Dial Tone

By: Bill Cronin

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Sam Thompson accepts an assignment in Glasgow, Kentucky managing a small rural telephone company. He soon discovers that the comptroller, John Stanko, embezzled nearly a million dollars, and launched a hostile takeover bid to conceal his theft. In Stanko’s race to complete the takeover before authorities can bring charges against him, Stanko -- with the help of employees and board members -- instigates a union takeover, publically smears the reputation of the company and its board of directors and leads a crusade of threats and intimidation against Thompson and his family. Thompson moved his two young daughters, Rebecca and Melanie to Glasgow when his wife died unexpectedly. Amid the business warfare, Thompson falls in love with Georgia Riley, the editor/owner of a small daily newspaper, a critical ally in Thompson’s very public campaign to save the company. This well written unique novel captures life in a small town and the challenge many small rural telephone companies face to avoid extinction in the face of intense competition.