photo by box bilbo

I don’t like public speaking. So you can imagine my horror when I realized that I would be required to do the occasional introduction for book signings. As some of you know, I worked at an independent bookstore that specialized in large events. Those, thankfully, were introduced by the store owner. The smaller ones (under 500) tended to fall into my lap. Unless, of course, the author was a store favorite like Chris Bohjalian. Our events didn’t look like this concert photo to the left. . . but it might as well have been. Especially when we started filming them!

I have met a lot of authors- most of them big names. I have met authors, like Walter Wick of the I Spy series, who think they’re brilliant and the whole world should sit through a 40 minute presentation so they, too, can bask in his greatness. And I’ve met authors who, like Jon Scieszka, are impossible to dislike. My favorite personality is still a local author/local TV investigative reporter. Hank Phillippi Ryan is the investigative reporter for one of our local TV stations. A few years ago she came out with a mystery called Prime Time. That’s when I met Hank. I have since done four signings with her- even made sure we said yes to her request at my new store.

These books are a fun read. I’m not big into romance (don’t say it’s because I’m on my way to being an old maid) but I’m a sucker for a good mystery. These books are mysteries but, like most people’s lives, there is a bit of romance mixed in. Hank’s books give you an insight into the life of an investigative reporter with Charlie McNally, the main character in the series. All four books are quick reads and are perfect for a day at the beach. The stories are realistic and unique.

Library Journal Review of Drive Time:

Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride as Charlie McNally and Boston’s Channel 3 News investigate a nefarious car theft/forgery operation and race to get their story on the air before their lives are endangered. In the meantime, Charlie becomes consumed with secret sleuthing as blackmail and suspicious deaths threaten the private, prestigious Bexter Academy where her fiancé teaches. Amid late-night stakeouts and dangerous car chases, Charlie finds time for romance, wedding planning, and bonding with her future stepdaughter. In her fourth series entry (after Prime Time, Face Time, and Air Time), Ryan once again channels her Emmy-winning investigative reporting expertise to craft a realistic and compelling mystery, full of hairpin turns and dangerous intersections at breakneck speed. VERDICT Placing Ryan in the same league as Lisa Scottoline and Julie Kramer, her latest book catapults the reader into the fast lane and doesn’t relent until the story careens to a stop. New readers will speed to get her earlier books, and diehard fans will hope for another installment.—Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights