Face of Betrayal (Triple Threat Series #1)

17-year old girl disappears while walking dog. Senator investigated for involvement.

Words are not adequate to describe this book. Lis Wiehl drew on her own personal experiences as a federal prosecutor, TV journalist, and the law to write her first "Triple Threat Novel" and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the second.

When seventeen year old Katie disappears over Christmas break, reporter Cassidy Shaw is the first to spread the news to the media. In step her friends and former classmates, Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI Agent Nicole Hedges. Together the three ladies work to figure out what happened to Katie--was she kidnapped? Did she runaway? Was she involved with the Senator? Most importantly was she still alive?

I enjoyed how Wiehl moved the story back and forth telling the narrative, but mixing in blog posts written by Katie before her disappearance. This kept the story moving and allowed the reader to get to know Katie in a way that we otherwise would not have.

It is refreshing to read a book that showed three strong women in places of position that is not written with a pro-fem mentality in mind. These are just a group of friends who work together to solve a mystery. And yet as strong as these women are each one is faced with her own vulnerabilities--infertility, domestic abuse, shattered dreams, haunted pasts--Wiehl captures it all under one cover.

Overall, this is a book I would highly recommend. It twists and turns and leaves you turning page after page to see what happens next. I am typically pretty good about guessing the end to a story--not this one. Pick it up today.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl and April Henry

I read this book to review it for booksneeze.com. This is a Triple Threat Novel. Triple Threat is a "club" of three women who's lives are interwoven by their careers - federal prosecutor, FBI agent, and journalist. Face of Betrayal follows the case of a missing teenager who was involved with a US Senator.
This is a book for fans of John Grisham or Kathy Reichs. It's a thriller, and does get to be a "page-turner" at times. I thought the main characters were a little stereo-typed - dealing with all of the "women issues" like pregnancy, single-parenthood, abuse. The women each have different religious views - Christian, atheist, and kind of New-Agey. I think they could have had some more original situations, but maybe women want to read about these things. This book probably wouldn't appeal to guys, but I think women will enjoy it if they like other political thrillers.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but it's not the kind of book that I tell all my friends they have to read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A mixed bag.

Face of Betrayal was written by Lis Wiehl with April Henry. Lis Wiehl is a former attorney and a legal correspondent for Fox News. April Henry gets no bio on the book, so I expect she's the ghost writer here.

The lead characters are three women, former high school friends who have reconnected now that they have reached their thirties. Though they seem to have next to nothing in common, they have rebonded and refer to themselves as the Triple Threat, the name of a chocolate dessert they love.

One is a married DA, one a blonde, single TV reporter at a local Portland (Oregon) station, and the third a black single mother and FBI agent. The first glimpse of one of them that we get gives you more detail on what she is wearing than a feel for her as a person.

It's actually not bad as a story concept. A young Senate page, Katie Converse, has disappeared while back in Portland for Christmas. Since there's no body yet, there are very few clues As the reporter covers the story of the disappearance and the FBI agent tries to follow what few clues there are, slowly but surely the three all become involved in the case.

But it's not fast-paced. We're well past halfway into the book before there are any clues beyond Katie's MySpace blog posts, and only then because a coyote is seen in the park with the young girl's hand. From that point on, the clues come fast and furious.

Reading this was a mixed bag. The characters aren't as richly developed as they should be to let you emphathize with them - they're two-dimensional. And the story line is transparent. The plusses are that the lead characters are atypical role models, career-oriented women facing what life throws at them - things like pregnancy, abuse (not the same woman) and conflicts from their work environments.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A fun romp into the mystery world

Katie Converse is a US Senate page who comes home to Portland, Oregon on Christmas break. While home, she takes the family dog, Jalapeno, out for a walk. Katie never returns. Is it a simple case of a runaway teen or has something more sinister happened? Enter the triple threat; Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor, Nicole Hedges, an FBI agent, and Cassidy Shaw, a TV reporter. These are three women with very different careers who just happen to be best friends.

It isn't long before Katie's MySpace page is discovered, her entries seem to point in one direction, to Senator Fairview, Katie's Washington sponsor. As the investigation heats up, the three friends use their unique talents to find the missing girl, or perhaps, locate her body. Allison convenes a grand jury, Nicole works with the girl's parents and shifts through a limited number of clues, while Cassidy uses her connections at her TV station to try and get a scoop.

