Face of Betrayal

The novel Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl suffers from trying to do too much too quickly. The book centers around three longtime friends: Allison, a prosecutor; Nicole, an FBI agent; and Cassidy, a TV reporter. All three women get drawn in to the mystery when 17 year old Katie Converse, home in Portland after working as a Senate page in DC, disappears.

Here is a small sampling of events that occur (generally briefly): online predators, infertility, menacing stalkers, domestic violence (male and female perpetrators), hidden marijuana fields, a politician who announces he’s an alcoholic and enters rehab, etc. There are simply too many events thrown in that aren’t developed at all – just mentioned and then dropped as the next one appears. Even the action is somewhat disappointing, as the two biggest mysteries in the novel (the identity of the stalker and the revelation of what happened to Katie) are revealed and resolved suddenly and without much drama.

Still, the book is a quick read and it does make you wonder what in the world the author will include next. However, it was overall a disappointing read. I wish the author had left out a few of the plot elements and developed the remaining ones somewhat more fully.



Final Verdict for Face of Betrayal: Two Gherkins, for being a fast-paced but ultimately unsatisfying read