Sharp Focus: A First Daughter Mystery

Rating:
Summary: A cozy with an intriguing lead protagonist
Review: Being the First Daughter of US President Elliot James Cooper carries enough responsibilities for any person to cope with, but Eve Cooper also shares First Lady chores with her aunt since her mom is dead. Thus Eve journeys to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs where her dad will provide a congratulatory speech to the graduates at the commencement ceremony. Part of her itinerary is to fly in an Academy glider, so Eve hides her fears and accomplishes the task.

However, not long afterward, a glider smashes into the nearby mountains, killing one person and seriously injuring an another. Feeling paranoid, Eve wonders whether someone meant to assassinate her, but blew the assignment. Soon her theory proves correct as someone tries to kill the First Daughter. However, Eve refuses to remain in SHARP FOCUS as a lame duck target by attempting to uncover the identity of the executioner although that leaves her doubly exposed.

The key to the second First Daughter mystery (see DOUBLE EXPOSURE) is the insight into a First Family provided by co-author Susan Ford, a former White House resident. The tale is an amateur sleuth cozy rather than a deep political thriller, but Eve is a delightful protagonist especially when she performs required tasks in which she must hide her apprehension or disdain from the ever-present media. Fans who enjoy a cozy with an intriguing lead protagonist will want to read the latest collaboration between Ms. Ford and Laura Hayden.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: You"ve Got To Be Kidding Me!
Review: Wow! If I hadn't been given this book as a gift from someone with a strange sense of humor, I wouldn't have given it a moment's thought. Yet I was, so I opened it and found just how poor a writer and fictionalist our former president's daughter seems to be. The plot is stilted, twisted, and makes little sense. The description is prosaic and trite. The characters seem stiff and conventional, and the action is either so predictable you can sneak ten pages ahead, or is so unreal it makes no sense. My advice is that you forget this particular piece of drival, which only got published because someone thought the name recognition aspect might give a shot at selling. Ho-hum! By the way, the only reason I gave one star is because Amazon doesn't allow negative ratings. Avoid!