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Anonymous Sources
A fast-paced international thriller in the vein of Janet Evanovich by former NPR anchor and correspondent Mary Louise Kelly, about a Pakistani terrorist's nuclear threat to blow up the White House.
When Boston reporter Alexandra James is assigned to cover the death of Thom Carlyle, the son of a powerful Washington insider, she soon discovers the story is not as simple as it seems. The young man fell from the top of a Harvard bell tower, but did he jump, or was he pushed?
Intent on escaping the demons of her past, Alex knows how to outwork, outdrink, and outshop anyone else around. Now she is focused on what could be, the story of a lifetime; chasing leads from Harvard Yard to the courtyards of Cambridge, England, from a clandestine rendezvous in London to the inside of a nuclear terrorist network. But when she goes to Washington, DC, for a key interview that promises to tie everything together, Alex the hunter becomes Alex the hunted. An assassin is dispatched, her laptop disappears, her phone is tapped and she begins to grasp that Thom Carlyle may have been killed to hide a terrifying conspiracy within the White House itself.
Former NPR Intelligence correspondent Mary Louise Kelly has turned her own real-life reporting adventures into fiction with this stylish spy thriller.
When Boston reporter Alexandra James is assigned to cover the death of Thom Carlyle, the son of a powerful Washington insider, she soon discovers the story is not as simple as it seems. The young man fell from the top of a Harvard bell tower, but did he jump, or was he pushed?
Intent on escaping the demons of her past, Alex knows how to outwork, outdrink, and outshop anyone else around. Now she is focused on what could be, the story of a lifetime; chasing leads from Harvard Yard to the courtyards of Cambridge, England, from a clandestine rendezvous in London to the inside of a nuclear terrorist network. But when she goes to Washington, DC, for a key interview that promises to tie everything together, Alex the hunter becomes Alex the hunted. An assassin is dispatched, her laptop disappears, her phone is tapped and she begins to grasp that Thom Carlyle may have been killed to hide a terrifying conspiracy within the White House itself.
Former NPR Intelligence correspondent Mary Louise Kelly has turned her own real-life reporting adventures into fiction with this stylish spy thriller.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2013
77 people are currently reading
1787 people want to read
About the author
Mary Louise Kelly
16 books464 followersMary Louise Kelly spent two decades traveling the world as a reporter for NPR and the BBC. Her assignments have taken her from grimy Belfast bars to the glittering ports of the Persian Gulf, and from mosques in Hamburg to the ruined deserts of Iraq. As an NPR correspondent covering the spy beat and the Pentagon, she reported on wars, terrorism, and rising nuclear powers. A Georgia native, her first job was working as a staff writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kelly was educated at Harvard University and at Cambridge University in England. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
April 12, 2020
4.5. Superb. Wonderfully plotted, very well written and delightfully paced. I liked the premise - few chance words overheard by a bright, thinking young man - whose lawyer father moves in high level USA politics. Hence the few significant words lock into his brain - and while he ponders - he is murdered. A chain effect begins...
Also this is a fast paced yet funny read.
Now I have a new favourite author.
Unputdownable.
Also this is a fast paced yet funny read.
Now I have a new favourite author.
Unputdownable.
July 11, 2013
I wanted to love the book, but I didn’t. Considering the experience of the author, I expected more. And better.
The main character, Alexandra James, is a newspaper reporter. As is the author. I’m married to a reporter, so I’m familiar with the realities of the news business. Ms. Kelly is at home in that world and does a good job painting the landscape. It’s the best part of her novel.
Mary Louise Kelly, a veteran reporter who is the prototype for her fictional protagonist, brings a very impressive resume to this first novel. Her extensive experience in reporting the secret world of spies and security raised my expectations. Indeed, she has created a very attractive character in Alexandra James, the intrepid young reporter.
Although this is Ms. Kelly’s first novel, she is a writer. Her prose is elegant and smooth. She knows the places about which she writes and describes them with assurance and authority. We live in the Boston area where much of the action takes place; she never hits a false note — a refreshing change from many other books I’ve read. She captures dialogue well. Conversations sound natural. Her descriptive abilities extend to people. I feel I’d recognize her characters if I met them on the street. Her comfort with the tools of the trade, the techniques of her profession and the requirements of the job are spot on.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for plot and character development. I believed Alexandra James, the reporter. I didn’t believe Alexandra James, the person, the woman. Her motives seemed phony. They didn’t jibe with her credentials. How could she be so savvy and smart, but so naïve she couldn’t see a blatantly fake CIA shill when he was literally staring her in the face? The plot was driven by the central character’s ability to miss the obvious and do stupid stuff. Worse, she created the most blatant stereotyped Muslim extremists I’ve seen outside a Tom Clancy novel — that’s not a compliment. Her upper class Brits are caricatures, an embarrassing collection of clichés. Considering her real world experience, I find this puzzling.
To move the plot forward, Ms. Kelly drops clues. Heavy, unsubtle clues, they land with a bang, not a whimper. Wham, here’s a clue for you. Did you get that? No? Well, here (crash!) is another, right on your instep so you can’t possibly miss it. Ouch.
If the quality of the plot was even close to the quality of prose, it would have been a great mystery (thriller?). As it was, it was readable and mediocre. The end was rushed, as if she’d hit a deadline and had to wrap it up before they wrenched the manuscript from her hands.
Featuring cardboard characters and a brilliant heroine too dumb to take minimal precautions when she knows her life is in danger, I didn’t buy it. I liked Alexandra and hoped through the entire book she would become real to me. The potential was there. Protagonists with a secret, troubled past are de rigueur these days, but this protagonist’s dark secrets were contrived and rang false. It did nothing for the story or the character.
I hope Ms. Kelly steps back, does some thinking, and rebuilds her protagonist. Alexandra James could be a strong female character in a genre dominated by smart, macho guys, but dopey, troubled women. I’m rooting for the author and her protagonist. Mary Louise Kelly has the talent to do it right. Whether or not she will realize her potential we will have to wait and see.
If this is the first of a series — assuming the book sells well enough to generate interest in future books — Ms. Kelly needs to give us a story that keeps us guessing. Allows us to be surprised, maybe even shocked. Mysteries needs to be … well … mysterious. Thrillers should thrill us. Anonymous Sources was neither mysterious nor thrilling. The author needs to trust readers to follow clues and make discoveries without giving everything away up front.
The novel drops a lot of stitches. For example, her good (best?) friend Jess is introduced with considerable fanfare but plays no role in the story. There are no details of how the murders were carried out. What exactly happened? How did Thom Carlyle exit that window? It’s not easy to lift a full-grown man — dead weight — and push him through a small window single-handed. The bad guys are faceless and bodiless. Tall? Strong? Other than being Pakistani, you know close to nothing.
Who was behind the plot? Merely naming an organization without humanizing it isn’t enough. Scary bad guys are as important as heroes. The abrasive relationship between the protagonists and antagonists is critical to character and plot building. There was essentially no interaction between the good guys and bad guys and the book suffered for it.
