cover image The Newsmakers

The Newsmakers

Lis Wiehl. Thomas Nelson, $26.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-7180-3767-3

Wiehl and co-author Sebastian Stuart have coiled a tight spring of broadcast news intrigue that puts Erica Sparks, a too-good-to-be-true TV journalist, in mortal danger. Handpicked from her job at a New Hampshire affiliate to become the darling of the recently launched Global News Network (GNN), Erica is determined to impress her new boss with her investigative reporting skills. She isn't aware that megalomaniacal station owner Nylan Hastings has hired her for entirely different reasons. The job change also introduces her to handsome Greg Underwood, her sketchily drawn executive producer. When a catastrophic accident conveniently occurs while she is covering another story, Erica and GNN's ratings go skyrocketing. Then, when another terrible accident happens while she's reporting, her bad news hackles are raised and Erica begins a dogged pursuit for the truth. Whom can she trust in the competitive, powerful, high-stakes world of the newsroom? A fantastic premise and good pacing are hampered by subpar character development. Agent: Todd Shuster, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth (Jan.)