ensnares the mystery with breathless complications (although the tacked-on "coda" seems unnecessary--the book should have had a colder ending) but he also gives you a taste, by way of his fictional radio station, of what quality radio might have been like, had it only been given the chance. But it didn't get that chance: soon the war was over and television arrived. Radio drama gave way to the dj. As Mr. Harwood, the strange visionary station owner tells Jack at one point, he fears "not that radio's greatest days will fade away but that its greatest day will never come." It never did.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb
Review: A wonderful mystery skillfully told, with rich characterizations and superb atmosphere. This is truly a fine novel that is difficult to put down. The old time radio background along with the WWII scenario is fascinating and the plot is excellent. A treat for any reader!
Rating:
Summary: Spotlight On Radio Days
Review: As a mystery reader, I found the going very difficult. The main concentration is on the preparation and presentation of radio shows, and the detail to this end is quite deep. If you were interested in the workings of early radio show then I think you would find this book to be compulsive reading. Due to the great detail provided in describing the radio side of the story, something had to be neglected and in this case it turned out to be the mystery. Any progress made by Jordan Ten Eyck / Jack Dulaney in solving the disappearance of two men was made with wild hunches based on very little evidence which always happened to yield results. I found this "luck" very unlikely and found myself growing increasingly frustrated with that aspect of the story. Rather than expecting a mystery, expect a story of the day to day running of a radio studio and it's importance to the cultural growth of America during the Second World War.
Rating:
Summary: Radio as a character in a well written mystery.
Review: Dunning has taken us out of the book shop (Booked to Die, The Bookman's Wake) and transported us to the world of radio drama during World War II. The station itself (WHAR) becomes another important character in the cast of many characters. Before many pages are turned, you get to know a whole "family" of radio actors, producers, and technicians. The central character in the story is Jack who has followed Holly Carnahan to New Jersey in order to help her discover what has happened to her father. In the process he gets a job at WHAR and finds his niche as a writer of radio shows. As Jack pursues the clues to the disappearance of Carnahan, he discovers several other disappearances that have occured and searches to discover the link between them. The story jumps between his attempt to solve the mystery and his growing career in radio with the romance with Holly finally being realized. It makes for a good read although at times it seems a little convoluted with too many political subplots related to the disappearance and murders. It is well worth the read and we learn a lot about an era where radio was the medium. If you like a good mystery that teaches you something while making you think, you'll enjoy reading "Two O'Clock Eastern Wartime".
Rating: 
Summary: Dunning finally disappointed me
Review: Dunning is one of the top writers in the mystery genre and I wish he would publish more often. But this disappointed me. I have little interest in old books, but I loved the Cliff Janeway tomes. I have a little more interest in old-time radio, but I couldn't get into this, perhaps because of the rambling writing sytle, perhaps because of the large assemblage of characters. I found myself going back to doublecheck. When I do that, it means my attention has lapsed.
Rating:
Summary: A good near miss
Review: Dunning's new novel reads well and has a great setting. His depiction of radio days during WWII is detailed and absorbing, so much so that the rather hackneyed mystery plot was more of an intrusion than an attraction. Drifter Jack Mulaney AKA Jordan Ten Eyck follows clues to discover who's been murdering people connected to station WHAR. He's lured into this investigation because his almost/former sweetheart is involved--her father was a victim. Turns out Jack is an excellent radio writer, and he settles into the job of radio station savior. Unfortunately for the mystery, what the reader really cares about is Jack's role as savior of the station, rather than his murder investigation. The murder mystery is hampered by thinly developed minor characters, so much so that when the murderer was revealed, I could barely recall the character's connection to the story. I found myself wanting to read more about the characters and their connections to the radio business, perhaps because the killer's victims were all done in before the book starts--and the mild suspense about the survival of the love interest character Holly Carnahan AKA O'Hara didn't really seem inportant. Not a bad read, and an ambitious attempt, but not up to the caliber of Booked To Die or Bookman's Wake. People who liked the American Movie Classics show Remember WENN will like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Book, Amazing Writer!
Review: Dunning, where have you been all my life? From the very first words of this book, you know that you are in the hands of a master. This is the most beautifully written mystery I've ever read! The pace is leisurely, but that's all to the good. By taking its time, the book gives you the chance to really get to know the main character, Jack/Jordan, and he is one of the most compelling characters in fiction. 1940s America and life in a small-town radio station are beautifully evoked. What impressed me most is that, unlike many historical novels which seem to be a frozen slice in time with no antecedents, this book has enough references to culture and events in the 1930s that the wartime in which the book is set makes sense and has context. Jack himself, who has bummed around race tracks doing menial jobs like horse walking, seems very much a man of the 1930s Depression, rootless and scraping by, but looking for something to cling to. The mystery itself is satisfyingly complex. In fact, through most of the book, you're not even sure what the mystery is! Who is after Jack and why? I was sad to reach the end of the book, because I wanted to spend more time in this world.
Rating:
Summary: I Loved this Book
Review: Finally, a book with characters about whose fate you care about. I have read three of Dunning's previous mysteries (Deadline, Booked to Die, and Bookman's Wake) and both of the "bibliomysteries" (the latter two) were terrific. This book, about the golden age of radio, is also a mystery, but the characters are more fleshed out. This was a "great read" and upon finishing it I regretted it had ended. What more can you say. I loved this book.
Rating: 
Summary: At Least Some of the Radio Stuff was Interesting
Review: First, I am, or was, a fan of John Dunning. This book was a major disappointment. When a person is playing tennis or squash, the worst thing he can do is think of two shots at once. Invariably, he tries both at once and loses the point. This is what Dunning did in this too long novel. It is a novel about radio and a mystery novel. In trying both "shots" at once, Dunning loses the point in a big way. He should have chosen either and stuck with it. The mystery never convincingly wove into the radio novel. In Dunning's other works, he successfully uses his intimate knowledge of bookselling and journalism to enhance the mystery. Here his radio marathon smothered a tenuous mystery plot. Read his earlier novels, but skip this one for sure.
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