Mary Louise Kelly is talented. She writes good description and dialogue. She has the makings of a fine storyteller, but she needs a much better thought out plot and characters. She surely has enough anecdotal material for dozens of books. Her skill with words is obvious. But she has a ways to go to put it all together.
Here’s to her next — better – novel.
The main character, Alexandra James, is a newspaper reporter. As is the author. I’m married to a reporter, so I’m familiar with the realities of the news business. Ms. Kelly is at home in that world and does a good job painting the landscape. It’s the best part of her novel.
Mary Louise Kelly, a veteran reporter who is the prototype for her fictional protagonist, brings a very impressive resume to this first novel. Her extensive experience in reporting the secret world of spies and security raised my expectations. Indeed, she has created a very attractive character in Alexandra James, the intrepid young reporter.
Although this is Ms. Kelly’s first novel, she is a writer. Her prose is elegant and smooth. She knows the places about which she writes and describes them with assurance and authority. We live in the Boston area where much of the action takes place; she never hits a false note — a refreshing change from many other books I’ve read. She captures dialogue well. Conversations sound natural. Her descriptive abilities extend to people. I feel I’d recognize her characters if I met them on the street. Her comfort with the tools of the trade, the techniques of her profession and the requirements of the job are spot on.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for plot and character development. I believed Alexandra James, the reporter. I didn’t believe Alexandra James, the person, the woman. Her motives seemed phony. They didn’t jibe with her credentials. How could she be so savvy and smart, but so naïve she couldn’t see a blatantly fake CIA shill when he was literally staring her in the face? The plot was driven by the central character’s ability to miss the obvious and do stupid stuff. Worse, she created the most blatant stereotyped Muslim extremists I’ve seen outside a Tom Clancy novel — that’s not a compliment. Her upper class Brits are caricatures, an embarrassing collection of clichés. Considering her real world experience, I find this puzzling.
To move the plot forward, Ms. Kelly drops clues. Heavy, unsubtle clues, they land with a bang, not a whimper. Wham, here’s a clue for you. Did you get that? No? Well, here (crash!) is another, right on your instep so you can’t possibly miss it. Ouch.
If the quality of the plot was even close to the quality of prose, it would have been a great mystery (thriller?). As it was, it was readable and mediocre. The end was rushed, as if she’d hit a deadline and had to wrap it up before they wrenched the manuscript from her hands.
Featuring cardboard characters and a brilliant heroine too dumb to take minimal precautions when she knows her life is in danger, I didn’t buy it. I liked Alexandra and hoped through the entire book she would become real to me. The potential was there. Protagonists with a secret, troubled past are de rigueur these days, but this protagonist’s dark secrets were contrived and rang false. It did nothing for the story or the character.
I hope Ms. Kelly steps back, does some thinking, and rebuilds her protagonist. Alexandra James could be a strong female character in a genre dominated by smart, macho guys, but dopey, troubled women. I’m rooting for the author and her protagonist. Mary Louise Kelly has the talent to do it right. Whether or not she will realize her potential we will have to wait and see.
If this is the first of a series — assuming the book sells well enough to generate interest in future books — Ms. Kelly needs to give us a story that keeps us guessing. Allows us to be surprised, maybe even shocked. Mysteries needs to be … well … mysterious. Thrillers should thrill us. Anonymous Sources was neither mysterious nor thrilling. The author needs to trust readers to follow clues and make discoveries without giving everything away up front.
The novel drops a lot of stitches. For example, her good (best?) friend Jess is introduced with considerable fanfare but plays no role in the story. There are no details of how the murders were carried out. What exactly happened? How did Thom Carlyle exit that window? It’s not easy to lift a full-grown man — dead weight — and push him through a small window single-handed. The bad guys are faceless and bodiless. Tall? Strong? Other than being Pakistani, you know close to nothing.
Who was behind the plot? Merely naming an organization without humanizing it isn’t enough. Scary bad guys are as important as heroes. The abrasive relationship between the protagonists and antagonists is critical to character and plot building. There was essentially no interaction between the good guys and bad guys and the book suffered for it.
Mary Louise Kelly is talented. She writes good description and dialogue. She has the makings of a fine storyteller, but she needs a much better thought out plot and characters. She surely has enough anecdotal material for dozens of books. Her skill with words is obvious. But she has a ways to go to put it all together.
Here’s to her next — better – novel.
May 1, 2013
I was a little confused when I tried to add this book to my Goodreads list. My book is a digital ARC entitled Anonymous Sources that I received through Edelweiss and Gallery publications. The name of the book must have been changed because it is listed as Unnamed Sources on Goodreads and a few other book club sites. So, if you go looking for this one be aware of the name change.
Alex is a reporter. Her usual beat is Education. But, when Thom Carlyle flies out of a fifth story window on the famed Harvard campus, Alex discovers that Thom's father is the lawyer to the President of the United States. This makes the death high profile. It could have been suicide, an accident or murder. Alex makes it her mission to find out what really happened to Thom. Never in her wildest imagination would she have guessed where that investigation would lead.
Alex talks her boss into allowing her to travel to England where Thom had spent some time at Cambridge. There she finds out that Thom had indeed had some heavy personal issues. She meets Thom's ex-girlfriend and her new lover and few other of Thom's friends. Then a weird incident sets Alex of on an entirely different course. She finds herself a target and on the run from terrorist. From British Intelligence to the CIA to the white house, Alex is in the fight of a lifetime as she tries to convince everyone that the US is in danger of another major terrorist plot.
Alex is a troubled woman with a tragic past. She deals with it by keeping herself busy with her career. After having suffered such a terrible blow, Alex has no fear of anything. She's suffered the worst thing she can imagine, so she feels nothing could ever top that pain. So, she is very brave, and takes risk others might think twice about.
But, despite all that, Alex is in way over her head and is running out of time.
I noticed that there were no other books listed by this author, so I am going to assume this is the first novel written by Mary Louise Kelly.
If indeed this is the author's first effort as a novelist, then hats off to her. The thriller and spy genre needs to be given a great deal of latitude when it comes to plausibility. There were some parts where one had to play along even though the events were not all that likely to actually work that way. But, the author did a good job of building suspense. There was even a lot of food for thought about how clever criminals and terrorist can be.
This was a fast paced novel, which kept me engaged all the way through.
There is also a bit of romance to round out the novel. Looks like a nice start for a series.
I think the author is off to a good start here and I hope there will be more adventures for Alex.
Overall a B.
Alex is a reporter. Her usual beat is Education. But, when Thom Carlyle flies out of a fifth story window on the famed Harvard campus, Alex discovers that Thom's father is the lawyer to the President of the United States. This makes the death high profile. It could have been suicide, an accident or murder. Alex makes it her mission to find out what really happened to Thom. Never in her wildest imagination would she have guessed where that investigation would lead.
