Perfectly Famous

April 20, 2020
Early in this half-baked novel from Liebert (Pretty Revenge), mega-bestselling author Ward DeFleur, who’s about to go on a 15-city promotional tour, learns that her teenage daughter, Stevie, has disappeared. When Stevie is found severely beaten and dies, Ward vanishes from the public eye. Meanwhile, recent divorcee Bree Bennett has rejoined the work force as a journalist for a Connecticut newspaper. After seeing Ward on a television program, Bree becomes inspired to find Ward and write her tragic story, and pitches the idea to her newspaper as well as a literary agent. Unfortunately, several quotidian tangents, such as Bree starting to date again and her challenges in co-parenting a rebellious teenage daughter, distract from her efforts to locate Ward. Toward the end, Liebert effectively builds up tension, but some of the twists feel farfetched and the conclusion dissatisfies. Readers who appreciate strong, independent, female characters with a wicked sense of humor may enjoy this one. Agent: Alyssa Reuben, Paradigm.

Liebert's latest, and quite intriguing, audiobook thriller features two skilled narrators. Tavia Gilbert voices Ward DeFleur, a famous author who retreats from public life after her teenage daughter, Stevie, is attacked and murdered. A fan of DeFleur's writing, the journalist Bree Bennett, voiced by Natalie Naudus, tries to find the elusive author and solve Stevie's murder. Little vocal work differentiates the audiobook's two female leads; however, Naudus stands out with her chilling portrayal of a male suspected killer shouting in an explosive rage. The author confesses to changing the novel's last line and, hence, the ending, at the very last minute. Hearing this final horrific scene unfold in audio makes for a bombshell of an ending. J.T. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine