Hank Phillippi Ryan is a heckuva writer. After forty years
of reporting for television, she knows how to make every
word count. She knows how to tease her readers, how to make
you think you know what's happening, right before she turns
the story on its ear. She does all that and more in her new
novel WHAT YOU SEE.
Jane Ryland, like the author, is an investigative reporter.
Only right now, Jane's out of work and trying hard to
impress a Boston news director into hiring her. That puts
her at the scene of a very public murder, aiming a camera at
her secret boyfriend, police detective Jake Brogan.
Complicating the situation, Jane's sister is in the midst of
a family crisis, and Jane is obligated to help.
Ryan volleys the plot between Jane's and Jake's
perspectives, investigating one murder, then another;
juggling the increasingly bizarre family drama; and Jane's
persistent attempts to please her prospective boss. She also
takes us into City Hall, where a bigwig and her daughter are
caught up in politically charged decisions about
surveillance video.
Video and pictures, in fact, are the very core of WHAT YOU
SEE. Murder witnesses capture the chaotic scene of a
stabbing, but will the photos reveal the killer? City
staffers watch everything, but they have to make a
conscious decision when to hit the record button.
Surveillance is everywhere, but can you always believe
what you see?
Ryan writes short, snappy chapters, giving us just a few
minutes from each perspective, and ending almost every scene
with a line that forces you to keep reading, even when
you're on your lunch hour or have to get up in the morning.
The result is a fast, intense read. When you think you have
it figured out, she drops in a new piece of the puzzle that
makes you re-think your theory. Finally, she brings all the
seemingly disparate pieces together and wraps it in a bow.
And that brings us to the worst thing about a Hank Phillippi
Ryan novel. Turning that last page, reading those last lines
(even the acknowledgement), and knowing you have to wait
another year for the next one.
Readers who've been following Ryan's mystery-writing career
from the beginning will delight in the cameo she includes at
the mayor's press conference. It sure put a big grin on my
face to see it.
WHAT YOU SEE is the fourth book to feature Jane Ryland and
Jake Brogan. You don't have to read the others to enjoy this
one, but trust me, you'll want to. I highly recommend this
series for mystery fans, as well as for people (like me) who
work in the news business.
Why would a father abduct his own child? A wedding is
planned in Jane Ryland's family, but there's a disaster
instead. Nine-year-old Gracie-supposed to be the flower
girl-has been taken by her stepdad. Where are they? Is the
girl in danger? Reporter Jane Ryland learns there's a limit
to the bonds of family-and learns to her peril what happens
when loved ones are pushed too far.
Meanwhile, Detective Jake Brogan's got a doozy of a case. At
Boston's historic Faneuil Hall, a man is stabbed to death in
front of a crowd of tourists snapping photos of the murder
on their cell phones. Solving the case should be easy, but
the pictures and surveillance video lead him to a dark
conspiracy of extortion and stolen lives.
Jane and Jake must explore where their loyalties lie-to each
other? To their families? To their careers? If they make the
wrong decision, the consequences could be fatal.
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