I am not sure where I want to go with this review. It definitely wasn't something I was expecting. The cover drew me in. After reading the blurb, I was curious if it would be something I would like. I am not always a fan of crime thrillers. This one definitely was right up my alley!

One of the main things I loved about this book is the perspective it was told from. To have the story given from the news side is not only unique, but it gave the story more intrigue. I definitely wasn't expecting to be so invested with this book.

The characters and plot are so well developed in this book. There wasn't a part in the book that I thought drug or made me want to roll my eyes. (Yes, that happens more often than I would like to admit.) I thought I had it all figured out, then I didn't, then I did... Then I thought the book was ending, but it wasn't finished yet.

Kovac truly has a gift of storytelling. I have had this book stuck in the back of my head for days. DAYS. I can't stop going back to thinking about it. I highly recommend this book to just about anyone. If you can read, then you should read this book.

The Cutaway is a fantastic example of strong women in fiction. Christina Kovac writes with an intimate knowledge of the news room and the field having worked in the field herself on Capitol Hill.

Something that I really appreciate about Kovac's style of writing and apparent world-view is her spirit of inclusion and equality - don't get me wrong, this book is NOT about that at all. If you are seeking a good page-flippin' thriller for your daily commute, spring break, or book club, this is absolutely your book.

You won't be hit over the head with big "issues" and if you choose, you can easily sink into the escapism that is the brilliant writing of Kovac - replete with red herrings and characters who keep evolving to the last second, without having to think too much at all. But, she also has a way of including characters of racial minority in a way I've never experienced before. It is subtle; there is no reason to know the race of these characters as it doesn't inform their "experience" in the plot. And yet, she finds a way to make sure that the characters in your mind are a diverse cast and it's absolutely beautiful.

As for the feminist perspective: again, this is not beaten over your head. But if you aren't a woman, she has a way of portraying the experience that can really allow a reader to step into the female characters' shoes with empathy. It's super subtle, and super cool. Virginia, our main character is a woman rising in the ranks of a high pressure job on her talent and work-ethic while staunchly defying the appearance-centric nature of the profession. The missing woman, Evelyn, is often defined by the sexual relationships she has in the story and her work is over-looked. Then of course, every peripheral female character deals with the reality of the scrutiny, safety concerns. and discrimination that nearly all women face in their daily lives. The female experience is something that is noticed, even commented on, in the book without it needing to be about that.

I will absolutely read anything that Ms Kovac writes, and am psyched to hear that there's already a second novel in the works!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Christina Kovac for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I really enjoyed this story of a news producer looking for answers about a missing girl. I liked the main characters, and the story has a nice pace to it (most of it isn't fast-paced, but I think the pace works well for this story). The only thing I didn't super love was the ending. (The way the case was resolved was fine; I didn't like some of the personal stuff between the main characters.)

The first thing that caught my attention about this book is the author’s background. Christina Kovac worked for seventeen years in Washington, DC newsrooms. She’s produced crime and political stories herself, so I knew that the character of Virginia would read authentic. The title, The Cutaway, comes from Virginia remembering the missing girl’s face from a cutaway from a previous news cast. The author does a good job with bringing the reader into the news room and I really enjoyed hearing about the behind the scenes of making a story. I could feel Virginia’s frustration at being the only woman of power in the organization, and having to prove herself to men that lack substance. The crime itself was compelling and I was interested to see how things played out. I thought the plot was fast-paced and I really did want to get to the bottom of things. There were quite a few red herrings and I liked uncovering the truth as Virginia did.

There were some clichés sprinkled in- the attractive and possible love interest anchor, the untrustworthy police, the misogynistic new boss, but at the end of the day I didn’t think it detracted from the story too much. What I did want to know more about was Virginia herself. She used to be a street reporter until a traumatic event happened, and I really don’t feel we got to unpack all of that. She also comes from a troubled background and has father issues, and I might have missed why these things were important. These side stories didn’t really detract from anything, but they did seem unnecessary.

I enjoyed that the book was set in D.C. The whole plot was filled with corruption, clues, politics, news, and fraud. It turns out, a lot of news making relies on creating, maintaining , exploiting and protecting sources and relationships and it was interesting to hear about those dynamics. I know there were some nuances of the news production that I missed, but I didn’t mind. I thought it was really interesting to see about how lawyers, reporters, and the police are intertwined and how everyone in DC is trying to make connections to further their agenda.

Overall, Virginia was a strong character and I enjoyed reading about this case. I think this could easily turn into a series. I love that she’s not a damsel in distress and that she held her own throughout. I applaud this author’s debut!

