review: air time by hank phillippi ryan

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Never question the importance of a good lead. Air Time immediately draws the reader in by opening with, “It’s never a good thing when the flight attendant is crying.” The third in the Charlie McNally series finds Charlie chasing another sweeps piece while dealing with some relationship drama. Josh has realized Charlie puts the job first; needless to say, he’s not exactly thrilled. The work/life balance is particularly hard this time because the counterfeit purse story has Charlie jumping on airplanes and going undercover.

It’s amazing how the details push a book from great to outstanding. Again the characterization of Botox is excellent (she jumps onto the table and knocks over the water which soaks the cop). Then there’s the description of the newsroom. Quite a few people think TV news is all excitement all the time, but chapter seven reveals the truth. Charlie tests out her hidden camera set-up in the newsroom and describes what she recorded: “I got great shots of a producer searching Facebook, the satellite guy doing a crossword puzzle, and the new morning reporter shopping online for red patent Louboutin pumps. If the camera were set to record audio, I could have also provided slam-dunk proof that our noon anchor was making comments to an intern that Nanette in Human Resources would certainly have frowned upon.” I’m guilty of that third one with embarrassing regularity. In fact, I went to Barneys and bought those red Louboutin heels! I’ll be looking over my shoulder for reporters testing hidden cameras from now on. Charlie has definitely made her way into my heart. I feel I know her. I’d love to work with her.
5/5
Review copy provided by the author.