Let me start by saying 3-stars is a little harsh. I think that people who don't read as many thrillers would probably really enjoy this book more than I did. It was an easy read and quite entertaining, the lack of a truly shocking story is what held me back from giving it a better rating.

My main pain point was that the characters were never explored deeply enough for me to care about them. The story does a decent job of moving in different directions to keep you guessing. However it did tend to be a tad predictable.

All together though I did enjoy reading this. Just because it wasn't my favorite doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it. I think those new the genre might really enjoy this.

While the premise of the book is interesting I found there to be too many references to the actual process of being a reporter, there were many technical details, which I believe were not necessary nor did they add anything to the story.

I love reading a mystery from a new perspective, it’s so refreshing! This is all about the world of broadcast journalism and though veteran producer Virginia has covered tons of missing persons cases before, something about the disappearance of Evelyn Carney pulls her in. As she dives deeper into the story, she encounters many roadblocks and becomes entangled in the high power world of D. C. politics and police corruption.

I really like Virginia as a protagonist, she’s a strong, intelligent and empowered woman and though you don’t find out very much about who she is and what drives her until about the halfway point of the book, what is shared was enough to make me a fan. I had no idea what really goes into making a major news program but I found the behind the scenes look totally fascinating. This is a seriously cutthroat business and the atmosphere of the news room was intense. Kovac’s knowledge of journalism is heavily apparent, there was such an authenticity to the plot.

This was a slow burning mystery, not as many thrills as I was expecting, though it did have it’s moments towards the end. I think this is partly because you’re slogging along with Virginia as she does investigative work, but I found it to be pretty interesting. There’s only a handful of suspects so some may be able to figure out who the culprit is, but I didn’t have things totally nailed down myself.

I really enjoyed this unique viewpoint and approach and found myself easily caught up in this hard hitting, competitive environment. There was just a hint of romance that added to the story instead of detracting from it, along with political intrigue and corrupt cops, totally juicy. If you’ve ever wanted a peek at what really happens before the cameras roll in a newsroom, check this out. Hint; it’s not as glamorous as you think.

This is a mystery from the perspective of a television news producer/investigative journalist. In addition to the main plot line described in the book synopsis, office relationships, the effect of family history on current characters’ functioning and the precarious position of tv news in today’s world are all subplots. There are some twists, but as I was reading felt the story and characters to be somewhat flat; there was just something missing to connect with.
I thought the author was a little sloppy in pulling it all together as the mystery climaxed, but it moved along at a good pace, held my attention and I didn’t want to put it down. I believe this is the author’s first novel. It’s a good debut and I look forward to more from her.

When I started reading this, I wasn't too certain. I'm not huge on Adventures of a Girl Reporter, which is what this felt like at first. I also didn't understand what was so interesting and compelling about this one missing woman.

But I kept reading. Much of the reason is due to Virginia. I really liked her. But before I knew it, I was interested in our mystery. The story gains interesting complexity and I found I really liked the authenticity of our newsroom and all the drama and politics that happened there.

As I finished the book I realized that, despite my somewhat lukewarm beginning, I really enjoyed it and was very sorry that it was over.

A good, solid read!

THE CUTAWAY has been chosen as the Marvelous Upcoming New Book by The Marvelous Site. The following review is a reviewaka, which is based on an ancient Japanese poetry form.

The Cutaway /
by Christina Kovac /
c2017 //

Washington, DC /
young TV news producer /
ruthless ambition //

author’s insider knowledge /
enriches the first-rate plot //

MM

The Cutaway is a suspenseful murder mystery featuring a local nightly news producer. Virginia Knightly is engaged the first time she saw the “Missing” notice when Evelyn Carney disappeared. Knightly has an amazing memory for images, something that serves her well in her profession, and she is certain she has seen the missing woman somewhere.

Sure enough, she has, in a small cutaway, one of those crowd shots common in news stories, providing immediate reaction to a speaker by focusing momentarily on the people listening. There is a cutaway of her from an announcement about a rapist who had been active in Rock Creek Park. It is striking because her emotional expression is very different from the rest of the crowd.

