Customer Reviews

Face of Betrayal [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(46)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I love a good mystery as much as the next person. The only problem is that is it exceedingly difficult to find one. I mean, when you have figured it out within the first five chapters, the book quickly becomes irrelevant. No matter how well the characters are developed or how engagingly the book is written.

Luckily, "Face of Betrayal" was a good mystery. One that actually kept me guessing from the first page to the last. Because the characters begin to draw you in from the very beginning, where you are introduced to Allison Pierce. She is a no-nonsense prosecuting attorney who soon finds herself deeply entrenched in the mysterious disappearance of a 17-year old Senate page, Katie. With the help of her friends Cassidy (an up and coming television reporter) and Nicole (an FBI agent), Allison attempts to unravel the twisted threads of Katies life and bring her abductor to light. Over the course of the investigation, it is discovered that Katie may have been carrying on an adulterous affair with a U.S. Senator, which suddenly transforms a missing person case into the story of the year. (In fact, the entire story feels vaguely familiar. It's as if Lis Wiehl took the most sensational parts of the biggest news stories of the last year or so and combined them into one.)

I am not going to say anything that could be a spoiler, but the entire plot of the story is fantastic. Everything flows, the characters are very well developed, and all of the sub-plots are very relevant and come together in the end. (There's nothing worse than a story full of pointless filler plots and red herrings.) And you will find yourself surprised at the twist at the end when the whodunit is exposed.

Honestly, I didn't have the highest of expectations for "Face of Betrayal." I mean, Wiehl is a legal analyst for FOX NEWS. I was actually a little bit afraid (tic). But I changed my tune before I finished chapter one, and I would recommend this book to anyone. Easily 4 ½ out of 5 stars. And this is only book one of the Triple Threat Series. I will now be anxiously awaiting the release of book two, "Hand of Fate" in April of 2010.

I was really looking forward to reading this book on a long international flight. It promised to be fast paced and thrilling and that's what it turned out to be. Face of Betrayal is quite a gripping book and after reading a few pages and having identified with the characters, I wanted to keep reading till the end. The story is about a 17 year old girl, Katie, who on a Christmas break at home goes missing.

The story continues with three women, a reporter, a Federal Prosecutor and a FBI special agent, who keep adding pieces to the puzzle revolving Katie's sudden disappearance. An investigation that starts with theories of kidnapping or running away quickly turns into a murder investigation when Katie's blog reveals her relationship with a Senator. Storyline is pretty fast paced and keeps one glued for more.

What I did not like about the book was intermittent short story lines that never added to the whole plot. I believe these were attempts by Author to establish the character of the three protagonists. Although for me, these were not required as they never made any sense when seen with the bigger picture of Katie's story. As a reader, I did not care too much about the personalities of the protagonists who were not as impressive as the storyline itself. And they were tied to a proper end in themselves.

Also, this book kept me going with a curiosity to know what finally happened to Katie, but in the end I was a bit disappointed with the way the story folded. Author calls it a `Shocking and satisfying twist' but I was seriously unimpressed.

There are too many subjects that Author has tried to deal with in this book - ranging from child molestation, teen sex, and domestic abuse. Sometimes I was confused as to what the book actually was about.
All in all, I was quite satisfied with the book. It could have been better but I don't regret it at all. I will not call it a must read, but it's a good read.

Face of betrayal has a lot going for it, but before I talk about that. let me expound briefly what I didn't love.

"Face of betrayal" is not of the caliber of a Dennis Lehane , or James Patterson novel. It isn't quite as tense or near as gritty. Ms. Wiehl has (in this story) an unfortunate habit of using animals for comparison, i.e. "he looked like a wolf", "her face reminded her of a horse", "he moved like an otter" etc. , which may not bother you, but it did me. "Face of betrayal" had some passages that dragged a bit, but not badly.
Now let me talk about the good stuff.

Author Lis Wiehl, is a brilliant (and attractive) woman. She has a Harvard law degree, is a former law professor, is a former federal prosecutor, a working wife and mother, and is a working legal analyst for Fox News , and I often enjoy watching her debate legal issues with Megan Kelly. She is also a devout Christian, and normally that wouldn't come up in a review of mine except for this.

Crime stories are often bulging with torrid sex, and graphic violence to serve as the vehicle for the plot. Usually, when faith enters into a novel, it is either smaltzy and preachy, or demeaning. Ms. Wiehl manages to do something so simple but so unusual that I had to comment. The main protagonist of the story is a([n] attractive of course) prosecutor, who happens to be a devout Christian, who doesn't preach out in monologues, but to whom faith is an important part of her character, and in the story, her faith helps her to live her life in a way that makes her happy and fulfilled. With most of the people I know, faith is a part of what they think, and to a lesser or greater extent, affects what they do. So I say bravo to Ms. Wiehl for including us in the world of her story.

