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Teaser
Hallie Ahern, a Providence, Rhode Island, reporter and recovering gambling addict, is trawling online chat rooms in search of a story for her newspaper’s Web site when an anonymous source sends her a short video clip, a teaser. Featuring two girls striking provocative poses, the clip promises more to come. As Hallie follows up on the lead, staking out tech shops and high school hangouts in search of the girls in the clip, she discovers that men are buying the girls webcams and lavishing them with gifts to make sure they use them. But those gifts are only a taste of the perils to come.
The paper’s new owners love the idea of an exposé that warns parents of the dangers of the Internet, but when girls start dying, and when Hallie’s boyfriend—a prosecutor with the Attorney General’s office—ends up on another side of the story altogether, the situation goes from dark to lethal.
As Hallie is caught between her responsibilities as a reporter and as a concerned citizen, her investigation leads her deep into a far-reaching conspiracy in Teaser , Jan Brogan’s latest gripping mystery.
The paper’s new owners love the idea of an exposé that warns parents of the dangers of the Internet, but when girls start dying, and when Hallie’s boyfriend—a prosecutor with the Attorney General’s office—ends up on another side of the story altogether, the situation goes from dark to lethal.
As Hallie is caught between her responsibilities as a reporter and as a concerned citizen, her investigation leads her deep into a far-reaching conspiracy in Teaser , Jan Brogan’s latest gripping mystery.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published December 9, 2008
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Jan Brogan
6 books18 followersJan, an award-winning journalist, is a former staff reporter for Worcester Telegram and The Providence Journal. Currently a freelance journalist and formerly a correspendent for The Boston Globe, she is the author of four mysteries. Her first,Final Copy, won the Drood Review Editor's Choice award. A Confidential Source and Yesterday's Fatal were both named "Killer Books" by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association."
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 4, 2017
Hallie Ahern is a reporter for a newspaper in Providence, Rhode Island. Hallie begins investigating teenage girls who are being provided webcams for free and in return they are being talked into making sexually explicit videos. There are previous books in the series that I haven't read but I think the book stood fine on its own. The book is a bit dated since most laptops these days come with webcams but the danger of the internet is still real. There isn't a huge mystery but I liked the characters and the setting.
October 16, 2025
The book starts off slow and a bit boring, but the end really picks up and makes your heart race. Jan leaves the perfect questions left unsaid, while also giving us answers to questions that we had throughout the whole book.
March 29, 2020
The book was really good! Poor Hallie! Always getting the bad end of the stick
April 25, 2024
Short and sweet mystery and I’m a sucker for a case from the journalist perspective.
January 18, 2025
Not a page turner. Had to force myself to finish reading it.
April 26, 2009
We have all been warned about the dangers of the internet many times over, especially for children. There are predators lurking out there, sometimes pretending to be who they are not, preying on the young.
Jan Brogan’s Teaser takes readers into that world as Chronicle reporter Hallie Ahern investigates a possible sex ring involving teen girls. As a former gambling addict, Hallie has turned to chat rooms to keep herself occupied and out of trouble. One night Hallie stumbles onto what will become a career make it or break it story. She finds a video clip of two girls in a provocative situation, with a promise of more to come—in other words, a teaser. Hallie’s investigation into the video and her search for the two girls involved, lead her into dark territory. Drugs, sex, and murder are all tangled together in a complex web of conspiracy. The more she learns, the more complicated things become and the more danger Hallie finds herself in.
I instantly liked the character of Hallie Ahern. She has a reporter’s tenacity and dedication to her job, but she also takes time to think things through—even if at times she ends up going with her first impulsive thought. She is aware of the toll her choices have on her personal life, which is where her more vulnerable side comes out. Her live-in boyfriend is a prosecutor who has made sacrifices in his career because of his love for Hallie. In Teaser, Hallie finds herself facing difficult choices—follow the story and risk losing the man she loves or hand over the reins to someone else. Her quandary is complicated by the fact that she cares about what happens to the girls she meets on her quest for the news story. These warring factions only prove to deepen Hallie’s character, and endear her more to the reader.
Jan Brogan also takes readers inside the newspaper business, where the financial impact and worth of stories are negotiated and decided upon. I liked that the staff of the newspaper worked so well together (most of the time). They seemed like a real team even off on their individual assignments, and each of the characters in the newsroom were interesting in their own ways.
Teaser is a compelling novel that had me glued to the pages, turning them as fast as I could to find out what would happen next. While this is the third book in the series featuring investigative reporter, Hallie Ahern, it stands on its own quite well. I look forward to going back in the series and seeing where Hallie got her start.
Jan Brogan’s Teaser takes readers into that world as Chronicle reporter Hallie Ahern investigates a possible sex ring involving teen girls. As a former gambling addict, Hallie has turned to chat rooms to keep herself occupied and out of trouble. One night Hallie stumbles onto what will become a career make it or break it story. She finds a video clip of two girls in a provocative situation, with a promise of more to come—in other words, a teaser. Hallie’s investigation into the video and her search for the two girls involved, lead her into dark territory. Drugs, sex, and murder are all tangled together in a complex web of conspiracy. The more she learns, the more complicated things become and the more danger Hallie finds herself in.
I instantly liked the character of Hallie Ahern. She has a reporter’s tenacity and dedication to her job, but she also takes time to think things through—even if at times she ends up going with her first impulsive thought. She is aware of the toll her choices have on her personal life, which is where her more vulnerable side comes out. Her live-in boyfriend is a prosecutor who has made sacrifices in his career because of his love for Hallie. In Teaser, Hallie finds herself facing difficult choices—follow the story and risk losing the man she loves or hand over the reins to someone else. Her quandary is complicated by the fact that she cares about what happens to the girls she meets on her quest for the news story. These warring factions only prove to deepen Hallie’s character, and endear her more to the reader.