Knightly’s investigation brings her back in touch with her ex, a police detective who is above all a player. Can she trust him? Certainly not personally, but can she trust him professionally? She also reaches out to the missing woman’s supervisor at her law firm, the formidable Paige, and to her former lover, Ian, whom the police have at the top of their suspect list.

Complicating her investigation, she has been demoted by a new news director and her longtime professional colleague Ben is seeking a closer, more romantic relationship. The news business is cutting back on talent in this new era of viral nonprofessional media and work relationships are tense and uncertain.

Kovacs’ sets the story in today’s D.C. and does it extremely well. There’s also some sly social commentary such as when some teen witnesses identify a shooter as white, but with further questioning, it’s clear they never saw the shooter’s skin. So how do they know? The shooter was open-carrying a handgun and they know from experience, no black man would open carry. “The Second Amendment? That shit is for white people.” In another scene, a man makes a pass, a gross one, and she smacks him down, and of course he calls her a bitch and she says a sentence most women have said a few times too many, “Like I’d never been called that before.”

I think The Cutaway is an excellent novel and a great beginning for what I hope will become a series featuring Virginia Knightly. First, Knightly is smart. Although she puts herself in some personal jeopardy, it was not through recklessness. If she hears a noise in the basement in any future books, she is not going to creep down the stairs in high heels. She takes a mag lite with her, a heavy one.

The mystery is fair. There is no examining of files that lead her to go “Aha, that explains it” without telling us what that is. It’s a first person narrative, we’re in her head and we know what she knows. The mystery revolves around important current political issues, but rather than being “ripped from the headlines” they are transformed into new angles, so it’s original, but completely plausible.

Kovac’s experience as a news journalist infuses the novel with realism. There’s specificity about setting up shots and producing the news that do not further the investigation or the story, but they provide grounding and credibility. They make the story more real. This is a D.C. novel and, of course, the politicking will sometimes nauseate readers, but it rings true to people who follow politics closely.

I like Virginia Knightly. I want her to do well in her job, have a happy life, and solve more mysteries. I also want her childhood in foster homes to be the source of strength it sometimes was in this story. Most of the protagonists in mystery series are troubled and sabotage their relationships. I have a feeling that is the way Virginia is going…it would be great if she avoided that trope.

If you like complex, fast-paced mysteries that feature a smart, competent woman, I think you will enjoy The Cutaway very much, especially as the layers upon layers of deceit are peeled back. If Kovac does not continue these characters in a series, I will be disappointed.

The Cutaway will be released March 21st. I received an advance e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

★★★★

Evelyn (Evie) Carney had just told her just-back-from-deployment husband that she was leaving him. In tears, she leaves the Georgetown restaurant to walk down M Street. Sunday night so not many people out to notice her. She was supposed to call on her lover, a big time prosecutor in line to be the US Attorney for Washington, DC, but didn't. He got worried and called the DC Metro cops.

Evie Carney is missing.

Evie Carney. Bottom on the rung associate hired as a favor by a Paige Linden, partner at Simmons, McFadden & Ryan. One of those fancy, megabuck firms that lunch with sitting Senators, cocktails with members of the SCOTUS, managers of campaign donations that buy influence from judges and congressmen/women said funds help get elected.

Poor Evie? Hey, she managed to use an Ivy law degree to get in on the bottom floor of big-time business of law in the shadows of the most powerful city on earth. I guess it was those long deployments her husband had to do that left Evie maybe a bit lonely. Paige thought Evie and Ian might hit it off and introduced them.

The morning editorial briefing at a TV news station in DC includes a note about a young female attorney is missing and little else. Virginia Knightly produces the dinner and 11p news shows. She and her anchor, Ben Pearce, have worked together for some time and are a good team. For reasons even she can't verbalize, Virginia begins to take Evie's disappearance and run with it despite what her station manager says.

