Drive
Time
A
Charlotte McNally Mystery
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Mira
Books (Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2797-3 (0778327973)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2797-4 (9780778327974)
Publication Date: February 2010
List Price: $7.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Investigative reporter Charlotte McNally is an expert
at keeping things confidential, but suddenly everyone has a secret --
and it turns out it is possible to know too much.
Her latest scoop -- an exposé of a dangerous car scam,
complete with stakeouts, high-speed chases and hidden-camera footage --
is ratings gold. But soon that leads her to a brand-new and diabolical
scheme. Charlie's personal and professional lives are on a collision
course, too. Her fiancé is privy to information about
threats at an elite private school that have turned deadly.
Charlie has never counted on happy endings. But now, just as she's
finally starting to believe in second chances, she realizes revenge,
extortion and murder may leave her alone again -- or even dead ...
Review:
Investigative reporter Charlotte "Charlie" McNally is caught between
making a decision that will significantly affect either her personal
life or her professional life -- and probably both -- all the while
caught up in a mystery of "cloned" cars in Drive Time,
the fourth book in this series by Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Charlie has recently become engaged to Josh, a professor at the Bexter
Academy. His 9-year-old daughter will live with them, and also attend
the academy. For Charlie, it's a dream come true. Except her boss,
Kevin, the news director at the Boston television station where she
works, has been offered, and has accepted, the position as head of the
news division for a cable network in New York City. He wants Charlie to
join him, but she's not sure she can juggle working in Manhattan while
living near Boston. Meanwhile, she's working on a story involving
"cloned" cars, vehicles with identical VIN numbers. Apparently, thieves
are taking temporary possession of a car with a clean record, copying
its VIN number, and then stealing an identical car, replacing its VIN
number, and offering it for sale on a local radio show called "Drive
Time". Charlie needs to find out how all this is occurring before
February sweeps.
Separately, there's trouble at Bexter Academy. Someone is anonymously
calling a student's parents asking them if they know where their child
is. Since their child is in school, safe, the calls are considered by
authorities to be cruel pranks. But then two school employees die
within two weeks of each other -- accidents? -- and Charlie's
investigative instincts tell her there's a connection. She quickly
uncovers a web of jealousy, revenge, and extortion in which she's
trapped, risking the lives of her new family.
The books in this series are all about Charlie balancing, really
juggling, her professional and personal lives, and Drive Time
is no exception. One has to wonder how much of this series may be
autobiographical! In a similar manner, the storylines that make up both
aspects of Charlie's life, illustrating the camaraderie of the newsroom
and the affection she shares with Josh and his daughter, are nicely
balanced as well. As befits the genre, a murder or two is included for
her to solve, but the crimes at times almost seem secondary to
everything else that's going on. Still, this is a wonderful series,
well written with appealing, clever and intelligent characters who
continue to evolve with each succeeding book.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Drive Time and to Nancy Berland Public Relations for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Drive Time? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Prime Time
Harlequin (Mass Market Paperback), June 2007
ISBN-10: 0-373-88135-5 (0373881355)
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-88135-2 (9780373881352)
Face Time
Harlequin (Mass Market Paperback), October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-373-88143-6 (0373881436)
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-88143-7 (9780373881437)
Air Time
Mira Books (Mass Market Paperback), September 2009
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2719-1 (0778327191)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2719-6 (9780778327196)
Drive Time
Mira Books (Mass Market Paperback), February 2010
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2797-3 (0778327973)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2797-4 (9780778327974)
Omnimystery
keywords for Drive Time
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Location(s) referenced: Boston,
Massachusetts.
