The Cutaway by Christina Kovac @christina_kovac #Suspense #Thriller #TVNews

The Plot:

The Cutaway draws you into the tangled world of corruption and cover-up as a young television producer investigates the disappearance of a beautiful Georgetown lawyer in this stunning psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn.

When brilliant TV news producer Virginia Knightly receives a disturbing “MISSING” notice on her desk related to the disappearance of a beautiful young attorney, she can’t seem to shake the image from her head. Despite skepticism from her colleagues, Knightly suspects this ambitious young lawyer may be at the heart of something far more sinister, especially since she was last seen leaving an upscale restaurant after a domestic dispute. Yet, as the only woman of power at her station, Knightly quickly finds herself investigating on her own.

Risking her career, her life, and perhaps even her own sanity, Knightly dives deep into the dark underbelly of Washington, DC business and politics in an investigation that will drag her mercilessly through the inextricable webs of corruption that bind the press, the police, and politics in our nation’s capital.

About the Author:

Christina Kovac managed newsrooms and produced crime and political stories in the District. Her career as a television journalist began with Fox 5’s Ten O’Clock News, followed by the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C. For the last nine years, she worked at the Washington Bureau of NBC News. She lives with her family outside of Washington, D.C.

Review:

I started out working at the National Public Radio affiliate in Charleston, S.C. One of our producers recognized my writing talent and mentored me. But one thing I learned while working with her was that I don’t have the attitude for hard news. If the Secret Service tells me to stand behind a certain line, I’ll do so. Mine won’t be the hand with the microphone snaking out of the crowd to get Prince Charles to answer at least one question before being dragged back behind the line—as my mentor was.

Virginia Knightly is who I’d like to be if I ever grow up. She’ll get behind that line and talk the Secret Service into letting her stay. In fact, she’ll convince Prince Charles he needs to talk to her. And if he’s done anything wrong, she’ll prove it, even if she has to risk her life to do so. As she does when Evelyn Carney goes missing.

Ms. Kovac created a cast of compelling, intriguing characters. Then she put them into a fast-paced book I couldn’t put down. In fact, when my granddaughter texted and said she was on her way to pick me up for my great-granddaughter’s birthday party, I texted “Okay,” and continued reading when I should have been grabbing my coat and running out the door. I was annoyed when she texted “Here.” That’s really bad.

Furthermore, I couldn’t figure out who did it. First I thought it was one person, and then another, and then someone else, and back again. It was difficult to tell who was telling the whole truth, part of the truth, or just flat-out lying. Plus, it was all mixed in with an upheaval back at the station. And did I mention she actually uses good grammar? Heaven!

Any book that almost makes me miss my great-granddaughter’s fifth birthday party is an absolute MUST READ!

Author Website:  https://www.christinakovac.com/

Warnings:  None

Length:  320 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $26.00

Digital:  $13.99

Buy Link:  https://smile.amazon.com/ dp/1501141694

Thanks for visiting.

The Second Coming A Love Story by Scott Pinkster

 Blurb:

Two men claim to be the Second Coming of Christ. Each claims the other is Satan in disguise. But only one is telling the truth.

In The Second Coming: A Love Story, the devilish new novel by Scott Pinsker, the culture war between Red America and Blue America turns shockingly real when two self-declared saviors appear on earth. The first “messiah” attracts legions of liberal and secular-progressive followers with his message of New Age brotherhood, quickly becoming the darling of the left. The second “messiah” preaches fire-and-brimstone traditional Christianity, gaining a grassroots army of conservative worshipers ready to battle to the death.

It’s finally happened: Red America and Blue America are headed for Armageddon!

Review by Rochelle Weber:

When Mr. Pinkster first offered The Second Coming: A Love Story to me to review, I had some qualms about it.  It’s not that as a Pagan I don’t know the Bible or the stories related to Christ’s return and the Anti Christ.  It was more of a case of “been there; done that; don’t wanna be preached at.”  But I was assured the book wasn’t preachy, so I accepted it.  Warning:  die-hard Christians would probably be scandalized.  It reminded me of a rock song a few years back that asked, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Would you know Christ if He was on the bus like one of us?”  I’m betting most of us wouldn’t.

The Second Coming: A Love Story is really kind of a hoot.  The two entities claiming to be Christ are each rather humble, self-effacing men who recruit followers with names one can certainly relate to Biblical figures.  So is it the one who lives on the beach and whose disciples include Margaret Madala and Peter the Bum?  Or the one who appears in Washington, DC, and recruits the gay speech writer David and his partner Michael?  Is it the one who preaches Old Testament fire and brimstone?  Or the one who says, “All you have to do is leave the world a holier place than it was when you arrived here”?  Mr. Pinkster kept me guessing.  In fact, the book ended and I’m still not sure which one it was, because Mr. Pinkster used a ploy that is one of my pet peeves.  He ended the book with a cliff-hanger.  Apparently this is part of a series, and I’ll have to buy at least one more book to learn which one is the real Christ, and which is the Anti Christ.

Mr. Pinkster could also use a better line editor.  I found a few glaring grammar issues.  Well, glaring to a grammar Nazi like me, anyway.

Overall, it was a good book.  In fact, it was a much better read than I expected.  I would definitely recommend it, but only if you have an open mind and can take a joke.  I mean, really—would you know Christ if you met Him on a bus?  How about if He was pan-handling and said He was hungry and you had a couple extra bucks?  Would you take Him into Micky D’s and buy Him a burger and fries?  If He was selling a paper the homeless sell to get back on their feet would you buy a copy or tell Him to “Get a job.”?  I actually heard a yuppie say that to a guy selling Streetwise in Chicago.  As far as I’m concerned, selling a newspaper is a lot more honest than selling stocks or hog futures.  You pay a dollar and you have a product in your hand that will still be worth a dollar tomorrow.  But, I digress.  You’ll enjoy Second Coming: A Love Story.

Length:  238 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $16.00

Digital:  $3.16

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00KT6B3G0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420404771&sr=1-1&keywords=the+second+coming+a+love+story

Thanks for visiting. Rose, Julie, Donna, & Rochelle

Getting Away Is Deadly by Sara Rosett

Blurb:

With swollen feet and swelling belly, pregnant Ellie bravely joins the nation’s tourists in seeing the sights in Washington, D.C. But a fatal incident at the Metro station convinces Ellie that something is rotten in the capitol city. Should she do the safe thing and pack her bags? Not likely when too many people are telling lies, hiding secrets, and acting suspiciously. Luckily, Ellie Avery is just the right woman to clean up the most mysterious cases of murder—even if she has to brave the most dangerous byways in the corridors of power.

Review:

Sara Rosett’s murder mystery, Getting Away Is Deadly, is written in first person and set in Washington D.C. in modern times. It starts a bit slowly, allowing for thorough character development. Rosett’s characters are interesting and likeable, and the plot is engaging. It provides exhaustive background details and then picks up speed about mid-book. From that point on, the plot rushes through a surprising number of twists and turns to the jaw-dropping conclusion. It’s not the type of thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, but somewhat of a remarkable riddle that I enjoyed and gladly recommend to others. The author did incorporate a list of travel tips at the end of most chapters which I initially found to be disruptive to the plot, but I eventually began to skip over those odd intrusive pages to keep close to the story line, and that worked well for me.

Length:  250 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $6.99

Digital:  $5.99

Buy Link:  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/13795

Thanks for visiting. Rose & Rochelle