Interesting crime procedural. It's not from the point of view of police, but from a woman, Virginia, who's a news producer at the local TV station. She comes across a photo of a missing woman and feels she's seen her before. She has -- the missing woman was on a cutaway shot of news footage from a news segment a while back. Now Virginia want to find out her story and why she's missing and what happened to her. Virginia does a lot of detective work. There are conspiracies and twists to the story, some of which took me by surprise. I wouldn't necessarily call this a psychological thriller, since it's more of a crime thriller, but it's very good. And I'm curious to see what happens with Virginia's relationship with her co-worker.
I would read more from this author.

News producer Virginia Knightly is smart. She works fast and clean, putting together puzzles, creating brilliant news stories with the perfect videos and copy. She can be relied on to write and produce an interesting and accurate story, and on deadline to boot. 

But when young lawyer Evie Carney goes missing in an area of Washington DC where beautiful women don't just go missing, Virginia finds herself struggling to maintain her professionalism in light of finding out what happened to Evie. While Virginia investigates, her colleagues are facing cutbacks, her father is in the hospital, her ex-boyfriend is running the investigation, and her news anchor is declaring his love for her. But despite all that, she keeps her focus on Evie. Why did she disappear? How did she disappear? And can Virginia find her without disappearing herself?

Christina Kovac's The Cutaway is a juicy novel of suspense and intrigue, written in a lovely, compelling story. Filled with complex characters, lots of mystery, a little romance, and so many surprises, it keeps you turning pages until the very end. This is by far one of the better thrillers I've read this year, and I am so excited to get to recommend it to you. Read The Cutaway! It's a fantastic book--well-written, strong story, fantastic characters. You can't go wrong with this one!



Galleys for The Cutaway were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

Enjoyable mystery/thriller about a tv news producer who takes it upon herself to investigate the case of a missing woman. Good twists and turns, and I enjoyed the prickly main character.

There’s nothing a person loves more than reading a  novel about his or her profession. Well, then again, maybe that’s just me. I worked in television news for over twenty years and I absolutely loved it – couldn’t get enough. I can honestly say I enjoyed going to work everyday, even when I dreaded it. We were all adrenalin junkies and worked best when all hell was breaking loose. But when I finally hit the wall, enough was enough. I left the newsroom running and haven’t looked back!
That’s why I was so excited when I heard about Christina Kovac’s novel, THE CUTAWAY(37INK/ATRIA). I read her bio and the lady has the chops to be writing about what goes on inside a television newsroom. Her novel had me tearing through the pages and so will you.
“Be careful what your eyes take in. What you see becomes a part of you.”
TV news producer, Virginia Knightly receives a “MISSING” notice on her desk about the disappearance of a beautiful young attorney. Even in the middle of the constant barrage of stories coming her way, she can’t seem to shake the image from her head and suspects this missing lawyer may be at the heart of something far more sinister. Her “news-dar” is on high alert – it just doesn’t add up. The woman has a nearly perfect war-hero husband, prestigious job at a top law firm, but she was last seen getting up from dinner, and leaving her husband alone in a restaurant. What gives?
Sharp, tightly wound, and highly driven, Virginia, or Ginny as her friends call her, dives deep into the underbelly of Washington DC’s, business and political world to investigate what happened to the missing woman. She finds herself caught in a web of corruption that binds the media, police and high-ranking political figures. There comes a point, she doesn’t know who she can trust. Risking her career, possibly her sanity or even her life, Virginia is committed to going where the leads take her.
What I enjoyed most about THE CUTAWAY is the strong, bright character Kovacs creates in Virginia. She’s tough on the job, doesn’t take any crap, but has a soft spot, which makes her human. She also listens to those who work for her and that’s why she’s a true professional and respected. I like the cabal of characters she creates in the newsroom and the cops were ratty like the “The Shield,” except “Detective Hollywood.” Good choice to stay away from “The Wire.” My dad’s retired NYPD. Your dad, Christina?

Christina Kovac is a former broadcast journalist turned novel writer. For seventeen years, she managed newsrooms and produced crime and political stories, beginning her career at Fox Five’s Ten O’clock News, and after that, the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC. Her last nine years in television, she worked at the Washington Bureau of NBC News, which provides news coverage for the Today show, Nightly News, and others
She lives outside of the city with her husband and children. Learn more about Christina.
Thanks to Super PR Guy, David Brown and 37INK/ATRIA, we have one copy of THE CUTAWAY to giveaway. Just tell us what you think of news coverage – television or print. You can be honest. There is no right or wrong answer.

