Friday, January 29, 2010

Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan


Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 280
Challenges: New Author
New-to-me Author: yes
Author's Website



Simple Description:
Charlotte McNally is a tv reporter and she's worried about being cut. She might be good at her job, she might have won several Emmy's, but she is in her mid 40's and older women seem to be let go in order to make room for younger women.

It's November and she needs a big story in order to make the ratings for the sweeps. She is looking for her next big story when it happens to fall in her lap. She has to step in for the news anchor that doesn't show up and reads a story about a man who was killed in a car crash earlier in the morning. Something about his employer's name seems familiar. Later when she is back at her desk she finds that the company is rumored to be in trouble soon due to a whistle blower and she thinks the dead man was the whistle blower. She delves deeper into the story with her producer Franklin. They might not get the story they starting out looking for, but they do uncover a killer of a story.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
I'm not usually a big fan of mysteries where the main chracter is a reporter (tv or newspaper). Usually the characters are so self-centered and it's all me me me me me. However, I did accept a copy of this book to review because it sounded good and I had heard positive things. Let me just say that it didn't bother me in the slightest that the main character was a reporter. I actually really liked her. There was just something about her personality.

This book was great, an awesome start to a new series by the author. It kept moving for me, I wanted to know what was going to happen and how it would all end up. I didn't figure it out at first, who the main bad person was, although I did have my suspicions.

I can tell you that I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series (currently there are already 4 published..or at least three..can't remember if the 4th was published this month or will be published soon). I think a lot of my blog readers will enjoy this mystery series and recommend reading it. Heck, it would qualify for the cozy mystery challenge that I'll be hosting again starting in April. hint hint


Thanks to Kim at Nancy Berland Public Relations for providing this book for review.

2 comments:

Literary Feline said...

I am so glad you enjoyed this one, Kris. Charlotte McNally is such a great character, isn't she? I know what you mean about not liking characters who are extremely self-involved. That gets old so fast.

Hank Phillippi Ryan said...

Oh, my goodness! What a lovely treat to see this on your blog, Kris! I'm so delighted.

And you're right--PRIME TIME, which won the AGATHA for best first novel, and got 2 RITA nominations, is the first in a series of four (so far!)

FACE TIME is the second, then AIR TIME (ever wonder why your luggage always gets lost at the airport?) and DRIVE TIME which comes out--tomorrow!

They are all Charlie McNally adventures, and although it's series ,they're definitely standalones! (Suzanne Brockmann read DRIVE TIME first--and then went back to read them all. She says: I love this series!!)

COme visit my website for lots of info and fun photos..and hope to talk with you soon.

with endless affection
Hank
http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com