Face Time

TV reporter Charlotte "Charlie" McNally has been given a tape proving Dorinda Sweeney, dubbed "Deadly Dorie," could not have killed her husband four years ago because she was nowhere near her home during the killing. Looking for a Nielsen rating victory, Charlie and her producer Franklin set out to prove Dorie's innocence. Problem is that Dorie maintains her guilt and refuses to talk to anyone. The Attorney General has just announced his candidacy for governor and is applying pressure to Charlie's station to drop the story. He built his career on her conviction and doesn't want to see her go free. In the meantime, things with Josh are a bit rocky. His eight-year-old daughter refuses to warm up to Charlie. And if that weren't enough, her mother is in the area to recover from some cosmetic work and she's a bit demanding of Charlie's time. People associated with Dorie's case keep dying. Charlie believes this proves the real killer is still out there. Can Charlie find the killer before they put their sites on Charlie? I really enjoy this series. Charlie is a fun character. I like the fact that she's a TV investigative reporter and that we get a glimpse into her life. It shows just how much work goes into the various stories we see on TV. Plus I like the various characters she encounters and works with. I think the author did a great job of creating the setting and characters in this book. The sub-plots were expertly weaved together with the main plot and never took over. It is a quick read but yet has a good mystery to keep the reader engaged. I highly recommend this book and series.

What a fun read! I thought the book was both entertaining and clever, and introduced a heroine I will definitely want to hear from again.

It's a scoop that any reporter would kill for. Four years ago, Dorinda Sweeney confessed to killing her husband. But TV reporter Charlotte "Charlie" McNally has just been given a tape that proves "Deadly Dorie" was no where near her home at the time of the murder. With a Nielsen rating victory in sight, Charlie and her producer Franklin set out to prove Dorie's innocence. Unfortunately, it isn't that easy. Dorie refuses to talk to anyone and still maintains her guilt. The Attorney General built his career on Dorie's conviction, and since he has just announced his candidacy for governor, has started putting pressure on Charlie's station to drop the story. Of course, Charlie's personal life has issues, too. Her mother, who is infuriatingly always right, is in the area to recover from a little cosmetic work. And Charlie's relationship with boyfriend Josh has hit a snag, his eight-year-old daughter who refuses to warm up to Charlie. Charlie is making little headway in any of these problems. But what really worries her is that people associated with the Dorie case keep dying. It makes sense that if Dorie is innocent, the killer would still be out there. But will he or she come after Charlie next? Once again, I enjoyed spending time with Charlie and her friends. All the characters are well developed and likable. I found the sub-plot involving Josh's daughter very touching. The sub-plots were well interwoven and never slowed the main story down. I did feel the plot was a little uneven, however. There are twists, but they come in fits and starts. Still, the climax was surprising, logical, and suspenseful. Forget the "romantic suspense" label. This is a good mystery, period. I enjoyed by time with Charlie and look forward to reading more about her in the future.

I read Hank Phillippi Ryan's first book, Prime Time, when it came out earlier this year, and was excitedly awaiting this next installment. This book does not disappoint. The writing is top notch, the characters are very realistic, and the mystery is well drawn. You will not be able to keep from turning those pages, both from a sense of suspense and because there is a fun lightness to the writing. Prime Time and Face Time are a great couple of books to pack on your airplane carry on as the holidays near and you know you'll be waiting in airports. Armed with these two books and you won't even mind being late. Not a bad stocking stuffer either. In any case, I'm now awaiting the next one... Rumor has it, there are two more in the works. Keep 'em coming!

Multiple Emmy award-winning reporter Charlotte "Charlie" McNally returns for an encore in this, her second novel, filled with mystery and suspense. This time Charlie is investigating the possibility of wrongful conviction about Dorinda Sweeney. Three or four years ago Dorinda was convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to life in prison. Now there is evidence of Dorinda's innocence. Problem number one is that Dorinda confessed to the crime. Problem number two is that Dorinda refuses to be interviewed. Problem three is that any time Charlie can show evidence of innocence, Dorinda can counter it somehow. Charlie's gut says Dorinda is innocent. So why would Dorinda confess to murdering her husband and swear the evidence of her innocence is wrong? Things heat up when Charlie learns that Oscar "Oz" Ortega, the attorney general, had been the lead prosecutor in Dorinda's case. Oz also happens to be running for governor. Needless-to-say, Oz is not too happy about Charlie's story. Bad publicity is death on the campaign trail. ***** Hank Phillippi Ryan adds realism to her main character by adding Charlie's all-knowing mother in a sub-plot (she's getting a little cosmetic work done), as well as including a little down time with her boyfriend, Josh, and Josh's young daughter. I consider this to be a very nice touch, especially since today's dating scene often includes single parents. Charlie's profile becomes more rounded and believable with this addition. The author gives her readers a glimpse into the daily grind of an investigative reporter's life. Those of us outside the news field have no real idea of just how much leg work goes into those short news reports on television, much less what is involved in the big news stories. (Reporters face more danger in their line of work than one would guess. No need to cover war stories to find themselves in trouble. Then there are the stories that include lots of leg work, only to be dropped because they do not pan out or there was never really a story there.) This author writes what she knows, investigative reporting. With her knowledge of the field, Hank Phillippi Ryan makes this story so vivid and real that I almost expected the characters to stand up and walk off the pages of the book. Excellent! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.