Virginia Knightly is a television news producer who has been relieved of her producing duties. Good thing, because she's become intrigued with a missing person's case. A young attorney in Washington D.C. has disappeared after leaving a restaurant with her husband.
It's D.C., so there's politics involved. Virginia's ex is investigating the case, and maybe he's lying to her? There's a varied cast of characters and things start to look like a police coverup. But why? What did this very young, inexperienced attorney have that would make her a target.
I liked Virginia. She's strong and resilient. She's smart, and I found it easy to root for her. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in The Cutaway. It kept me guessing as Virginia follows leads and you think, "now she's got it!" but no...that's not it either. I didn't figure it out until she did.
The author is an experienced reporter and familiar with TV news and assumes the reader is too. I'm not. I did wish for a little more explanation of the workings of the news cycle, and what is involved in getting the nightly news on the air. There were some terms and expressions that I didn't quite understand. I really don't even get the title. Well, I guess I understood kind of, but there was a lot of tension over stories and timing that I just didn't feel. I don't think this took anything away from the actual story, but I think she missed an opportunity to educate her readers.
The other thing that was a small issue is the denouement. After the case is over and done, there is a lot of personal stuff that gets resolved. Maybe I was just tired, but it seemed like a lot of pages of this. Once again, not a huge issue.
The Cutaway is definitely a worthwhile read for mystery fans. Especially if you like the kind where it's about investigative reporting and not about police procedure. I think older teens would enjoy The Cutaway also.
Published by Atria, Marcy 21, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
320 pages
Rating: 4/5
It has been a long time since I read a really good mystery. Maybe over Spring Break I will find something like this book which will fit my fancy.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of combining mystery and poltiics and the news so I'll add this one to my TBR list!
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