Silencing Sam: A Novel (Riley Spartz) - Softcover

Kramer, Julie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1501157655 ISBN 13: 9781501157653

Publisher: Gallery Books, 2016

Synopsis

In This Town, Gossip Kills . . .
When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. In the wake of the brutal murder, our heroine discovers that news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined.
Trouble begins when Riley publicly clashes with newspaper gossip writer Sam Pierce, throwing a drink in his face after he implies in his popular column that she cheated on her husband. When clues to the homicide lead to her, Riley is charged with the crime. The police seem unwilling to look any further for perpetrators, although numerous local news- makers have reason for revenge even a motive for killing.
Meanwhile, competition in the Channel 3 newsroom is just as murderous. While Riley struggles to interest her boss in a story about rural wind farm bombings and dead bats, a new reporter spikes the station ratings with exclusive stories about the headless homicide of an unknown woman whose decapitated body is found in a city park. Maybe murder isn t such a bad idea after all? Riley must fight to stay out of jail, ahead in the ratings, and even alive in a killer showdown not fit for television audiences."

About this title

About the Author:

Julie Kramer is a journalist turned novelist. She writes a series of thrillers set in the desperate world of TV news. Julie has won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best First Mystery as well as the Minnesota Book Award. Her work has also been nominated for the Anthony, Barry, Shamus, Mary Higgins Clark, and RT Best Amateur Sleuth Awards. She formerly ran WCCO-TV’s investigative unit before becoming a freelance network news producer for NBC and CBS. She lives with her family in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

From AudioFile:

Renée Raudman is perfect as Riley Spartz, the investigative TV reporter in Julie Kramer's series. Raudman's warm tones and skillful timing convincingly portray the spunky heroine's Midwestern affability and understated humor. Raudman is less adept with male characters, especially in her rendering of an obnoxious Texas transplant. Further, the plot itself seems as forced as her Texas drawl. Unlikely coincidences, heavy-handed clues, and tired subplots distract from what starts as a promising mystery. Awkward breaks to give stage directions whenever Spartz is on camera also disrupt the narrative flow. Ultimately, these weaknesses combine to produce a disappointing product and a rare instance in which an audio presentation fails to improve a text. M.O.B. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1501157655
• ISBN 13: 9781501157653
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432