July 1, 1996
The newborn son of the president and the first lady has died suddenly. Was his death a tragic consequence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)-or was it murder? Brown (The Witness) pulls out the stops in this nimbly plotted political thriller that pits a down-on-her-luck TV journalist against a popular chief executive. Barrie Travis is looking for her ticket out of a second-rate Washington, D.C., TV station, but she has a reputation as a screw-up with little credibility. When First Lady Vanessa Merritt hints to her that the baby's death may not have been due to SIDS after all, Barrie has the big story she needs-but who will believe her? Before Barrie can learn more from the First Lady, President David Merritt sends his wife "into seclusion," where she's heavily drugged and kept under close guard. Determined to uncover the truth, Barrie travels to Wyoming to question the man rumored to have been Vanessa's lover and possibly the father of her child, military hero Gray Bondurant. After a sexually charged meeting with the reclusive Gray, the reporter returns to Washington to find her townhouse bombed into rubble and the FBI asking too many questions. Can she, with Gray's help, rescue the First Lady and expose the president's secret? Despite merely serviceable prose, Brown's intricate weave of false leads, sinister motives and long-hidden truths is engrossing. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections; author tour. (June) ~ FYI: Brown, 47, didn't publish her first novel until age 33. She's now written 60 novels, several under the pen names Laura Jordan, Rachel Ryan and Erin St. Claire. In the past five years, 24 of her books have made the New York Times bestseller lists.
December 1, 1996
YA-Scandal strikes the First Family. How exactly did the President and First Lady's only child die? According to the White House, the baby died of sudden infant death syndrome. According to the ambitious female news reporter, Barrie Travis, their story veils the truth. Unfortunately, Barrie suffers from a tarnished reputation, because once she was too quick to report without checking her facts first. Joining with an enigmatic former presidential aide and a retired news editor, she uncovers the real story. It reveals the ugly side of too much ambition, too little moral character, and an overload of revenge. While chasing leads and villains, the reporterfalls in love with a man she believes is romantically involved with the First Lady. A very readable book in which the mystery lingers to the final sentence.-Linda Diane Townsend, formerly of Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
May 15, 1996
When Washington reporter Barrie Travis is summoned to interview First Lady Vanessa Merritt, Barrie is sure the meeting will rescue her from the second-rate local TV station where she is languishing. The changes that befall Barrie are anything but what she expected. The First Lady is mysterious and sullen, but Barrie doesn't think much of her odd disposition given that the First Family has just lost a son to SIDS. As Barrie researches SIDS further, however, she realizes that some of Mrs. Merritt's seemingly antidepressant^-induced, off-the-wall comments may stem from the fact that foul play was involved in the baby's death. Barrie, with the help of a former White House confidante, begins to unravel a series of puzzling stories about the First Family, a couple with an apple-pie" public image that could rival that of the Kennedys--but the skeletons in the Merritts' collective closet transcend mere extramarital affairs with Hollywood starlets. Best-selling author Sandra Brown has sewn another exciting story line with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. She is particularly successful here in making you feel like you're in the middle of the quagmire called public office. Stock up. ((Reviewed May 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)