Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2718-9
Publisher: MIRA Books (A Harlequin Imprint)

 
Charlotte McNally is at it again, only this time she’s after a boost in the Nielsen ratings when mysteriously, a tape winds up in her possession that will prove confessed killer, Dorinda Sweeney, could not have possibly murdered her husband four years earlier. So why is the convicted woman still professing her guilt?

“Charlie’s” journalistic senses pick up on the story of a lifetime, delving into the seemingly closed case with her witty, yet stubborn determination to shed light on the truth. But the lead prosecutor in the Sweeney case, now running for Governor, is demanding “Charlie” back off. Instead of doing that, though, his persistence only heightens “Charlie’s” instincts that she’s on the right track and there’s no way she’s going to back down on this one

Though the romance is heating up, “Charlie” is also trying to deal with her questionable future with Josh because his daughter defiantly causes friction on their relationship. And with her mother’s demands while recuperating from unnecessary surgery, “Charlie’s” stress level is constantly in “peak mode”.

But when other people involved in the Sweeney case start turning up dead, Charlie knows she’s hit a nerve, but can she prove they have the wrong person behind bars without making herself another target for the real killer first?

I loved the first book in this series, Prime Time, and hoped Ryan would not disappoint me on this second installment. Hank Ryan’s not only written yet another action-packed, suspense novel, she’s outdone herself with Face Time. Having the journalistic background on her side, Ms. Ryan is able to write a “could really happen” gripping storyline with likeable (and not so likeable) characters readers can relate to.

Brilliantly weaving the personal life of her heroine into the background of the story only adds to the strength in Ryan’s writing ability. Her plots are captivating, her characters are realistic and the surprising twists in her storyline draws the reader in to a life behind the scenes of what one won’t see when watching the ten o’clock news report.

I love it when a series only gets better, a difficult task for any writer to accomplish, but Hank Ryan breezes through with top-notch literary skills. Her creativity with her characters is fantastic and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to see what “Charlie’s” gotten herself entangled into next.