Alex talks her boss into allowing her to travel to England where Thom had spent some time at Cambridge. There she finds out that Thom had indeed had some heavy personal issues. She meets Thom's ex-girlfriend and her new lover and few other of Thom's friends. Then a weird incident sets Alex of on an entirely different course. She finds herself a target and on the run from terrorist. From British Intelligence to the CIA to the white house, Alex is in the fight of a lifetime as she tries to convince everyone that the US is in danger of another major terrorist plot.
Alex is a troubled woman with a tragic past. She deals with it by keeping herself busy with her career. After having suffered such a terrible blow, Alex has no fear of anything. She's suffered the worst thing she can imagine, so she feels nothing could ever top that pain. So, she is very brave, and takes risk others might think twice about.
But, despite all that, Alex is in way over her head and is running out of time.
I noticed that there were no other books listed by this author, so I am going to assume this is the first novel written by Mary Louise Kelly.
If indeed this is the author's first effort as a novelist, then hats off to her. The thriller and spy genre needs to be given a great deal of latitude when it comes to plausibility. There were some parts where one had to play along even though the events were not all that likely to actually work that way. But, the author did a good job of building suspense. There was even a lot of food for thought about how clever criminals and terrorist can be.
This was a fast paced novel, which kept me engaged all the way through.
There is also a bit of romance to round out the novel. Looks like a nice start for a series.
I think the author is off to a good start here and I hope there will be more adventures for Alex.
Overall a B.
June 29, 2013
Ever read the first paragraph of a book and just *know* it's going to be good? So good that you save it for a special occasion so that you can enjoy every delicious word of it? That was me, and this was that book. A cross-country day of travel by myself was the occasion, and Anonymous Sources did not disappoint. I was immediately pulled into the story of a solid and identifiable young reporter, Alexandra James, who stumbles onto a world of murder, terrorism, and treason that is far beyond her usual beat. The complicated plot has you trusting no one by the end and waiting from page to page for the next thread to unravel. Just the way I like it! Kelly's writing exudes authenticity -- she knows what she is taking about in not only the locations of the storyline and the mechanics of reporting, but also in the politics and intelligence of counter-terrorism -- making this book gripping and believable. James is the kind of protagonist who you can only hope gets the sequel (series!) she deserves and who you'd love to meet out for a drink. Anonymous Sources was just the ticket for my long day of travel. A great summer read.
February 24, 2020
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon
It was an unusually warm New England night.
Alexandra James was relaxing at a favorite wine bar, waiting for a friend, admiring her new Louboutin sandals, drinking gin and just looking forward to an unhurried, delightful evening.
After all, this was Shay’s patio on JFK Street, one of the few places in Cambridge where you could order a drink and sit outside.
It was just about the time she was scanning the patio for a waiter and a refill…
Her phone buzzed…
A newsroom all-staff email announcing that the police scanner had picked up a report of an incident, happening on the Harvard campus at 101 Dunster Street. Police and ambulance were already on the scene, the college newspaper reporting a “Breaking News” banner…
“Was anybody from the newsroom nearby? Could someone file a quote or two for the website?”
The email text had an immediate effect on Alex, the ambitious New England Chronicle reporter. Her adrenaline shot up, and a second later the realization that she was most certainly the closest Chronicle reporter to the scene described in the dispatch.
In a flash, the friend was forgotten. She slid a twenty on the table, tapped, “I’m on it” in her phone, grabbed her bag and sailed out the front door.
She soon reached the campus, noticing that the Eliot House building was cordoned off and guarded by police. There was no possible way of getting in there, she turned and noticed that the security guard posted in front of Kirkland House was allowing students to pass.
Time to slip out of “reporter garb” and into a proper “student wardrobe…”
Alex groped inside her bag, pulling out a pair of flip-flops, peeled off her suit jacket, tucked her phone and reporter’s notebook under her arm and stashed her bag under a bush.
She spotted a group of female students sauntering up the granite steps toward the guard. She eased up to them and walked alongside, easily passing for another anonymous student.
As the group neared the guard, they all held up their IDs and the guard lazily allowed the entire group to pass…
Including Alex…
Alex and the group of girls stepped through a black iron gate, then under several arches and into a square courtyard…
“Apparently, he just fell, like, dropped right in front of the windows…” one student commented.
Alex questioned the girl who told her that she was talking about the dining hall. She then broke away from the group in search of the hall. After a number of intuitive turns, (and the friendly assistance of a smiling custodian), she found herself at Eliot House Dining Hall.
She cut across the Ivy League styled dining hall, complete with its high ceilings, glittering chandeliers, and imposing oil paintings, to the area where a throng of students were pressed up to the windows. They were all peering at what was happening on the other side of the glass. Alex pressed herself as close to the windows as possible but couldn’t see anything of interest.
“I just got here, what happened?” Alex asked.
“They’re zipping him up,” one of the students replied.
“Who?” Asked Alex.
“Him…the guy who jumped…”
Alex moved to another part of the windows, and then spotted a blue plastic body bag.
“When did he jump, did you see it?”
“Half past six, maybe?” A nearby student replied, “My roommate says he heard it, a big thud. I guess he landed face up, you know, like you could see his eyes wide open…”
“Oh, poor guy,’ Alex responded
“Yeah, but they covered him up. One of the dining hall ladies…she ran right out. She had a yellow cardigan…she put it over his face…”
Alex shook her head and started typing. It had been an hour since the newsroom first sent out the alert.
The editors would be going crazy…
Later that night, the university released a statement, reporting the death of Thomas Abbott Carlyle, twenty-three of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Alex remained in the dining hall till nearly eleven o’clock, finally hearing a police commander’s announcement that there was no cause for alarm, police officers would be posted at the premises throughout the night, etc. She taps out her last update for the newsroom, already knowing that the “yellow cardigan” report had now turned into a sound bite, the favorite in the newsroom. It got posted to the website right away.
Alex yawned, knowing it was an otherwise slow news day, and that the death and investigation would lead the next day’s news, but beyond that, she didn’t see much of a story here…it was terrible, of course, a promising young man’s life was cut tragically short…but as far as stories go, there were much bigger ones…
Alex was wrapping up to leave, considering the autopsy report would eventually reveal either suicide or an unfortunate – maybe drunken – accident.
She shoves her phone in her pocket, looking around at the room…there were just a few people here at this late hour…
She decided to call it a night...
The next day, Alex picked up a copy of the New England Chronicle, the story emblazoned on the first page, above the fold:
“Harvard Student Falls to His Death; Police Promise Full Investigation.”
Then the critical part:
“Inside Eliot House, Harvard College.”
Most of the other competition had datelined other papers, forced to quote heavily from Alex’s own reporting. Suddenly, Alex was thankful for her beat…higher education. Not something that made her pulse race, but there were many colleges in Boston, there was always something to write about.
The next morning Alex goes to work at the Chronicle’s newsroom, almost bumping into Hyde Rawlins, the managing editor:
“Ah, Ms. James, nicely done, however, you’ll need to get right back over to Harvard…now.”
