The Barnes & Noble Review
The newborn son of the president and the first lady has died suddenly. Was his death a tragic consequence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)-or was it murder? Brown (The Witness) pulls out the stops in this nimbly plotted political thriller that pits a down-on-her-luck TV journalist against a popular chief executive. Barrie Travis is looking for her ticket out of a second-rate Washington, D.C., TV station, but she has a reputation as a screw-up with little credibility. When First Lady Vanessa Merritt hints to her that the baby's death may not have been due to SIDS after all, Barrie has the big story she needs-but who will believe her? Before Barrie can learn more from the First Lady, President David Merritt sends his wife "into seclusion," where she's heavily drugged and kept under close guard. Determined to uncover the truth, Barrie travels to Wyoming to question the man rumored to have been Vanessa's lover and possibly the father of her child, military hero Gray Bondurant. After a sexually charged meeting with the reclusive Gray, the reporter returns to Washington to find her townhouse bombed into rubble and the FBI asking too many questions. Can she, with Gray's help, rescue the First Lady and expose the president's secret? Despite merely serviceable prose, Brown's intricate weave of false leads, sinister motives and long-hidden truths is engrossing. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections; author tour. (June) ~ FYI: Brown, 47, didn't publish her first novel until age 33. She's now written 60 novels, several under the pen names Laura Jordan, Rachel Ryan and Erin St. Claire. In the past five years, 24 of her books have made the New York Times bestseller lists.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
YA-Scandal strikes the First Family. How exactly did the President and First Lady's only child die? According to the White House, the baby died of sudden infant death syndrome. According to the ambitious female news reporter, Barrie Travis, their story veils the truth. Unfortunately, Barrie suffers from a tarnished reputation, because once she was too quick to report without checking her facts first. Joining with an enigmatic former presidential aide and a retired news editor, she uncovers the real story. It reveals the ugly side of too much ambition, too little moral character, and an overload of revenge. While chasing leads and villains, the reporterfalls in love with a man she believes is romantically involved with the First Lady. A very readable book in which the mystery lingers to the final sentence.-Linda Diane Townsend, formerly of Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
A beach-bag shoo-in: With trademark zing and vigor, Brown (Charade, 1994, etc.) takes on the White House.
Television newswoman Barrie Travis is surprised by an out-of- the-blue call from First lady Vanessa Merritt (an old schoolmate) asking her to meet for lunch at an off-the-beaten-path Washington cafe. Even more surprising is Vanessa's strange manner and suggestive conversation at the rendezvous, leading Barrie to suspect that the recent death of Robert Rushton Merritt, the President and Vanessa's only son, may be more of a mystery than it seemed when it was splashed all over the evening news as a classic case of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Barrie knows for sure that she's on to something when the president's smarmy right-hand man, Spencer Martin, starts eliminating her sources and following her tracks; with the help of her best friend Daily, an ex-reporter, and Gray Bondurant, a war hero and former aide to the president who escaped the crooked administration for the wilds of Colorado, Barrie launches a full-scale investigation in search of the answer America doesn't even know it doesn't know: What really happened to the First Son, and just how corrupt are the dashing young president and his lovely, grieving wife? The search uncovers more dirt and danger than Barrie, Daily, or even Gray had imagined, and Barrie's sleazy boss Howie Fripp is more of a hindrance than a help. But, of course, it's not just the mystery that preoccupies Barrie, whose first encounter with the dashing Gray is unforgettable; in the final pages, Brown nails a clever plot twist that will surprise all but the most suspicious of readers.
A fine pick for an election year: Brown knows her terrain and has produced a lively, gripping read.
Tanya Eby's sexy, endearingly quirky voice is perfect for beautiful screw-up Barrie Travis, a reporter relegated to a third-rate TV station after a career misstep. A private interview with the first lady leads her to quietly investigate the facts surrounding the recent death of the “first couple's” baby. As Barrie is quickly embroiled in the dangerous games played by Washington's deadly power brokers, Eby's talents shine. Her vocal skills are fully on display as she creates unique voices and accents with just the right touches of emotion. The listener becomes hooked on a great listen. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
