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Face of Betrayal

A Triple Threat Mystery by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

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.

Acknowledgment: Goldberg McDuffie Communications provided a copy of Face of Betrayal for this review.

Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …

Mystery Book Review: The Newsmakers by Lis Wiehl with Sebastian StuartThe Newsmakers
Thomas Nelson (Hardcover), January 2016
ISBN-13: 9780718037673; ISBN-10: 0718037677

Location(s) referenced in Face of Betrayal: Portland, Oregon

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Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

Face of Betrayal by A Triple Threat Mystery

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-59554-705-7
Publication Date:
List Price: $24.99

Buy the Book (purchase options)

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Page Author: Lance Wright
Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews

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