“Why, what happened?”
“It’s not what. It’s who. Thomas Carlyle was the son of Lowell Carlyle…a little something we missed…”
Lowell Carlyle was the White House counsel, the president’s lawyer and one of the most influential men in Washington. His son had spent the last year at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, England and that he was only back in the United States a few hours before his death.
“Mr. Carlyle is understandably grief stricken and is on the war path to find out exactly why his son fell out of a fifth-floor window last night…”
Alex makes her way back to the campus, this time she finds out that Thomas fell from the bell tower, not the fifth floor. She also finds out that there were no fingerprints in the small room where the young man fell from. More reports called into the newsroom, and the next day, her story made the first page, again.
Based on the momentum of the ever-growing story, Alex is able to sell her editor on taking a trip to England, Emmanuel College to be more specific. Her mission was to locate Thomas’s dorm room and his “bedder” (maid) the editor suggested. Apparently, the “bedders” know quite a few details about the people they clean for. There were also reports of a girlfriend at Emmanuel.
Alex was going to find HER…most definitely.
She arrives at Emmanuel College, locates the woman who was Thomas’s “bedder” and learns nothing more than the fact that his girlfriend was a woman named Petronella Black. Alex eventually locates Petronella, (and most disturbingly, what appears to be a new boyfriend leaving her dorm room just as Alex knocks on the door). After a chilly, brief interview with a dismissive Petronella, only one clue is unearthed. Thomas’s Harvard roommate was Joe Chang, now living in Los Angeles.
Alex calls Joe and finds out that he and Thomas were good friends in school, and that the tower was one of their favorite “beer drinking” hangouts. Joe informs her that Thomas kept his own duplicate key to the tower, as it was a good place to relax and think.
“Could he have slipped?” Alex suddenly asked.
Joe paused a moment, then told her a story of a time when he himself nearly slipped and how freaked out Thomas was concerning the near miss. After that, Joe said, he never took any chances, from then on sticking to the balcony.
“There’s no way he slipped,” Joe confirmed gravely.
And that, more than anything up to that point, convinced Alex that the cause of Thomas’s death was not likely to be an accident. Other clues pointed away from suicide.
So that left the only other possibility…
Murder.
Maybe this was a potentially explosive story after all. Alex decides to pursue it with every ounce of energy and tenacity she has. This leads Alex into every kind of strange experience and hazard, including:
An accountant-like embassy commercial affairs officer who becomes a spy for the afternoon, tousling the sheets with a young British aristocrat, an expression of goodwill in the form of a Burberry coat, an trans-Atlantic coffee/tea preference and a banana loving nuclear scientist. All of this and more…tied together in in the last breathtaking chapters, all of which I devoured with avid interest…hours after I should’ve been sleeping.
Amazingly, General Michael Hayden, the former Director of the CIA had a similar experience when reading this book. He said:
“A fast-paced thriller that is hard to put down….”
And when it comes to spy novels, how can I disagree with the director of the CIA?
Five enthusiastic stars.
It was an unusually warm New England night.
Alexandra James was relaxing at a favorite wine bar, waiting for a friend, admiring her new Louboutin sandals, drinking gin and just looking forward to an unhurried, delightful evening.
After all, this was Shay’s patio on JFK Street, one of the few places in Cambridge where you could order a drink and sit outside.
It was just about the time she was scanning the patio for a waiter and a refill…
Her phone buzzed…
A newsroom all-staff email announcing that the police scanner had picked up a report of an incident, happening on the Harvard campus at 101 Dunster Street. Police and ambulance were already on the scene, the college newspaper reporting a “Breaking News” banner…
“Was anybody from the newsroom nearby? Could someone file a quote or two for the website?”
The email text had an immediate effect on Alex, the ambitious New England Chronicle reporter. Her adrenaline shot up, and a second later the realization that she was most certainly the closest Chronicle reporter to the scene described in the dispatch.
In a flash, the friend was forgotten. She slid a twenty on the table, tapped, “I’m on it” in her phone, grabbed her bag and sailed out the front door.
She soon reached the campus, noticing that the Eliot House building was cordoned off and guarded by police. There was no possible way of getting in there, she turned and noticed that the security guard posted in front of Kirkland House was allowing students to pass.
Time to slip out of “reporter garb” and into a proper “student wardrobe…”
Alex groped inside her bag, pulling out a pair of flip-flops, peeled off her suit jacket, tucked her phone and reporter’s notebook under her arm and stashed her bag under a bush.
She spotted a group of female students sauntering up the granite steps toward the guard. She eased up to them and walked alongside, easily passing for another anonymous student.
As the group neared the guard, they all held up their IDs and the guard lazily allowed the entire group to pass…
Including Alex…
Alex and the group of girls stepped through a black iron gate, then under several arches and into a square courtyard…
“Apparently, he just fell, like, dropped right in front of the windows…” one student commented.
Alex questioned the girl who told her that she was talking about the dining hall. She then broke away from the group in search of the hall. After a number of intuitive turns, (and the friendly assistance of a smiling custodian), she found herself at Eliot House Dining Hall.
She cut across the Ivy League styled dining hall, complete with its high ceilings, glittering chandeliers, and imposing oil paintings, to the area where a throng of students were pressed up to the windows. They were all peering at what was happening on the other side of the glass. Alex pressed herself as close to the windows as possible but couldn’t see anything of interest.
“I just got here, what happened?” Alex asked.
“They’re zipping him up,” one of the students replied.
“Who?” Asked Alex.
“Him…the guy who jumped…”
Alex moved to another part of the windows, and then spotted a blue plastic body bag.
“When did he jump, did you see it?”
“Half past six, maybe?” A nearby student replied, “My roommate says he heard it, a big thud. I guess he landed face up, you know, like you could see his eyes wide open…”
“Oh, poor guy,’ Alex responded
“Yeah, but they covered him up. One of the dining hall ladies…she ran right out. She had a yellow cardigan…she put it over his face…”
Alex shook her head and started typing. It had been an hour since the newsroom first sent out the alert.
The editors would be going crazy…
Later that night, the university released a statement, reporting the death of Thomas Abbott Carlyle, twenty-three of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Alex remained in the dining hall till nearly eleven o’clock, finally hearing a police commander’s announcement that there was no cause for alarm, police officers would be posted at the premises throughout the night, etc. She taps out her last update for the newsroom, already knowing that the “yellow cardigan” report had now turned into a sound bite, the favorite in the newsroom. It got posted to the website right away.
Alex yawned, knowing it was an otherwise slow news day, and that the death and investigation would lead the next day’s news, but beyond that, she didn’t see much of a story here…it was terrible, of course, a promising young man’s life was cut tragically short…but as far as stories go, there were much bigger ones…
Alex was wrapping up to leave, considering the autopsy report would eventually reveal either suicide or an unfortunate – maybe drunken – accident.