When Katie's body is discovered, her death at first appears to be a suicide. But is it? And what about the homeless man and his young daughter who are living within shouting distance of the girl's body? Could it be the grower of the large marijuana field found nearby? There are a multitude of possibilities and Allison, Nicole, and Cassidy are kept quite busy sorting through the clues.

Face of Betrayal has plenty of plot twists to keep the reader turning pages. Blaming Katie's disappearance on the Senator seems too easy so the reader is led to believe the culprit must be somebody else.or perhaps the Senator is the wrongdoer. As the plot develops, the lives of the three friends play more of a pivotal part in the mystery. Each is dealing with their own problems (Allison has a stalker, Cassidy is dealing with an abusive boyfriend), while trying to solve the case.

The roles of Allison and Nicole are well-developed and these two seem to hold the bulk of attention from the author. That is until well into the story when Cassidy comes upon a key piece of evidence. Then the young newscaster's role jumps to the forefront. Regardless, it is nice to read a mystery where the key players are all strong woman characters.

The ending to Face of Betrayal seems a bit rushed with the suspect confessing much too easily, yet, it is unlikely that the reader will discover just who-dun-it until the very end. The several twists should leave one satisfied with this quick reading mystery.

Quill says: A fun romp into the mystery world with three strong female leads.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great beach read.

I loved the political backdrop to this story; it was fast paced and easy to read. I will definitely read Ms. Wiehl's next book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fast paced political thriller

A young Senate page home on vacation turns up dead. The resulting investigation reveals a possible relationship with a Senator. Three friends, a reporter, a Federal Prosecutor, and an FBI Special Agent work the case to its conclusion.

The story has a familiar ring to it. I like fiction stories that pull their subject matter from the headlines. Somehow it makes the story seem more real and draws you in. This story also adds the interesting dynamic between three friends working the case from different angles. This dynamic allows the reader to experience the action from every angle.

Face of Betrayal is a fast-paced book with a compelling story and interesting twists and turns. It is an interesting blend of a political and crime thriller that was fun to read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just could not set it down

Lis has used her experience with the legal system to write a story that is easy to believe that this actually is a true story pulled out of the headlines (which I believe it was). She introduces the main characters in such a way that you are interested in their daily life. And sympathy for the victim cannot be escaped. The added twists will keep you from wanting to set the book down. I read through half of the novel and had to force myself to place a book marker and get ready for bed. This is a great book to read while traveling in a plane. Lis keeps you in suspense until the very end. She provides an interview she had with Bill O'Reilly and describes the story line for her next novel and entices you with the first two chapters. If you enjoy a good story, I strongly recommend reading Face of Betrayal!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Staccato Writing Style

I felt like I was being jerked along with short sentences that interfered with my enjoyment of the story. The concept of the three friends working together to solve a mystery is a good one.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ripped Straight from the Headlines

This book was another surprising read of the year. I was really amazed at how into the book I got and found it to be an intense all night page turner. I don't watch Fox News so I honestly didn't know who Lis Wiehl was when picking up this book. Other than the Bill O'Reilly endorsement on the front, I had no idea this was a book by a newscaster. It all makes sense now though because this is a story that could be ripped straight from the headlines. It was really interesting to see the story from three different angles - the lawyer, the investigator and the reporter. What I found unique is that usually the reporter tends to have problems with everyone else because their first thoughts are to promote themselves with the story. In this book, however, the reporter allows the clues to come to her and doesn't go out hunting for them. This could be due to the fact that she respects her friends and their feelings even though she is trying to climb the career ladder as well. I really enjoyed reading the mystery about what happened to Katie and I felt the suspense building up throughout the entire book.

