Review: The Candidate by Lis Wiehl (audio)

Title: The Candidate

Author:Lis Wiehl

Series:Newsmakers, #2

Narrator:Devon O’Day

Published:October, 2016, Thomas Nelson Publishers

Length:9 hours 19 minutes

Source:Publisher

How far would a candidate go to become President of the United States?

In
covering the presidential election campaign, star newsmaker Erica
Sparks notices that favored candidate Senator Mike Ortiz seems dependent
on his wife to an unnatural degree. Celeste Ortiz is a brilliant and
glamorous billionaire who—along with her best friend and confidant Lily
Lau—has engineered her husband’s meteoric rise. The White House is
within their reach. But the more Erica investigates the Ortizes’ strange
relationship, the more intrigued she becomes.

Erica begins an
investigation. But everyone material to her probe ends up dead. With
each death, her foreboding grows. Is she next? And can she find out in
time if the country’s beloved candidate is what he seems . . . or a
threat to national security?

My thoughts:This is the second book in Lis Wiehl’s The Newsmakers’ series and I am really enjoying it. It was an interesting book to read during our election this year, though this book was certainly much more dark and cynical than things ever became in real life.

I love Erica and her go-get-em attitude. She is not afraid to go after what she believes in, despite the fact that it often puts her, and in this case her daughter’s life, in danger. I loved the balance between the political intrigue and the media manipulation, especially knowing Lis Wiehl’s background as legal analyst. It really does make you wonder just how accurate this portrayal really is at times.

While I tend to be a very unpolitical person, I found this book – a book that is all about a presidential election – to be completely captivating. I loved the political intrigue and found myself completely engaged the entire time. Perhaps because I knew it was fiction, perhaps because of the timing, perhaps because I love the series – I don’t know, but this was a good book!

This is a fast-paced, suspenseful book. The mystery will keep you on your toes and Erica is one sharp cookie! She is dedicated to her job and believes in journalistic integrity all the way. I cannot wait for the next installment of the series and I love that seems nothing is out of bounds for Lis Wiehl…what will Erica Sparks be investigating next?


Audio thoughts:I really love the way Devon O’Day narrates this series…she just brings Erica and company to life! Her pacing and characterizations are spot on and the tension she adds to her voice leads to the overall suspense of the book. She is the perfect narrator for this series and I hope she continues for as long as this series goes on!

Books in this series:

1. The Newsmakers
2. The Candidate
3. The Separatists – due out June 2017