She shoves her phone in her pocket, looking around at the room…there were just a few people here at this late hour…
She decided to call it a night...
The next day, Alex picked up a copy of the New England Chronicle, the story emblazoned on the first page, above the fold:
“Harvard Student Falls to His Death; Police Promise Full Investigation.”
Then the critical part:
“Inside Eliot House, Harvard College.”
Most of the other competition had datelined other papers, forced to quote heavily from Alex’s own reporting. Suddenly, Alex was thankful for her beat…higher education. Not something that made her pulse race, but there were many colleges in Boston, there was always something to write about.
The next morning Alex goes to work at the Chronicle’s newsroom, almost bumping into Hyde Rawlins, the managing editor:
“Ah, Ms. James, nicely done, however, you’ll need to get right back over to Harvard…now.”
“Why, what happened?”
“It’s not what. It’s who. Thomas Carlyle was the son of Lowell Carlyle…a little something we missed…”
Lowell Carlyle was the White House counsel, the president’s lawyer and one of the most influential men in Washington. His son had spent the last year at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, England and that he was only back in the United States a few hours before his death.
“Mr. Carlyle is understandably grief stricken and is on the war path to find out exactly why his son fell out of a fifth-floor window last night…”
Alex makes her way back to the campus, this time she finds out that Thomas fell from the bell tower, not the fifth floor. She also finds out that there were no fingerprints in the small room where the young man fell from. More reports called into the newsroom, and the next day, her story made the first page, again.
Based on the momentum of the ever-growing story, Alex is able to sell her editor on taking a trip to England, Emmanuel College to be more specific. Her mission was to locate Thomas’s dorm room and his “bedder” (maid) the editor suggested. Apparently, the “bedders” know quite a few details about the people they clean for. There were also reports of a girlfriend at Emmanuel.
Alex was going to find HER…most definitely.
She arrives at Emmanuel College, locates the woman who was Thomas’s “bedder” and learns nothing more than the fact that his girlfriend was a woman named Petronella Black. Alex eventually locates Petronella, (and most disturbingly, what appears to be a new boyfriend leaving her dorm room just as Alex knocks on the door). After a chilly, brief interview with a dismissive Petronella, only one clue is unearthed. Thomas’s Harvard roommate was Joe Chang, now living in Los Angeles.
Alex calls Joe and finds out that he and Thomas were good friends in school, and that the tower was one of their favorite “beer drinking” hangouts. Joe informs her that Thomas kept his own duplicate key to the tower, as it was a good place to relax and think.
“Could he have slipped?” Alex suddenly asked.
Joe paused a moment, then told her a story of a time when he himself nearly slipped and how freaked out Thomas was concerning the near miss. After that, Joe said, he never took any chances, from then on sticking to the balcony.
“There’s no way he slipped,” Joe confirmed gravely.
And that, more than anything up to that point, convinced Alex that the cause of Thomas’s death was not likely to be an accident. Other clues pointed away from suicide.
So that left the only other possibility…
Murder.
Maybe this was a potentially explosive story after all. Alex decides to pursue it with every ounce of energy and tenacity she has. This leads Alex into every kind of strange experience and hazard, including:
An accountant-like embassy commercial affairs officer who becomes a spy for the afternoon, tousling the sheets with a young British aristocrat, an expression of goodwill in the form of a Burberry coat, an trans-Atlantic coffee/tea preference and a banana loving nuclear scientist. All of this and more…tied together in in the last breathtaking chapters, all of which I devoured with avid interest…hours after I should’ve been sleeping.
Amazingly, General Michael Hayden, the former Director of the CIA had a similar experience when reading this book. He said:
“A fast-paced thriller that is hard to put down….”
And when it comes to spy novels, how can I disagree with the director of the CIA?
Five enthusiastic stars.
June 18, 2013
I'm old enough to remember Mike Hammer ruthlessly gunning down bad guys and killing evil women with equal glee. Then came the somewhat more sensitive male detectives who work at conquering their problems while solving crimes. Slowly, as times have changed, the images of crime fiction heroes have changed, too. Now, we see the emergence of a new kind of woman detective. No longer are we entertained by tea and crumpets servubg little old ladies solving crimes, but contemporary career women who use the assets they have to overcome evil in interesting and arresting situations filled with all the blood coursing excitement of a tight plot fraught with all the difficulties the genre presents. Anonymous Sources by Mary Louse Kelley (Gallery Books, June 18, 2013, 352 pages) does the job, presenting an attractive and sexy hero who's tough and spunky enough to accomplish her task while complex enough to remain interesting and unpredictable throughout. Mary Louise Kelly, in her first novel, appears to be a comer worth watching. Read the full review on my blog. If you decide to order this title, please consider entering Amazon through the portal on my site.
July 15, 2013
I plowed through this thriller in a few days. It had a lot that I love: a strong but imperfect female protagonist, a higher ed reporter covering who stumbles up to her neck into a national security story; elements of international intrigue and terrorism; a strong sense of place, transporting the reader to Washington (including the Hotel Washington) and Cambridge, MA and "the other" Cambridge; and a son of a Duke to appeal to the romantic in me.
October 8, 2013
So much fun! Even the acknowledgements section is fun! CAN NOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER ONE!!!
June 18, 2015
“Anonymous Sources” by Mary Louise
Kelly, published by Gallery Books.
Category – Mystery/Thriller Publication Date – June 18, 2013
Thom Carlyle, the son of a high ranking government official, comes back from England and “falls” off the roof of his old haunt, the Harvard Bell Tower.
Alexandra James, a reporter, is on the scene and uses her wiliness in gaining information not available to other reporters. As Alex delves deeper into the murder/suicide she finds herself traveling to England to interview people who knew Thom. She finds that he was enamored with a young lady and held frequent parties at his flat. It was during one party that he overheard something that may have precipitated his death. The information that Alex discovers almost costs her life on her flight back from England.
Alex tries to put the puzzle together that include the pieces of a fellow named Nadeem, a nuclear physicist from Pakistan, a fellow named Lucien who seems to be a playboy, and Nadeem’s desire for an incredible amount of bananas.
As things begin to fall into place, Alex finds herself in the Nation’s Capitol, discovering that Nadeem might not be Nadeem but someone else and that her English playboy also is someone else. She follows a shipment of bananas into Washington that seem to hold the clue as to what all this means. A clue that places Alex in grave danger and racing against the clock to avert a National disaster.
A very good read that will hold your interest throughout the book. The story also has a cat that roams the CIA corridors by the name of “Philby”.
May 31, 2013
Anonymous Sources is one of the most thrilling and entertaining novels I've read this year. I could hardly put it down because of how well Mary Louise Kelly interweaves the points of view of the various characters throughout the book. She gives each of her characters an interesting, yet very believable past, allowing for added depth to her plot. This novel should end up being a New York Times bestseller; if it's not, it's a true travesty. I truly loved this book!