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Cutaway by Christina Kovac was a good book. I knew that I was probably going to enjoy this book because let’s be honest this is the typical book that I love. It took me about a chapter to get into the book because it was a slower start for me. I liked the characters in this book, and I loved that the characters aren’t the typical characters that you see in books within this genre. I found that because the characters are the usual characters that you see that I was more engaged because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending but when you read as many books as I do that happens from time to time. If you love mystery books and are looking for something different within the genre, then I think you should check this book out. If you have read it what did you think of it?

I received this book for review from NetGalley. It was a fun, enjoyable read: a good mystery story and a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the world of investigative journalism. It fell a bit short for me in the description of the main character's relationships. Her visit to her father felt forced and out-of-place in the book. And her romantic relationships (past and present) felt like a barely scratched surface. I wanted to know more about these relationships, or nothing at all, but the author took a middle road in describing the relationships in the book that felt insufficient. That being said, this book was about a news producer trying to solve a murder mystery, and that was very well done. The author also conveyed a strong and realistic female point of view. Extra points for that!

I liked this story well enough even if I didn't love it. I think that the newsroom setting was one of the strengths of this book and it did add a rather unique quality to the story. Unfortunately, I was never completely hooked by the story. The mystery was interesting but I just never found myself truly invested in the story.

This story is told from the point of view of TV new producer, Virginia. When Virginia sees a missing poster for Evelyn, she knows that she has seen her face before. She remembers Evelyn being in another piece on the news station as a cutaway shot and she is drawn to her story. As Viriginia works to find out what happened to Evelyn, she soon realizes that the case may be much bigger than she originally thought.

This book actually had a whole lot going on. Probably too much if I am being honest. While Viriginia was working on this case, it seemed that her whole world was falling down around her. There is a big shake-up at the news station that makes everything tense. Virginia's personal life is also a major focus with past relationships, new relationships, and family making an appearance. These topics were interesting but it seemed to change the focus from the mystery so often that I had a hard time keeping track of everything and I don't think that it always added a lot to the overall story.

The overall mystery was rather complex. This book did take a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming but there was nothing that was truly unexpected. I thought that the mystery did make sense in the end. As the mystery really started to unfold, the excitement levels increased. I did enjoy the newsroom perspective and thought this felt rather authentic.

This is a book that I am glad that I read and I think that mystery readers will enjoy the newsroom point of view. I thought that this was a solid debut novel from Christina Kovac and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Atria Books - 37 Ink via NetGalley.

4.5 stars

The Cutaway is a fabulous mystery. The characters are well-crafted and intelligently developed. I really liked the Washington D.C. and television station setting. Virginia Knightly is a talented television producer who becomes involved in investigating the disappearance of a young female attorney. As the story gets stranger and stranger, Virginia finds herself pursuing the crime on her own. Kovac includes numerous clever red herrings, but the story remains believable and culminates in a highly satisfying finale. I think comparing The Cutaway to Gone Girl is a disservice to The Cutaway. This book is a creative, smart, well-written mystery that I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Media scrutiny is at an all time high. It seems that no matter where one turns, there is controversy, distrust, and scandal involving our news agencies. Of course, none of this is really "new," but in our social climate, it seems that everyone suddenly has an opinion. Within that melee is where Christina Kovac positions her debut mystery, The Cutaway.

The Cutaway is set in Washington DC, so it will surprise no one that the mystery at hand has a political angle, but what makes this novel so interesting is how the press and the police clash over this complex missing persons case.

Attorney Evelyn Carney walked out of a crowded Georgetown restaurant after a very public fight with her husband – and then simply vanished. Virginia Knightly is a television news producer who not only sees rating potential is this domestic scandal, but also feels a kinship with this missing woman. She will fight to have Evelyn’s story heard.

Complicating matters for Virginia are troubles in her own life. She has romantic ties (or potential ties) to both the police and her news staff and she is fighting against the old-boys club within the network news structure. Thankfully, Virginia does not allow any of this to distract her from her main goal – telling this victim’s story. The more she and her news team dig, the more secrets they uncover. Rarely thinking of her own safety, Virginia will do what it takes to expose the truth.

