Double Exposure

Eve Cooper, the president's daughter, has barely settled into her strangely constricted new life in the White House, when--guess what--during a photo shoot in the Rose Garden--in the snow--a body is discovered. And of course that is just the beginning of a series of shocking discoveries. Is it plausible? Not very. Is it believable? Not really. And yet, it works. You like it and you want to keep reading.Is this great literature? No. Is it entertaining and fun? Absolutely. The character of Eve is quite likable. Her tone is relentlessly perky, yet there are intimations of loneliness, boredom and sadness. The narrative sparkles with humor, sometimes a bit overdone. The characters are good people who care about each other (except for the villain, of course) and you hope things will work out for them--even the president!This is a great book to read when you just need to get away, get your mind off things, relax and enjoy!

Eve Cooper is trying to settle into the white house, weeks after her father wins the presidency, when she discovers a dead body in the rose garden. It appears to be a straightforward heart attack, but a torn photograph showing a couple making love in the white house Lincoln Bedroom raises suspicions that something more sinister may lie behind it. With the support of her father, and the help of a photographer friend, Eve begins to investigate. But the investigation becomes critical when the photograph is revealed to be related to blackmail and a plot to destroy the credibility of the new President. Authors Susan Ford (daughter of former President Gerald Ford) and Laura Hayden combine to deliver a well written adventure that uses the white house as a key plot device rather than a backdrop. Eve is convincing as a young (mid-twenties) woman who has given up her life to help her father, is mystified on how to deal with the Secret Service protection she doesn't want, yet cannot avoid, and is anxious to carve out some area where she can contribute--and possibly escape the terminal confinement of the mansion. DOUBLE EXPOSURE won't open your eyes or cause you to lose sleep at night, but it will keep you turning the pages, with occasional laughs and insights into people and especially people who happen to be the family of the President of the United States.

What's not to like? The characters were engaging and interesting, the plot was intriguing, and I really enjoyed the look inside the White House. It was refreshing to see Eve, the president's daughter, so down to earth and dealing with real issues like real people. Good job!

Though she loves her widowed father, Evelyn Ann "Eve" Cooper is the First Daughter, a role she hates and not just because she is under a media microscope. Eve fears everything about her new home the White House as she thinks of history will remember her for ruining the antiques with a can of diet soda. During a photo shoot in the Rose Garden, Eve, photographer Michael Cauffman, and her two Secret Service Agents (Perkins and McNalley) find a body. Someone apparently murdered Head Usher Burton O'Connor sometime yesterday even if the deceased was seen performing his duties this morning. The victim turns out to be Burton's twin. Realizing that this homicide could become the first scandal of the new Cooper administration, Eve accompanied by Michael and her two Deputy Dawgs begin investigating. The look inside the White House by President Ford's daughter rivals if not surpasses that of Elliot Roosevelt and Margaret Truman in both their long running series. On the other hand, the who-done-it is entertaining, but fails to match the quality of those novels written by the latter two White House residents. The key to the investigation is the audience needs to accept the Secret Service allowing and even enabling a First Daughter to place herself in jeopardy like Eve does. Still DOUBLE EXPOSURE has an insider feel that the White House amateur sleuth audience will enjoy and that in turn will encourage Susan Ford and Laura Hayden to provide more tales starring the Cooper Administration.Harriet Klausner

After I ordered this book, I read the reviews and was scared that I'd wasted my money. It's allmost like someone read a different book than I did. I found "Double Exposure" to be good fun, have a decent mystery with sufficient twists and turns and was not bogged down with too much description. It wasn't predicable, either. There is not a lot of blood or gore and Eve was a smart and likeable sleuth. The White House stuff was well done, but didn't overshadow the rest of the story. I'm loking forward to more stories about Eve and her family. For a first book, it was really a solid effort.