Katie's blog entries were well written and did sound convincingly like an actual teen would have written then. Although I'm not too sure that she would have used a MySpace page to blog her thoughts, as I think by now most teens have moved onto Facebook. It was a little difficult reading the entries at first because the story went from third person to first person abruptly but this qualm was erased after you got used to it. The ending was one I didn't see coming and it also raised questions about spousal abuse from a different perspective. I felt the book was extremely well written and it gave an insider's look to what goes on during a crime investigation. The women are likable and I'm eager to read more about them in future books. The story is not preachy, faith is a topic brought up, but it is not in your face. This was a great thriller and a must read suspense book. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the Triple Threat series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Face of Betrayal

Face of Betrayal A Triple Threat Novel
Lis Wiehl with April Henry
2008
Thomas Nelson
Fiction/Mystery
ISBN 978-1-59554-705-7

Reviewed by Cindy Loven

A Triple Threat Novel, presents us with Cassidy, a TV news reporter, Nicole, a FBI agent, and Allison the prosecutor. Combine the three of them and you get the Triple Threat. High school friends, reunited after their 10 year reunion, they have become close over the years.
Katie, a 17 year old Senate page has disappeared while walking her sister's dog, and the Triple Threat, come together, working as a team to solve Katie's disappearance. Throw in scandal with a married Senator, who has a history of dallying with the pages, and you have the makings of a great mystery.
Lis Wiehl, has presented us with a book that is a awesome read, I personally was thrilled to read a great mystery, without filth, as most tend to have. The fact that Allison, the prosecutor has a great faith in the Lord, really made the book for me. Her faith was strong and unwavering, and a perfect example that we can have mysteries that are clean. I loved that I did not figure out the mystery until the very end of the book. Lis Wiehl kept me guessing the entire book, just when I thought I had it solved, I would see I was on the track.
This book was a book I could not put down until I read it to the end, the end has a list of discussion questions for a book club or group setting. Most definitely a book I recommend to all mystery lovers.
291 pages $24.99 US

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Mystery Book

"The Face Of Betrayal" is very captivating, mysterious, and the first in a series of three. I read the entire book over the course of 2 days. I found it very difficult to put down. Lis Wiehl and April Henry. Katie Converse goes home over the Christmas break. Her family reports her missing and the media goes crazy searching for clues as to what happened and where Katie is assuming the worst has happened and takes over the search for her. Allison Pierce (prosecutor), Cassidy Shaw (reporter), Nicole Hedges (FBI agent) uncover interesting info that Katie is not the person everyone describes her as. She is however having an affair with an extremely older senator whose political career could come to an end if everyone found out. The Senator will do anything to keep Katie a secret. If any one is looking for an excellent mystery book this is the one to get it will keep you on the edge of your seat through out the whole book. I highly recommend this book! I can't wait for the next one to come out. After reading this must read I find it difficult waiting to finish the series. I give it 5 stars!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Face of Betrayal - Lis Wiehl & April Henry

"Face of Betrayal" is a mystery about a young girl named Katie Converse who takes her dog for a walk and never comes home. The story follows 3 women as they try to find out what happened to Katie: Allison the prosecutor, Nicole the FBI agent, and Cassidy the reporter. These three women are close friends, and work together throughout the entire novel, referring to themselves as the "Triple Threat Club". So what happened to Katie? Was it murder? Suicide? And where is her body?

The first thing I did when I got the book was look at the cover. The front is rather plain, just a scary looking woman's face and the standard text. But I turned it over and saw a picture of Lis and I immediately recognized her. If you've ever watched Fox News for more than five minutes, you will recognize her too. Lis chose a great topic for herself to write about, considering she has personal experience in every aspect of this book. She was a prosecutor, she works on TV, and her father was an FBI agent. Everything in the novel is very believable, and her true life experiences are what made that possible.

This is a classic crime mystery/suspense novel. I did guess the outcome early on in the novel, but there were many twists and turns throughout the book that had me questioning myself and even dismissing my ideas. I felt very connected to all of the characters. Sometimes when an author includes as many "main" characters as Lis did, it's hard to relate to each of them. In my opinion, she did an excellent job of making each of them feel "real".

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre, and here's to reading the next Triple Threat novel - "Hand of Fate" available April 2010. You can catch the first two chapters at the end of "Face of Betrayal".

Preview the first 5 pages here: http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/widget.asp?sku=1595547053

5/5!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Keeps You Guessing

Face of Betrayal is a "triple threat" that packs mystery, romance and justice. Seventeen year old, Katie Converse, goes missing a few days before Christmas. She is home in Oregon after a semester of being a U.S. Senate page. The clues all point to Senator X but who is he? And is he really innocent?