Virginia doggedly backtracks Evie's last couple hours prior to that fateful dinner. Finding little, she starts digging into Evie's history in DC, which hadn't been all that long. Virginia's video team uncover archived footage from the previous summer where Evie is seen in the background. Fundraisers, cocktail hours, courthouse steps, Evie pops up near someone with great power. Running in some fancy circles for the most junior of associates at SM&R.

Virginia interviews and re-interviews tangential players in this drama, sometimes making a note that takes her all directions of the DC compass. From her how newsroom to the DC Metro detectives (one of whom is an old flame), the DC attorney's office, other TV stations then it's on to friends, neighbors, co-workers a bit down the DC food chain. Evie's gotten herself mixed up in something far more dangerous that cheating on her husband.

I remember thinking while reading this, "is this was TV news producers do for a living?'' Sure, Virginia had a history as a field reporter and journalist so digging is in her DNA. If this is what producers do, I need to give them some serious props.

This is Christina Kovac's first novel after nearly 20 years work in the journalistic trenches in the DC area and the book sure does offer a reality that only one in the biz would know. The detail of the investigative news process, station politics, legal finagling and relationships is impressive indeed. For me, this book tics a lot of items on my list: DC based-check, murder mystery-check, bulldog investigative journalist-check, legal thriller-check.

Lot to like about this. Sure do hope Kovac isn't a one & done.

Available March 21, 2017

I could not get into this book. It wasn't for me.

Very interesting story that gives a bird's eye view about the workings of broadcast news. This is a very believable story that could have been taken out of today's headlines. Highly recommended.

This was a pretty good book. But, this book does not compare to Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn. No way, no how. This was a mystery, a good one. However, it was not a thriller which is what was advertised and what I was expecting. As I said, it was a good book, but with that blurb, I was highly disappointed.

Thanks to Atria Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley & Atria Books for an e-Arc of this title in exchange for my honest review. I liked this one a lot. It kept me reading into the night (bad for me...good for the book). I felt the characters were well developed, and this is an author I'll be following.

Virginia Knightly is a busy TV news producer. She's constantly juggling a million stories, cultivating her on-air talent, and appeasing whatever news director has been currently assigned to "revamp" her station and raise ratings. It's a typical day for Virginia when she sees a flyer come across her desk for a missing woman. But something in the woman's eyes in the fuzzy black and white poster haunt Virginia, and she becomes oddly attached to the case of Evelyn "Evie" Carney, a young, married lawyer who disappeared after dining with her husband (and informing him she wanted a divorce). It seems as if the DC police are more involved in Evie's case than Virginia would expect: perhaps even the Department of Justice. What happened to Evie, and is Virginia safe looking into her disappearance?

This seems to be yet another novel where I'm a bit of the minority here, but I just could not get into this one. The premise seemed intriguing (and of course, it was compared to all the popular thrillers du jour, which really doesn't do books favors these days). At times, I almost gave up on this book, which is not like me. First of all, instead of just focusing on the plot of Evie's disappearance, there is a ton (I mean a ton) of time focused on the in-fighting and arguing at the news station, which majorly detracts from the actual mystery plot. I found it juvenile and irritating. Because of this, quickly, I didn't like or care for any of the characters or their relationships whatsoever. Unfortunately, that never really changed. So much seemed to be going on in the book (including Virginia's own personal relationships: with the lead cop investigating Evie's case, her father, the main talent at the station) but so little of it related to Evelyn and her disappearance. A lot of loose ends never seemed to be tied up. I often found myself cringing at the dialogue.

It's sad, because, at times, the actual plot relating to Evelyn is good. I continually found myself wishing there was more of it. There's also a lot of telling versus showing, but I did find myself getting into the various pieces related to Evie. (It certainly makes you hope nothing bad ever happens to you, between the issues at the police department and various levels of justice.) I enjoyed that the story was set in a familiar location for me (Washington, DC). I did guess many of the main plot points, which was a little disappointing, including something you could see coming from the beginning of the story. The whole thing is so convoluted, with so many personal entanglements thrown in, that it's hard to believe at times. Virginia's obsession over Evie's disappearance is strange, and although a rather unbelievable reason will be given near the end, you spend the entire wondering why she's so fanatical. Apparently, while working in news, Kovac covered the Chandra Levy story, and you can see that in this tale at times. This is definitely a first novel, and there are glimmers of hopes for a second. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.

