I had the opportunity to review Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl early for Booksneeze.com. I was not familiar with the series before I received this book, so I have not read Face of Betrayal. Even so, I felt like the author did a good job at introducing the characters without assuming you had read the first book. Reading this book was a nice change of pace for me, a suspenseful novel starring a trio of female characters: Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent, Allison Pierce, a Federal Prosecutor, and Cassidy Shaw, a crime reporter. Though the characters have worked together before and have a history (all three went to private school together) this book probes their relationships and challenges their ability to trust each other.
Hand of Fate tells the tale of a popular and controversial radio talk show host who is murdered. The radio host, Jim Fate, is a very polarizing character, so the list of suspects is not short. There are a few nods to the headlines, and I appreciated how it made me reconsider how I interpreted those events. Though I have read crime novels before, I was pretty ignorant of the TV and radio behind the scenes, and I felt Wiehl did a great job of making you feel like an insider. The plot keeps you guessing, though I wish the twist had been developed a bit more (the middle was a little slow). Overall, it was a good read and I'm interesting in picking up the rest of the series!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