It's up to the triple threat club to uncover the truth and bring the perpetrator to justice. Allison Pierce is a third generation federal prosecutor and bringing the bad guys to justice is in her blood.Cassidy Shaw is a TV crime reporter looking for her big break. And Nicole Hedges is an FBI special agent who is trying to balance a grueling work schedule with being a single mom. Together, these three friends make up the triple threat club.

Face of Betrayal is great - I finished it in one night! The characters are very well developed and three dimensional. You don't just know their jobs but their families, personal lives, faith, struggles, even what they like to eat. The story is intriguing. It keeps you guessing until the very last page. I can't wait until the second book in the series comes out in April 2010.

Thomas Nelson Book Reviewer
http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A terrific political thriller

In Portland, Oregon seventeen year old US Senate page Katie Converse goes home during the Christmas recess. However, when her family reports her missing, the media goes into a feeding frenzy searching for any nuance as Katie is the All American paragon; the press seeks clues to her whereabouts while assuming the worst occurred and intrudes on the law enforcement search for her.

Federal prosecutor Allison Pierce, crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, and FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges uncover incriminating information that Katie is not the role model her parents and others describe. In fact the teen page was having an affair with a much older senator whose political career would be nuked if the truth came out. He will do anything including obstructing justice to conceal his involvement with Katie.

Mindful of Congressman Gary Condit and the murder of Federal Bureau of Prisons intern Chandra Levy scandal that fell off the media scope with 9/11; FACE OF BETRAYAL is a terrific political thriller with a homicide investigation as its underpinning. The story line is fast-paced but loaded with plausible twists that add taut suspense to the inquiry. Lis Wiehl and April Henry provide a superb tale that hooks the reader from the start and never slows down until the final convergence.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellant read

I really enjoyed this book. Very well written and the characters are real and believable. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes this type of novel.

No text was provided for this review.

Good read

The book is well written and interesting, although the religious undertones are jarring and seem tacked on as an afterthought. If the authors want to have a religious (or politcal) seam they are required to have a deft hand to make it work. Think about Faye Kellerman or Clare Ferguson. These authors should stick to the mystery, which they do very well. The characters are interesting, but somewhat stereotypical. Given that this is the 1st of a series, I can see that the authors may be able to give more flesh to them over time.

Worth a read at the price.

Exciting and fast-paced

A missing Senate page, a grieving family, a Senator, a stalker, and more await you in "Face of Betrayal" by Lis Wiehl. The main conflict of the story is that of Katie Converse, a high school senior and Senate Page. She left her home to walk the dog and never came back. What happened to her? While following this story, we meet the women of the "Triple Threat Club," a police officer, a reporter, and a federal prosecutor. Each has her own life with its problems, and we get to see their vulnerabilities as Katie's story unfolds. The intriguing story also leads to a homeless man and his daughter who have been living in the park for about two years. Do they have anything to do with what happened to Katie? Who is stalking Allison? What will happen with Rick and Cassidy? What about Nicole? And, how does Katie's story end? This fast-paced book will keep you guessing to the end.

What a great book! I love crime stories, but especially those that entwine the lives of the investigators and bystanders into them. This book filled all the requirements and, while I had a suspect at the beginning, I didn't know for sure until the end. Hats off to Lis Wiehl and April Henry. It was interesting to find more than one "Face of Betrayal." I can't wait to get a copy of "Hand of Fate."

Two Thumbs Up!

Definitly a page turner. Face of Betrayal starts out with a bang and does not let up. You go through so many emotions and feel like you are right there with the characters as they struggle on. It was an excellent book and would translate very well into movie (or tv) format. There is also a very informative Q&A session at the end of the book that everyone should read.

So glad it was free

I'm very happy that I only wasted my time and not my money on this one.
Not only was this story slow and plodding, the characters (including the three main ones) are very poorly fleshed out. There is no emotional connection for the reader at all. The most interesting part of this novel is finding out who the stalker is, yet with all the build up, this too, was rather anticlimactic. The writing was all over the place and very difficult to follow at times. Keeping track of who's who and their neuroses gets old fast. Read this only if you have nothing else to do and you have time to waste.