cover image The Exculsive

The Exculsive

Carole Nelson Douglas. Ballantine Books, $3.95 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-345-31993-7

As the daughter of a famous newspaper editor, Liz Jordan is destined to become a reporter. Indeed, her success story practically writes itself. She earns a journalism degree and is immediately hired as a reporter for a Midwest newspaper, where she makes a name for herself by covering such issues as abortion and latchkey children. Aggressive and ambitious, Liz moves to broadcasting to further her career, and as a television newswoman continues with timely investigative topics, keeping her eye on a spot with the network. Then she gets her big break as the co-anchor of a national morning news show in New York, and sacrifices family, friends and lovers, discovering what it takes to make it to the top. Full of cliches and stereotypes, this is too predictable to take seriously. (March)