Fast paced novel, clear writing. I don't think the characters were well developed and the plot was a bit tiresome but it is a solid piece of work by Kovac.

I loved this story & the characters, and am hoping there will be another book with the same characters. A couple of loose ends that I'd like to see resolved?

I wanted to love this book. I am not sure if it was all the hype, but it fell short of y expectations. It seemed rather standard and enjoyable, but not extraordinary like I was hoping!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

The story was good, fast-paced, exciting, but what stopped me from giving the 5 start rating was the character of Virginia. I really just didn't connect with her & while I didn't dislike her, she was bland for my taste. I would definitely read another book by this author.

This author knows the news business. That’s pretty obvious if you read the section about the author. I loved every page. I haven’t been so invested in an investigative news book since I first read Pamela Clare’s I-Team series. Christina Kovac delivers in a big way!

Her main character, Virginia Knightly, has depth, intelligence, persistence, determination, ambition and a voracious appetite for a breaking story. What she doesn’t have is much of a personal life. She has chances at a personal life…love, commitment, the whole nine yards, but she keeps avoiding getting too close. She loves her team, she loves her work…but she can’t let herself fall for a man. She did it once. It didn’t end well.

When the missing notice for Evelyn Carney hits her desk, Virginia’s instinct for a big story kicks into overdrive. I got little clues throughout the story, and because of the search for Evelyn, of Virginia’s ability to focus. She is relentless.

Virginia navigates through office politics with a new boss, police politics, betrayals, lies and half truths. Dealing with an old boyfriend, Commander Michael Ledger, as she tried to find out what the police department knew and when, was almost enough to divert her. She really didn’t want to deal with him. Dealing with feelings she doesn’t want to face for her partner and news anchor, Ben, while keeping the new boss, Mellay from decimating her staff were conflicting with her hunt for Evelyn. She had a lot to deal with.

I think Ms. Kovac has a burning need to see women empowered, and find justice for those who are victimized. I think she has found the perfect vehicle in Virginia Knightly. I hope to see much more of both of these talented ladies…the author and her brainchild.

Wow, I was blown away as the story was so good for a first novel. I received an ARC for an honest review from Netgalley (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster). Story was well written, characters complex and a lot of suspense. At times, I changed my opinion as to who were the bad guys and the killer. Author gives you hints that sit in the back of your mind. I am a romance junkie and I wanted more for Virginia. Hope to read more about her character from this author and love interest. Kudos Christina Kovac!!!

This story is as complicated as the politics in Washington, D.C. Virginia Knightly is a television news producer who becomes intrigued by the photo of a missing woman and who tries to find out what happened to her.

Virginia has a photographic memory and knows that she has seen the woman before on some news clip. She tries to track it down while trying to get information from the police. It happens that the man in charge of the investigation is a former boyfriend of hers.

Meanwhile, her job is in jeopardy because a new News Director has been hired who wants to take over her programs and promote his own protegee as the news anchor. Virginia and Ben, the current anchor, work well together and have a relationship that could be more than professional if only Virginia would let herself take a chance on him.

Virginia is a fascinating character who is the product of a dysfunctional childhood. Her father abandoned Virginia and her mother when her mother developed cancer leaving twelve-year-old Virginia to cope with her mother's illness and death. After her mother died, Virginia was in a variety of foster homes but managed to be admitted to, and graduate from, a prestigious journalism school. She has built her career at this Washington television station.

As Virginia investigates what happened to Evelyn Carney, she learns more and more about her and the people she interacted with. Virginia has a number of sources but not all of them are giving her accurate information.

This was a wonderful, fast-paced thriller with twists and turns until the very end.