Alexandra James, a fiery red-head working for Boston's Chronicle newspaper, is alerted to police activity and a potential body found at the Harvard campus one evening, and, as any good investigative reporter should do, Alexandra goes to the campus to try to get the scoop on the story. What starts out as the apparent suicide of Thom Carlyle, the son of the lawyer to the President of the United States, evolves into a mystery into his murder and a potential national crisis, which even risks Alexandra's life.
Alexandra James is one of the most compelling protagonists I've read about in a novel in recent years. There is such depth to her character, with the audience gradually discovering her inner turmoil and the reasons why she behaves and operates in the manner that she does. I would love to see an entire series of novels based off of her character.
Alexandra James, a fiery red-head working for Boston's Chronicle newspaper, is alerted to police activity and a potential body found at the Harvard campus one evening, and, as any good investigative reporter should do, Alexandra goes to the campus to try to get the scoop on the story. What starts out as the apparent suicide of Thom Carlyle, the son of the lawyer to the President of the United States, evolves into a mystery into his murder and a potential national crisis, which even risks Alexandra's life.
Alexandra James is one of the most compelling protagonists I've read about in a novel in recent years. There is such depth to her character, with the audience gradually discovering her inner turmoil and the reasons why she behaves and operates in the manner that she does. I would love to see an entire series of novels based off of her character.
May 3, 2013
I read this ARC courtesy of Simon and Schuster.
Oh, my goodness!! I just finished Anonymous Sources. The cover says it's "a thriller" and it certainly is -- in every sense of the word. Written by Mary Louise Kelly, NPR journalist, it is factual, crisp, and right-on. Short chapters jump from location to location, from character to character. The deeper into this book I got, the more skeptical I became, until I trusted no one.
I really felt the fear, the anxiety, the awe, the "I'm in over my head" of Alexendra James, who begins by covering a death in Harvard Square for the local paper, and slowly finds herself mixed up in international politics and bombs and double agents and espionage. How does she manage to keep her head amidst all of this? She begins to work the puzzle, nozes around for missing pieces, gets a little help along the way, and "Voila!!"
A great read, that really doesn't end until the last page.
Oh, my goodness!! I just finished Anonymous Sources. The cover says it's "a thriller" and it certainly is -- in every sense of the word. Written by Mary Louise Kelly, NPR journalist, it is factual, crisp, and right-on. Short chapters jump from location to location, from character to character. The deeper into this book I got, the more skeptical I became, until I trusted no one.
I really felt the fear, the anxiety, the awe, the "I'm in over my head" of Alexendra James, who begins by covering a death in Harvard Square for the local paper, and slowly finds herself mixed up in international politics and bombs and double agents and espionage. How does she manage to keep her head amidst all of this? She begins to work the puzzle, nozes around for missing pieces, gets a little help along the way, and "Voila!!"
A great read, that really doesn't end until the last page.
June 17, 2013
So, what happens when a reporter turns writer? You get a brilliantly written novel that is so raw and riveting that this reader read the novel in less than 24 hours. I used to love mysteries and thrillers. And yet, it has been years since I have found a really good one that kept me on the edge of my seat, voraciously turning pages, or flipping the next page button on my Kindle in this case.
Ms. Kelly has written a brilliantly thought out novel. I see that her time spent with the NPR has given her insider information about how the world of journalism works, and it played well in this novel.
This story has a bit of everything: Espionage, murder, travel and high heels. There are back-biting, almost evil women. There is sex, violence and booze. And it all played together fabulously. I loved every word on the page and cannot wait to see what more this author is going to have in store for us in the future. I cannot think of a single criticism for this novel.
Ms. Kelly has written a brilliantly thought out novel. I see that her time spent with the NPR has given her insider information about how the world of journalism works, and it played well in this novel.
This story has a bit of everything: Espionage, murder, travel and high heels. There are back-biting, almost evil women. There is sex, violence and booze. And it all played together fabulously. I loved every word on the page and cannot wait to see what more this author is going to have in store for us in the future. I cannot think of a single criticism for this novel.
July 1, 2013
I love stories with strong women heroines and Alexandra James fits that bill in spades. The story is full of twists and turns and, to be honest, it is so real it leaves you a bit frightened that this could, in fact, happen.
It is evident that Mary Louise Kelly has firsthand knowledge of the political process and is also an excellent researcher. The character development of the Ms. James is perfect. We see a strong women with flaws (as we all have) coping with the most surreal yet plausible situations.
I loved this book and I'll eat my copy (once I figure out how to eat an EBook) if this is not on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The great news is this is just the first book in a series that I believe will be immensely popular. I have one other word for Anonymous Sources. MOVIE.
It is evident that Mary Louise Kelly has firsthand knowledge of the political process and is also an excellent researcher. The character development of the Ms. James is perfect. We see a strong women with flaws (as we all have) coping with the most surreal yet plausible situations.
I loved this book and I'll eat my copy (once I figure out how to eat an EBook) if this is not on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The great news is this is just the first book in a series that I believe will be immensely popular. I have one other word for Anonymous Sources. MOVIE.
September 14, 2013
Very enjoyable thriller with an intriguing main character who is a young, well-connected, newspaper reporter, Alexandra James. The plot carries us from Boston to England and, ultimately, to the White House, with well-paced action, brief insights into James' character, and 'fast and furious' writing. It's really hard to put this one down.
It's exceptional but very welcome to have a believable protagonist who is female with just enough of a balance of toughness and frailty to make it work.
The media background provides a perfect context to develop this character further.
I'll be on the lookout for more by this author!
November 20, 2013
I so enjoyed this book. It may be because I don't usually read thrillers, so the pace of the book was not necessarily what I'm used to, I'm not sure. But I loved the different settings - from Cambridge USA to Cambridge UK - and the characters were fun. I didn't totally buy in to the relationship she had with the uppercrust British guy, but was willing to go along for the ride.
A fun book - very fast read. I look forward to her next novel.
A fun book - very fast read. I look forward to her next novel.
June 29, 2013
Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly, definitely a thriller. Reporter Alexandra James had no idea what was in store for her when she started to do some investigative reporting of the death of Thom Carlyle. Miss Kelly puts you in the middle of this thriller, as you follow Alexandra James through many twists and turns. Five stars and a new found favorite author for me!
March 3, 2014
Loved this. A fun, fast read.
September 26, 2014
A read in one gulp thriller. A fun ride.
June 24, 2018
Artfully crafted, definite page turner!
October 23, 2023
Late in the novel, a villain taunts the heroine that "she has been stupid, so, so stupid, right from the start." My thoughts exactly! I am a big admirer of author Mary Louise Kelly as an excellent journalist on NPR, so I was really disappointed (and rather surprised) by how terrible she is as a novelist. I have a laundry list of specific criticisms, but most veer into spoiler territory. But the biggest problem is that her main character is thoroughly unlikable. She's an immature brat who demonstrates negligible savvy and incredible naivete that is at odds with her reputation as a journalist. The book has enough of the conventional (bordering on hackneyed) thriller elements to have kept me reading until the end, but it was with much, MUCH eye-rolling. Take a pass.
