Television journalist Sally Harrington (heroine of Van Wormer bestsellers Exposé
and The Last Lover) is once again hard at work juggling everything from dog care and mobsters to her demanding boss and various admirers in this humorous, fast-paced romantic suspense novel. As the story begins, Sally's boss, Alexandra Waring, hands Sally the task of producing a big special for DBS News on the Presario crime family, a plum assignment with strings and danger attached. Sally, as it happens, already has a history with important members of the family. Her connection is legal as well as personal: she is slated to be a witness at an upcoming murder trial involving the Presarios. Sally's sangfroid is tested by the body found in the trunk of her car, an assassination attempt and her seemingly impossible assignment, but she is an irrepressible and likable heroine. Van Wormer combines Manhattan chic with Godfather
menace and Hollywood glitz to create an exotic playing field on which Sally is completely at home. Add a dozen or so well-drawn characters to the mix—including the aging head of the Presario clan, a movie star looking for love, a mysterious federal agent and a starstruck college intern—and things never get dull. This is a satisfying page-turner, distinguished by the liveliness of Sally's first-person narration. Its November publication date makes it too late for beach season, but it could occupy an evening or two by the fire just as well. Author tour. (Nov.)