Christina Kovac knows network news. Beyond the very interesting mystery around which it revolves, this book serves as a wonderful introduction into what it actually takes to create that evening news broadcast. How this team investigates leads, elicits information, and struggles for attention feels authentic and makes for a fascinating backdrop to the drama. While this is clearly Virginia’s story, there is the sense that network news is – and must be – a team effort. As a leader, Virginia easily gains reader support, even if some of those in power positions at her job are less quickly convinced.

Virginia Knightly is a professional, independent woman in the vain of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Jane Ryland. In an industry where too often women are viewed as “just a pretty face,” these women kick-ass and take names. Christina Kovac has set herself up nicely for a series by slowly revealing Virginia’s layers. Readers will gladly turn in again for more for this character

Christina Kovac delivers an intriguing suspense; highly-entertaining action debut, THE CUTAWAY —a brilliant and tenacious TV news and producer uncovers a video and sets out to discover the whereabouts of a missing female attorney while discovering something even more sinister.

From power, greed, dirty politics and corruption in Washington, this heroine will not stop until she has uncovered this dangerous web of deceit.

The author brings a wealth of her own experience managing Washington, DC newsrooms and producing crime and political stories as well as a TV journalist from the top networks to the pages as her story comes alive.

A beautiful woman, Evelyn Marie Carney an attorney; has gone missing in Georgetown. The Metropolitan Police Department is looking for this woman, last seen on Sunday.

TV news producer Virginia Knightly thinks she may have seen this young attorney somewhere. Most likely not in person; perhaps a cutaway shot, one of those quick flashes of video used to show a reaction. She was uncertain.

Evelyn was a recent law school graduated and worked at a prestigious firm. On the night she disappeared, she had dinner at a restaurant in Georgetown. She left alone. Police recovered her car abandoned not fifty yards from the restaurant.

Knightly has a memory, which is not exactly photographic; however, things, places, details, and events burn a permanent place in her memory, which is a gift at deadline. She can recall the angle of every frame, where it was shot, and what time of year, and the specifics. Armed with this kind of information can also be dangerous.

She loves telling stories, on or off camera. However, she may get more than she bargained for. Dark money.

Soon Knightly suspects foul play and begins her own investigation. Investigators seemed more interested in Evelyn’s martial problems. A martial separation was requested by Evelyn the night of the disappearance. What about her war-hero husband, Peter? Who was romantically involved with Evelyn?

What did Ian Chase’s official portrait from the Department of Justice have to do with the missing woman? Who was Evelyn looking at in the video? Was someone expected to turn a blind eye to illegal activities?

Virginia becomes enthralled and caught up in a high-stakes case, murder, greed deceit, dark money, power, and corruption. Hot on the trail, she soon realizes for every great story, there is a risk. Some far greater than others.

She discovers road blocks every way she turns, even in her own backyard, plus Michael Ledger, the detective which she had a relationship. Also PACs, political fund raising with anonymous donors (so-called dark money) to nonprofit groups, made in secret.

Money missing from the fund. Was Evelyn being set up? By whom?

Compelling! An edgy mystery with "behind the scenes" intensity in a contemporary suspenseful cutthroat news business. An intense tightly wound debut suspense. Looking forward to more from this author, who definitely knows her way around a story.

For fans of authors, Neely Tucker, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Lis Wiehl, and Jennifer Vaughn (some of my top favorites).

A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

DNF. Just couldn't get into the story. I was bored and didn't see the story picking up in a way that would be worth the read

I was not able to read and review the book as when I went to read it, a copy had not been emailed to my Kindle.

I thought this was an interesting perspective for a book. I would have liked a little less on the newsroom side and a little more on the personal side. I liked the photographic memory aspect of the story because I often have that and it can drive me crazy sometimes when I have to unravel where/when I saw something.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: There's been a lot of buzz about this debut novel from Christina Kovac and I've been anxious to read it...though a bit apprehensive. Sometimes the buzz is overkill, but in this case, it is well-deserved - this book kept me engaged throughout.

What I loved most about this book is having it told from the journalist's point of view. This was a nice change of pace from the usual police procedurals that I tend to gravitate towards. Virginia Knightly is an investigative journalist - so we see the investigation from her side. She is one determined, strong-willed, capable reporter who goes after whatever she wants and isn't willing to let anyone or anything stand in her way.

For some reason, the case of this missing woman haunts Virginia - she can't let this go and is determined to do whatever it takes to not only find out everything about this woman and investigate what happened to her, but to also get the exclusive story for her tv station. This is where the story takes off! And let me tell you - with this case, it is so much more than what it first appears to be.