January 23, 2024
I can always count on one of my cousins to come through with incredible books as gifts. This year he surprised me with this compelling, wildly authentic whodunit. When I first saw the cover I thought, wait, I know that name. Then it hit me. Mary Louise Kelley is a host on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Given her background, it’s no surprise she can concoct a wicked blend of beat journalism, detective work, and political intrigue. Here’s the setup: An up-and-coming Boston reporter starts to cover the apparent suicide of the son of one of the president’s closest allies, but things don’t add up. Read it!
December 3, 2017
Well, my second ML Kelly novel was another great reading experience. This is a terrific read, a real page turner again. The way she ties apparently unrelated elements and how it all comes together for a quite exciting climax shows her writing chops. I hope she decides to write a more novels. She's so much fun to read.
August 2, 2017
Big fun, vacation read. Process more involving than result.
November 12, 2023
Good book, well written, with a touch of humor, which I enjoyed.
July 1, 2013
Alexandra James usually finds herself chasing after the story, after stumbling upon leads having to do with the death of Thom Carlyle, she is the one being chased after. Alexandra relunctantly answers the call to check out a scene where a young man has fallen off of a roof on the prestigious Harvard University campus. Alexandra finds the identity of the deceased in none other than the President's lawyer's son. As more information is being unveiled, there is a lot to suggest that Thom Carlyle's death was not an accident but premeditated murder. Alexandra's investigation leads her to England to uncover what Carlyle's life was like before returning home to Boston. Eventually, her investigation puts her in the scope of some very dangerous people and her life hangs in the balance.
Mary Louise Kelly draws from her experience as a journalist to create a very interesting debut mystery/thriller. The novel is very smartly paced and is easy to follow. Anonymous Sources alternates between Alexandra James primarily narrating to then giving glimpses into the minds and actions of other peripheral characters. These transistions are seemless and don't slow the reader down. Towards the end there is a lot more action whereas in the beginning, a lot of the suspense was kept offstage.
The few gripes I do have with Anonymous Sources is that I didn't really care for Alexander James. She's described as being pretty, smart, a real go-getter. But all I could think of most of the time she was narrating was why does she care so much about shoes. And does every woman she come in contact with only care about shoes. I found her to be very materialistic and in need of compensation. Maybe it stems from her loss which is referenced in the book... I don't know. I just wish she had more character depth in the sense of being a better person that I could really rally behind.
Overall, Mary Louise Kelly's debut Anonymous Sources was a fun journey with insight into the investigative journalist world. Kelly is definitely one to look out for. I appreciate Kelly for writing this story and I can't wait to see what's next for her.
Mary Louise Kelly draws from her experience as a journalist to create a very interesting debut mystery/thriller. The novel is very smartly paced and is easy to follow. Anonymous Sources alternates between Alexandra James primarily narrating to then giving glimpses into the minds and actions of other peripheral characters. These transistions are seemless and don't slow the reader down. Towards the end there is a lot more action whereas in the beginning, a lot of the suspense was kept offstage.
The few gripes I do have with Anonymous Sources is that I didn't really care for Alexander James. She's described as being pretty, smart, a real go-getter. But all I could think of most of the time she was narrating was why does she care so much about shoes. And does every woman she come in contact with only care about shoes. I found her to be very materialistic and in need of compensation. Maybe it stems from her loss which is referenced in the book... I don't know. I just wish she had more character depth in the sense of being a better person that I could really rally behind.
Overall, Mary Louise Kelly's debut Anonymous Sources was a fun journey with insight into the investigative journalist world. Kelly is definitely one to look out for. I appreciate Kelly for writing this story and I can't wait to see what's next for her.
March 14, 2014
Anonymous Sources was a fast-paced and highly entertaining book. I myself rarely read mysteries because I am generally to confused about what is actually happening to pay attention to the book itself. However, this book was both very fun to read and also was easy to comprehend. The main character of Anonymous Sources is a 28 year-old female reporter named Alexandra James. Alexandra (or Alex) has a troubled past involving a daughter who died in childbirth and she is determined to escape her experiences through journalism. This determination gives her the drive to become a reporter and she will stop at nothing in order ti find the facts. So when a young Harvard graduate Thomas Carlyle is found dead in an apparent suicide, Alex instantly looks to find the facts about what really happened. Soon Alex discovers that Thomas Carlyle's death was indeed a murder and it sends her on a journey that eventually finds its way to the White House itself.
The plot itself sounds slightly ridiculous, and in truth it is. However, Alex James's character, not the mystery, is the true focus of the novel. Alex is such a likable character because she is easy to relate to. On the outside she may appear like the perfect person; Ivy league graduate, solid job, attractive, but as we learn more about her we understand that she is very much like everyone else. She has a drinking problem (even though she would argue against that), she had a daughter when she was seventeen who died in childbirth, and she has an irrational obsession with shoes. All these quirks are what makes her appear like a real human, and many authors are unable to create realistic characters because they make the characters perfect in every aspect. Mary Louise Kelly understands that in order to get the readers to connect with the characters she has to give them quirks and negative sides because all humans have these.
The mystery really acted as a side story during Anonymous Sources, but it was a very fun to read even if it does start of a little slowly. Overall, Anonymous Sources was an entertaining and generally easy-to-read book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic and adventurous book.
The plot itself sounds slightly ridiculous, and in truth it is. However, Alex James's character, not the mystery, is the true focus of the novel. Alex is such a likable character because she is easy to relate to. On the outside she may appear like the perfect person; Ivy league graduate, solid job, attractive, but as we learn more about her we understand that she is very much like everyone else. She has a drinking problem (even though she would argue against that), she had a daughter when she was seventeen who died in childbirth, and she has an irrational obsession with shoes. All these quirks are what makes her appear like a real human, and many authors are unable to create realistic characters because they make the characters perfect in every aspect. Mary Louise Kelly understands that in order to get the readers to connect with the characters she has to give them quirks and negative sides because all humans have these.
The mystery really acted as a side story during Anonymous Sources, but it was a very fun to read even if it does start of a little slowly. Overall, Anonymous Sources was an entertaining and generally easy-to-read book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic and adventurous book.
June 7, 2013
What starts out as an opportune headline story becomes a life and death race against both a deadline and an unknown assassin as reporter Alex James finds herself an active participant of a high-profile story with spy-worthy ramifications! Mary Louise Kelly has penned an intriguing spy/murder/mystery told through the eyes of a young reporter as she travels the globe in search of “…the rest of the story.”
Anonymous Sources is rich with detail, a myriad of characters, many with more than a passing interest in the mysterious death of a young Ivy League grad whose father is high up in the U.S. government. Was the killer the cold-fish girlfriend? Is there a connected conspiracy in the White House? What has Alex stumbled in to? Who is now after her? What has she learned that could get her killed? Follow this strong-willed, yet troubled young reporter as she uncovers the biggest story of her life!