Lastly, "Face of Betrayal" works on a few other levels, it is a story about friendship that manages to fit in a crime mystery mingled with exploration of a few social issues that had a few twist worthy of discussion, which the former professor Wiehl thoughtfully provides after the end of the book for "Book Club Discussion"

So is "Face of Betrayal" the best mystery I ever read? Well, no it's not. Is it the best mystery novel with a faith driven protagonist? Maybe!

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

Face of Betrayal is a gripping mystery filled with realistic characters, real danger, and a shocking yet satisfying final twist. While home on Christmas break, a seventeen-year old Senate page takes her dog out for a walk and never returns. Three women who are life-long friends race against time in an effort to find the girl alive. Though authorities think she might have been kidnapped or run away, those theories shatter when they discover she was having a relationship with an older man, possibly a U.S. Senator.
I'm often skeptical of reading new authors, just because I never know what to expect. I really enjoyed this book and author, however! Mystery novels are my favorite genre of reading and while I wouldn't call Face of Betrayal the best I've ever read, it definitely kept my attention and was an enjoyable read. It's one of those books that keeps you turning pages late at night to see what's going to happen and how it ends. I will be looking for more books by this author, I'm sure.

Reporter Cassidy Shaw, Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce, and FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges are good friends. They met each other over a chocolately dessert called the triple threat. Ever since then these three friends have been known as the triple threat.

Katie Converse works as a Senate Page for Capital Hill. While out walking her dog, she disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents offer up a reward.

Cassidy breaks the story of Katie's disappearance. She believes there is something up. Her investigative nature kicks in and she starts learning all she can about Katie and her life. Whatever information or leads she can't get access to; this is where Agent Nicole Hedges comes in to help. While Allison does help some, she is somewhat distracted by the news that she is pregnant. It seems Katie's disappearance might be connected to a very powerful Senator.

I was so looking forward to giving this book a try. It sounded right up my alley. While it did have suspense, it kind of wavered throughout the story. I didn't really find the characters to be strong enough to grab and keep my attention all the way through the end. In fact I had to re-read the section when the storyline revealed the killer and their motive behind it. If you are looking for something new to try, then Face of Betrayal may be the book for you.

This book has it coming from all sides and you are really not sure which direction you are going to go down next and the ending is surprising. I really love each of the three female characters and reading about them as well. This has been a great read- I highly recommend it!

The story of Katie - a senate page with a bright future of ahead of her, who disappears for no apparent reason and her Senate sponsor is FBI suspect number one. Or was it about Cassidy the insecure News Anchor looking for love, looking to further her career and letting her insecurities get in the way of healthy relationships? Perhaps it was about Allison the Federal Prosecutor at the top of her game taking on a high profile case, facing death threats all while beginning her family with her husband? Then their was Nicole, the single mother who never discusses her child's father, she is the FBI agent working to gather all the evidence needed to convict the Senate Congressman - or did he really do it?

This story could have been ripped from anyone one of today's many headlines. It was fast paced, gripping, full of mystery, suspicion and doubt surrounding Katie's disappearance. The story follows the lives of Nic, Cassidy and Allison as their friendship is also put under fire during the high profile media frenzy of this high profile case.

I recommend Face of Betrayal to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel or a novel that relates to things we see and hear every day!

I downloaded Face of Betrayal on Kindle for PC while waiting for my new Graphite Kindle to arrive. I've seen Lis Wiehl on Fox and couldn't wait to read her book. I was very disappointed in that it read like a recap of the Nancy Grace show. Maybe I was expecting too much, but the book progressed too slowly, and I guessed the ending way too early.

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl with April Henry is a good, solid mystery and a quick read. The main characters are three life-long friends who call themselves the Triple Threat. Cassidy is a reporter, Allison is a prosecuting attorney and Nicole is an FBI agent. Unfortunately, it's very reminiscent of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series and doesn't hold up by comparison. The plot line was also reminiscent of the Gary Condit/Chandra Levy case and therefore felt a little predictable. I felt like the characters weren't fully developed and seemed more like strangers to each other even though they are supposed to be life-long friends. I also felt like there were way too many issues or themes introduced that weren't fully developed: online predators, infertility, pregnancy, domestic abuse, stalkers, etc. They weren't integral to the plot necessarily so I felt like they either should have been left out completely or dealt with more extensively through the story line. As it is, it felt like they were briefly mentioned and then neatly tied up and the book moved on. I do appreciate Lis' expertise in law, politics and criminal investigation which lend the plot an air of authenticity. Overall, an interesting read even if I wouldn't call it a thriller.