Having the story told by Virginia means there is no question as to the reliability of the narrator. It also means that we are not only on the case with her at all times, but we also see her in action as the television producer - getting to see the inner workings of the news world was intense at times!

This was a fast read with a mystery that builds slow, but then comes crashing down at the end. It kept me engaged the entire time and the twists and turns that take place kept me on my toes. I loved the intrigue, the political scandal and the behind-the-scenes look at journalism that we get. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from Christina Kovac!!!

In Washington D.C., beautiful young attorney Evelyn Carney goes missing. She ran out of a restaurant after an argument with her husband and seemed to disappear into thin air soon after. Virginia Knightly, an executive producer at a news station, notices the city's Criminal Investigations Division latched on to the case immediately, even though there's no evidence of a crime. There has to be more to the story and she's determined to get the exclusive.

Virginia's struggling news station is desperate to get ratings up. Anxiety fills the newsroom, as the office buzzes with gossip of imminent layoffs. Nobody's job is safe and newsroom rivalries flare. If Virginia can get the exclusive in the Carney story, maybe she can do right by Evelyn and save her coworker's jobs. She becomes fixated on Evelyn's disappearance. She's certain she recognizes Evelyn from a news clip, but she can't pinpoint the exact story. Virginia races around the city attending press conferences, finding credible sources, and verifying information. Officials are tight-lipped and there's always the possibility information is only given to manipulate the reporting.

Washington D.C. makes such a fascinating setting for a mystery. The Capitol dome looms dramatically in the background. There's an underlying sense that some people are expendable to keep corrupt systems from being scrutinized. The bustling U.S. capitol city feels so small and claustrophobic. Everyone's lives are intertwined. The "tribal" nature of those who work in and with the government make it difficult to get to the heart of a story. Through Virginia's eyes we see the rampant sexism towards female journalists, both in and out of the industry. Just the rumor of an improper relationship can sink a career. Virginia also has some uncomfortable interactions with police officers. While investigating Carney's case, she runs into prejudice against women who are victims of crimes. A victim's past history can keep the police from taking a case seriously.

Virginia's personal life was less compelling to me. Her entire life is built around her career. She keeps people at a distance because she's always waiting for them to deceive her. She feels guilty for something she wished as a child, even though she wasn't able to act on it. There's a subplot that deals with her family history, but it didn't feel fully integrated. She repeatedly asks herself why she is so obsessed with Evelyn's case and I kept trying to connect it to her past. I did to some extent, but it didn't totally link up for me. Her own analysis of her fixation was what I would've expected any journalist to say. I also felt like I was missing something with her relationship with the charming news anchor Ben. There's obviously some history there, but it also came across as uncharted territory.

The Cutaway is an entertaining mystery, especially for those interested in the journalistic process. Where's Evelyn? Did she get mixed up in something that she couldn't handle in her career or her personal life? Will Virginia break the story before anyone else gets the chance? The author's seventeen-year history in newsroom added so much weight to Virginia's experiences out in the field. I really enjoyed reading a woman's perspective. I'd love to read Kovac's memoir!

The Cutaway kept me guessing and did a good job building up the tension.

Virginia Knightly is a television news producer who has been relieved of her producing duties. Good thing, because she's become intrigued with a missing person's case. A young attorney in Washington D.C. has disappeared after leaving a restaurant with her husband.

It's D.C., so there's politics involved. Virginia's ex is investigating the case, and maybe he's lying to her? There's a varied cast of characters and things start to look like a police coverup. But why? What did this very young, inexperienced attorney have that would make her a target.

I liked Virginia. She's strong and resilient. She's smart, and I found it easy to root for her. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in The Cutaway. It kept me guessing as Virginia follows leads and you think, "now she's got it!" but no...that's not it either. I didn't figure it out until she did.

The author is an experienced reporter and familiar with TV news and assumes the reader is too. I'm not. I did wish for a little more explanation of the workings of the news cycle, and what is involved in getting the nightly news on the air. There were some terms and expressions that I didn't quite understand. I really don't even get the title. Well, I guess I understood kind of, but there was a lot of tension over stories and timing that I just didn't feel. I don't think this took anything away from the actual story, but I think she missed an opportunity to educate her readers.

The other thing that was a small issue is the denouement. After the case is over and done, there is a lot of personal stuff that gets resolved. Maybe I was just tired, but it seemed like a lot of pages of this. Once again, not a huge issue.

The Cutaway is definitely a worthwhile read for mystery fans. Especially if you like the kind where it's about investigative reporting and not about police procedure. I think older teens would enjoy The Cutaway also.