Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl
Every once in a while a book comes along, unexpectedly, that you just can’t put down despite your best efforts. Life goes out the window as each character magically comes to life and every scene a page turner. Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl is that book.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I managed to read my way through an entire novel (320 pages) in one day but the engaging characters and mysterious sub plots had me hooked from the very first chapter. Food yesterday was secondary to a gripping mystery novel of whodunit, betrayal, love and murder.
Lis Wiehl best known for her stint as a Fox News commentator and legal analyst in the United States, teams up with mystery veteran Henry (Buried Diamonds) on a sizzling political thriller.
When 17-year-old Senate page Katie Converse goes missing on her Christmas break near her parents’ white Victorian home in Portland, Ore., law enforcement and media personnel go into overdrive in a search for clues.
Published by Thomas Nelson the book is now available in the US (paper and Kindle versions). The current UK book launch (paperback) is not expected until 6th December 2010.
The novel centres around three friends – Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor; Cassidy Shaw, a crime reporter; and Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent – together they are “The Triple Threat Club”.
They discover Katie’s “private” and cryptic blog and despite the best efforts of a 17 year old it doesn’t take Nicole Hedges long to decipher who the young girl was writing about. Senator Fairview is thrust into the limelight with allegations of improper relations surfacing; allegations that threaten to derail his career in the senate.
Lis Wiehl at Fox News
Was Katie kidnapped, did she run away or was she murdered? It takes a while to answer these questions but the novel is so fast paced that you aren’t left hanging for long.
The investigation develops at a rapid pace and the three women work together to help solve the political mystery. As the novel progresses we are subtly introduced to the relationship woes of all three women. Cassidy struggles with her relationship with a cop, Nicole has a daughter by a man she doesn’t want her daughter to know and Allison is trying to have a baby!
The sub plots don’t detract from the main mystery, Wiehl doesn’t overindulge and gets the balance just about right. I would have liked a little more on the senate and political aspects but it’s easy to get sidetracked and this is where a book can lose its pace. It goes without saying that doesn’t happen here.
The book follows two paths, through the eyes of the Triple Threat Club and Katie Converse. Katie’s story is told via posts on her blog, presented to us in chronological order until her disappearance in Portland.
Although I came very close, I failed to guess the outcome of the book, the book should keep you guessing right up to the end.
A delightful first book in the Triple Threat series, Lis Wiehl has done a remarkable job with her debut foray into mystery writing. I look forward to the second novel in the series.
