Double Exposure (First Daughter Mystery Series #1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Ford (Author), Laura Hayden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2003

Susan Ford, daughter of Former President Gerald R. Ford, brings her White House insider perspective to this sparkling debut novel, the first in a series of First Daughter mysteries. In Double Exposure, Ford introduces photographer Eve Cooper, daughter of the newly elected President, as she is swept into killer politics in Washington, DC...

Double Exposure

Eve and her family have barely settled into their new surroundings after the Inauguration when chaos and scandal erupt. White House photographer Michael Cauffman is taking Eve's picture in the Rose Garden when they stumble upon a corpse in the snow. It's one of the White House ushers and in his pocket is a torn photograph of an unclad and unidentified couple in the Lincoln bedroom-clearly involved in very unofficial activities. The story (complete with photos) is on the front page of The Washington Post, and the press is in a feeding frenzy. With the help of Michael, Eve sets out to clear her father, the President, by discovering exactly who took those pictures, and when, and why. As Eve closes in on the truth, she opens a vast Pandora's box of new troubles, both public and private. As the body count rises, Eve must race against the clock to find a killer who will stop at nothing to compromise the President...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former first daughter Ford, aided by romantic suspense author Hayden, gets off to a shaky start with this White House murder mystery, falling short of the standards set by fellow presidential scions Margaret Truman and Elliott Roosevelt. First daughter Eve Cooper, a 25-year-old photographer, shares the White House with her newly inaugurated widower father, her aunt who acts as First Lady and her youngest brother. While taking pictures of the first family in the Rose Garden after a snowstorm, White House photographer Michael Cauffman notices a man's body in the snow. On the body is a black-and-white glossy photo of an unknown couple in flagrante delicto in the Lincoln bedroom. Eve, her Secret Service guardians and Cauffman pursue an investigation to prevent the murder from turning into the first scandal of her father's administration. Ford draws on her own experiences to provide an authentic view of life in the White House fishbowl, though the authors have to do some clever maneuvering to give Eve enough latitude to be an active (and at risk) sleuth. One fervently hopes that the real Secret Service operates more competently than the fictional one depicted here. Ford's insider knowledge and some mild humor aren't enough to redeem a flimsy plot, while Eve has a disconcerting knack of seeming to be her age one moment and her 15-year-old brother's the next. For all its weaknesses, however, this debut novel does have a certain na‹ve charm, and is sure to attract a curious audience. National author tour.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Eve Cooper, an aspiring photojournalist and daughter of U.S. President Elliot Cooper, represents him in an investigation inspired by the discovery of a man's body in the White House Rose Garden. Identical twin to a White House employee, the man clutches a sexually explicit photo taken in the Lincoln bedroom that could compromise the President. Eve and others find clues to illegal entry and blackmail, while the photo itself leads to allegations of illegal campaign contributions. Eve takes it all in stride, providing an insider's view of life in the House. With this debut, First Daughter Ford joins presidential offspring Elliott Roosevelt and Margaret Truman in the mystery arena. Suitable for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (June 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312988273
• ISBN-13: 978-0312988272
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,050,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful look at the White House, April 14, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Double Exposure (First Daughter Mysteries, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Though she loves her widowed father, Evelyn Ann "Eve" Cooper is the First Daughter, a role she hates and not just because she is under a media microscope. Eve fears everything about her new home the White House as she thinks of history will remember her for ruining the antiques with a can of diet soda.

During a photo shoot in the Rose Garden, Eve, photographer Michael Cauffman, and her two Secret Service Agents (Perkins and McNalley) find a body. Someone apparently murdered Head Usher Burton O'Connor sometime yesterday even if the deceased was seen performing his duties this morning. The victim turns out to be Burton's twin. Realizing that this homicide could become the first scandal of the new Cooper administration, Eve accompanied by Michael and her two Deputy Dawgs begin investigating.

The look inside the White House by President Ford's daughter rivals if not surpasses that of Elliot Roosevelt and Margaret Truman in both their long running series. On the other hand, the who-done-it is entertaining, but fails to match the quality of those novels written by the latter two White House residents. The key to the investigation is the audience needs to accept the Secret Service allowing and even enabling a First Daughter to place herself in jeopardy like Eve does. Still DOUBLE EXPOSURE has an insider feel that the White House amateur sleuth audience will enjoy and that in turn will encourage Susan Ford and Laura Hayden to provide more tales starring the Cooper Administration.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read!, May 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Double Exposure (First Daughter Mysteries, Book 1) (Hardcover)

What's not to like? The characters were engaging and interesting, the plot was intriguing, and I really enjoyed the look inside the White House. It was refreshing to see Eve, the president's daughter, so down to earth and dealing with real issues like real people. Good job!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Light but entertaining, August 29, 2002

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Double Exposure (First Daughter Mysteries, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Eve Cooper is trying to settle into the white house, weeks after her father wins the presidency, when she discovers a dead body in the rose garden. It appears to be a straightforward heart attack, but a torn photograph showing a couple making love in the white house Lincoln Bedroom raises suspicions that something more sinister may lie behind it. With the support of her father, and the help of a photographer friend, Eve begins to investigate. But the investigation becomes critical when the photograph is revealed to be related to blackmail and a plot to destroy the credibility of the new President.

Authors Susan Ford (daughter of former President Gerald Ford) and Laura Hayden combine to deliver a well written adventure that uses the white house as a key plot device rather than a backdrop. Eve is convincing as a young (mid-twenties) woman who has given up her life to help her father, is mystified on how to deal with the Secret Service protection she doesn't want, yet cannot avoid, and is anxious to carve out some area where she can contribute--and possibly escape the terminal confinement of the mansion.

DOUBLE EXPOSURE won't open your eyes or cause you to lose sleep at night, but it will keep you turning the pages, with occasional laughs and insights into people and especially people who happen to be the family of the President of the United States.