Face
of Betrayal
A
Triple Threat Mystery
Lis
Wiehl
Thomas
Nelson (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59554-705-3 (1595547053)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59554-705-7 (9781595547057)
Publication Date: April 2009
List Price: $24.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): While home on Christmas break, a seventeen-year-old
Senate page takes her dog out for a walk and never returns. Reporter
Cassidy Shaw is the first to break the story. The resulting media
firestorm quickly ensnares Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI
Special Agent Nicole Hedges. The three unique women are life-long
friends who call themselves The Triple Threat--a nickname derived from
their favorite dessert and their uncanny ability to crack cases via
their three positions of power.
Though authorities think Katie might have been kidnapped or run away,
those theories shatter when Nicole uncovers Katie's blog. They reveal a
girl troubled by a mysterious relationship with an older man. Possibly
a U.S. Senator.
As the three women race against time to find Katie alive, their
increasing emotional involvement brings out their own inner demons and
external enemies. There are many faces of betrayal, but they must find
one face in a crowd of growing suspects before they become the next
victims.
Review:
Lis Wiehl introduces three professional women, a Federal Prosecutor, an
FBI Special Agent, and a Portland television news reporter, who call
themselves the Triple Threat after a dessert they share weekly over
which they discuss various aspects of their lives in Face of Betrayal.
When a 17-year-old girl goes missing, presumed kidnapped, all three
women are brought together on the same case. Nicole Hedges, the FBI
agent, is in charge of the investigation while Allison Pierce is
pressured to find the perpetrator quickly. Cassidy Shaw, the reporter,
is the face that brings the news, or lack thereof, to the viewing
audience. It quickly becomes apparent that the missing girl, a page in
the US Senate home for the Christmas holidays, was involved, possibly
romantically, with the senior Senator from Oregon. Though he denies any
wrongdoing, and claims that he had nothing to do with her being
missing, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. Together the
three women work the case from all angles, determined to uncover the
truth behind the young girl's disappearance.
Face
of Betrayal is all about
character. Though the main plot involves the missing girl and serves to
unify the women against a common danger, each of the characters has a
compelling subplot unrelated to the case. Nicole, a black woman, feels
she needs to work harder and smarter than her colleagues in the FBI.
She's a single mother with a mysterious past in a job that requires her
to be always prepared, on duty 24 hours a day. Allison, a hard-as-nails
prosecutor, is newly pregnant after years of trying; she desperately
wants a child but is concerned how she is going to be able to manage a
family and a career. She's also being threatened by person or persons
unknown, presumably as a result of one of her convictions. Cassidy is
top local television talent, but wants more. She sees this case as her
way out of Portland onto the national stage. She's also in an abusive
relationship with a new boyfriend, something she refuses to recognize.
The author manages to keep these disparate subplots moving along at a
brisk clip, but by moving in and out of them on a regular basis
sacrifices much of the suspense that could have been generated by the
primary case. There are, too, an unfortunate number of trite,
stereotypical clichés presented (the right-wing Senator
involved with an underage girl, prime among them) but on the whole, Face of Betrayal
is a strong introduction to this series featuring a distinctive cast of
appealing characters.
Special thanks to Goldberg McDuffie Communications for providing a copy of Face of Betrayal for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Mysteries in this series ...
Face of Betrayal
Thomas Nelson (Hardcover), April 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59554-705-3 (1595547053)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59554-705-7 (9781595547057)
Omnimystery
keywords for Face of Betrayal
...
Location(s) referenced: Portland, Oregon.