This ARC edition was provided by NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
ISBN: 9781476715544
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Adult Fiction/Murder Mystery/Thriller
My Rating: 4 stars
Available at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
Anonymous Sources is rich with detail, a myriad of characters, many with more than a passing interest in the mysterious death of a young Ivy League grad whose father is high up in the U.S. government. Was the killer the cold-fish girlfriend? Is there a connected conspiracy in the White House? What has Alex stumbled in to? Who is now after her? What has she learned that could get her killed? Follow this strong-willed, yet troubled young reporter as she uncovers the biggest story of her life!
This ARC edition was provided by NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
ISBN: 9781476715544
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Adult Fiction/Murder Mystery/Thriller
My Rating: 4 stars
Available at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
August 19, 2017
a most excellent 5 star read, review to come...:)
Loved this book! I was up until 2 am swiping the last pages on my Kindle just as fast as I could read them.
28 year old Alexandra James or "Ginger" to her friends is a red headed, long legged lover of shoes, gin and the next big story. Alex is a reporter for the New England Chronicle. She loves her job, even though sometimes it can get a little boring right up until the night she starts investigating the apparent suicide of the White House Lawyers son, Thom Carlyle. It seems in the dead of night and all alone, Thom fell, jumped or he was pushed from the top of the Harvard bell tower.
This story will take Alex to the police, FBI, CIA and M16 in Cambridge England where she will find herself center stage in the middle of a terrorist plot against the White House. She is stalked, hunted, attempts are made on her life, she has her luggage and laptop stolen, her phone is tapped and people are dying. Alex is chasing leads and looking for the bad guy all for the story and if that's isn't enough, she has a fling with who she thinks is a student and a blossoming relationship with officer Gallonii.
This is a thrilling, page turning ride. I loved the characters, her good friend Elias, Her boss who knows the real Alex and doesn't let that get in the way of their working relationship, to the hunky Lucien and the oh so bitchy Petronella!
what I enjoyed most about Alex was her haunted past and how she dealt with or tried to deal with it. I can not wait for the next Alexandra James book, in what I hope will be a long running series.
Loved this book! I was up until 2 am swiping the last pages on my Kindle just as fast as I could read them.
28 year old Alexandra James or "Ginger" to her friends is a red headed, long legged lover of shoes, gin and the next big story. Alex is a reporter for the New England Chronicle. She loves her job, even though sometimes it can get a little boring right up until the night she starts investigating the apparent suicide of the White House Lawyers son, Thom Carlyle. It seems in the dead of night and all alone, Thom fell, jumped or he was pushed from the top of the Harvard bell tower.
This story will take Alex to the police, FBI, CIA and M16 in Cambridge England where she will find herself center stage in the middle of a terrorist plot against the White House. She is stalked, hunted, attempts are made on her life, she has her luggage and laptop stolen, her phone is tapped and people are dying. Alex is chasing leads and looking for the bad guy all for the story and if that's isn't enough, she has a fling with who she thinks is a student and a blossoming relationship with officer Gallonii.
This is a thrilling, page turning ride. I loved the characters, her good friend Elias, Her boss who knows the real Alex and doesn't let that get in the way of their working relationship, to the hunky Lucien and the oh so bitchy Petronella!
what I enjoyed most about Alex was her haunted past and how she dealt with or tried to deal with it. I can not wait for the next Alexandra James book, in what I hope will be a long running series.
November 8, 2013
First time author Mary Louise Kelly, former correspondent for BBC, CNN, guest host on NPR programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered, has written a whopper of a tale.
I heard her one morning being interviewed about this book, naturally on NPR, and immediately placed a hold on it at the library.
Generally, I read books slowly, since I work at the library and am surrounded by words all day long.
My husband noted how "engrossed" I was with this book and that I was reading at times I don't normally read, tuning out all other things. This was a REAL page turner for me. One of the best things about this book is the LACK OF THE "F" WORD (it might have appeared a few times).
The premise of the book is the death of Thom Carlyle - son of a powerful figure associated with the White House - from a window atop a bell tower on Harvard campus. He has just returned from studying abroad at Cambridge. Due to his family background and the circumstances around his death, the New England Chronicle of Boston assigns hard working, driven reporter Alexandra (Alex) James to cover this story - even sending her to Cambridge for background. BOY does she uncover stuff, she becomes involves with Lucien, CIA, MI6, FBI, secret service and terrorists from ??????? And finally pretty much solves the mystery of Thom's death, in the process becoming the target herself along the way.
I have booktalked this book at the circulation desk since I finished it, everyone has wanted to be placed on the hold list.
I heard her one morning being interviewed about this book, naturally on NPR, and immediately placed a hold on it at the library.
Generally, I read books slowly, since I work at the library and am surrounded by words all day long.
My husband noted how "engrossed" I was with this book and that I was reading at times I don't normally read, tuning out all other things. This was a REAL page turner for me. One of the best things about this book is the LACK OF THE "F" WORD (it might have appeared a few times).
The premise of the book is the death of Thom Carlyle - son of a powerful figure associated with the White House - from a window atop a bell tower on Harvard campus. He has just returned from studying abroad at Cambridge. Due to his family background and the circumstances around his death, the New England Chronicle of Boston assigns hard working, driven reporter Alexandra (Alex) James to cover this story - even sending her to Cambridge for background. BOY does she uncover stuff, she becomes involves with Lucien, CIA, MI6, FBI, secret service and terrorists from ??????? And finally pretty much solves the mystery of Thom's death, in the process becoming the target herself along the way.
I have booktalked this book at the circulation desk since I finished it, everyone has wanted to be placed on the hold list.
January 13, 2016
An excellent thriller with a likable protagonist. I could have done with a a tad bit less alcoholism=hard boiled journalist with a a dark past shtick, but whatever. Also, the whole Sex in the City Cool Girl who likes to drink and have sex with men she's just met--but wants a serious committed boyfriend--and is preoccupied with impractical and prohibitively expensive shoes. This is the girl template of James Bond. With depression she treats with alcohol instead of Brittishness that just comes with excessive drinking. There's like a lot of defensiveness about her drinking. And a lot of drinking. IDK.
Meanwhile, she didn't go to J school. She has a degree in English. This is sort of useless given the number of people with degrees in journalism and the number of spots they are competing for in print journalism. This is crazy cakes. I don't care where she got her degree in useless, it's still not a degree in the relevant field. At best she could get a job as a blogger for the paper. Maybe. But I found this completely implausible.
Meanwhile, she didn't go to J school. She has a degree in English. This is sort of useless given the number of people with degrees in journalism and the number of spots they are competing for in print journalism. This is crazy cakes. I don't care where she got her degree in useless, it's still not a degree in the relevant field. At best she could get a job as a blogger for the paper. Maybe. But I found this completely implausible.
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