Review--PRIME TIME

Review For:
Prime Time, by Hank Phillippi Ryan
ISBN: 9780778327172
Publisher: Mira Books (Harlequin)

Author Hank Phillippi Ryan is an award-winning investigative reporter at Boston’s NBC affiliate. She has twenty-six Emmy’s and ten Edward R. Murrow Awards, along with dozens of other national and international journalism honors. Her work has resulted in new laws, homes removed from foreclosure, criminals sent to prison, and millions of dollars in restitution. Before her reporting career, she was a proofreader, a radio reporter, an Editorial Assistant at Rolling Stone, and a legislative aide in the US Senate. Other titles include: Face Time (coming August 2009) and Air Time (coming September 2009.) She resides just outside of Boston, MA, with her husband.
Charlotte McNally knows that in the ruthless world of television journalism, you’re only as good as your last story, and her latest one very well may be. In her forties, she also knows it is all too easy to get scooped and replaced. With the November sweeps coming quick, she needs to pull out all the stops or kiss her career goodbye. When an innocent-looking email offer turns into a multimillion-dollar fraud ring and murder, it’s not just her job on the line, it’s her life. Her investigation soon leads to Josh Gelston, a professor who is just a tad too helpful and way too handsome. The sparks between them fly, but can Charlotte trust him, or is he part of this diabolical plot? As tension mounts and more questions arise, she better figure this puzzle out, or she’ll be the next headline.
Told in first-person point-of-view, this wasn’t one of those dark, suspenseful reads, but rather more light-hearted and humorous, and I found it captivating. Between the emails, the secondary characters, the suspects, and the mystery to figure out- You’ll keep reading until the end and wanting more. Charlie’s producer, Franklin, was a phenomenal add to the story-line and I rather enjoyed him. The emails were neat to watch unfold, and quite immensely clever. This was a very well-paced book, too. The setting drew you in, and I liked learning more about Boston. The reader will learn a great deal about television journalism without realizing it, and be sure to keep your eye out for the What they don’t teach you in J-school, entries…Hilarious! Typically, first-person isn’t my favorite, but this goes to show what good writing and a great sense of humor can do for a book.
Prime Time, by Hank Phillippi Ryan is a fascinating glimpse into journalism, an intriguing mystery, and a sweet romance, with sassy, but loveable characters, amidst a laugh-out-loud dialog to liven any mood.

Kelly Moran,
Author and Reviewer