Jan Brogan also takes readers inside the newspaper business, where the financial impact and worth of stories are negotiated and decided upon. I liked that the staff of the newspaper worked so well together (most of the time). They seemed like a real team even off on their individual assignments, and each of the characters in the newsroom were interesting in their own ways.
Teaser is a compelling novel that had me glued to the pages, turning them as fast as I could to find out what would happen next. While this is the third book in the series featuring investigative reporter, Hallie Ahern, it stands on its own quite well. I look forward to going back in the series and seeing where Hallie got her start.
July 2, 2010
TEASER by Jan Brogan has it all-- riveting suspense, a roller-coaster plot and an engaging cast of multi-dimensional characters. The provocative plot line draws the reader in from the very first page and the action continues at a breakneck pace until the white-knuckle conclusion.
Hallie Ahearn, an investigative reporter, stumbles across a shocking piece of video depicting two bikini-clad teens posing for the camera.. The short clip is called a “teaser,” designed to titillate the viewer, promising even more steamy footage. Who took the footage? What would motivate these young girls to engage in this sort of risky behavior? Was it a just a joke or is something more sinister going on?
It quickly becomes apparent that the salacious teaser is just the tip of the iceberg. Young girls are being forced to sexualize themselves and men are providing them with video cameras to capture it all on tape.
Hallie immediately jumps into the fray, determined to track down the men responsible for the porn ring, even though she realizes she’s putting both her job and her romantic relationship in jeopardy. Hallie is an appealing, flawed character, making no secret of the fact that she’s a compulsive type, struggling with her own demons (she’s battled both a gambling addiction and an over-reliance on sleeping pills.)
She’s the perfect sort of reporter to handle this story; her tenacity serves her well as she follows up on every lead, determined to get to the bottom of this sordid crime. When girls start turning up dead, the action intensifies, along with her commitment to the cause. As Hallie says, “No one became a newspaper reporter for the money. It was always about a sense of mission, a pursuit of truth.”
Hallie is a complex, passionate character, a firebrand who is willing to risk her life to print the truth and save young girls for exploitation. We can only hope we see more of this spirited heroine in other novels by this talented author.
Hallie Ahearn, an investigative reporter, stumbles across a shocking piece of video depicting two bikini-clad teens posing for the camera.. The short clip is called a “teaser,” designed to titillate the viewer, promising even more steamy footage. Who took the footage? What would motivate these young girls to engage in this sort of risky behavior? Was it a just a joke or is something more sinister going on?
It quickly becomes apparent that the salacious teaser is just the tip of the iceberg. Young girls are being forced to sexualize themselves and men are providing them with video cameras to capture it all on tape.
Hallie immediately jumps into the fray, determined to track down the men responsible for the porn ring, even though she realizes she’s putting both her job and her romantic relationship in jeopardy. Hallie is an appealing, flawed character, making no secret of the fact that she’s a compulsive type, struggling with her own demons (she’s battled both a gambling addiction and an over-reliance on sleeping pills.)
She’s the perfect sort of reporter to handle this story; her tenacity serves her well as she follows up on every lead, determined to get to the bottom of this sordid crime. When girls start turning up dead, the action intensifies, along with her commitment to the cause. As Hallie says, “No one became a newspaper reporter for the money. It was always about a sense of mission, a pursuit of truth.”
Hallie is a complex, passionate character, a firebrand who is willing to risk her life to print the truth and save young girls for exploitation. We can only hope we see more of this spirited heroine in other novels by this talented author.
September 24, 2013
So again i got this book for a dollar at a book sale. This is not what i normally read but i enjoyed it. I enjoyed the mystery of it all. I felt like i was a reporter right there with her. I liked how it was real
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March 28, 2009
Author Jan Brogan's unadorned language allows the reader to focus on the story's determined protagonist as she chases the trail of the kiddie porn industry in otherwise sleepy Newport, Rhode Island. While the main characters are committed to the cause, somewhere along the way I began to wonder what their secondary motivations were in dedicating themselves to these teenage girls who were near strangers. As someone who rarely reads mystery novels, I found it lacking in depth and not nearly as satisfying as an episode of NCIS or Numbers.
June 9, 2009
A story about child pornography and how a determinded investigative reporter put shutting down the bad guys in front of her career and even he boyfriend. It was a pretty good book but such a sad subject. I hate to even think about stuff like this going on. And it reaffirms that we have to watch our children on the internet at all times. Even if they don't like it. Too easy to get sucked in to evil!!!!
March 14, 2009
this was the first jan brogan book I read. I found hallie ahern to be an interesting character--and the struggle/conflict btw her job and her boyfriend's job as prosecutor--to be a good background for the story. I also liked the current issues with the web/soft porn, you never know what your kids are doing story line. I'll definitely read more books from this author.
January 11, 2010
I picked this up randomly on a day when nothing in the library was appealing. It's a mystery/crime novel starring a plucky, tireless investigative journalist. Our journalist finds herself in a tangled web of child internet porn, drugs, and the dangerous criminals behind it all. It was actually REALLY great--very fast moving and interesting. Loved it.
May 27, 2009
Saw this book in the bookstore, and the synopsis looked good. Mystery novel whose central character is Hallie Ahern, a Providence, Phode Island reporter and recovering gambling addict, investigating on-line chat rooms, when she receives a teaser video clip of two girls in provactive poses.
October 10, 2011
This was the first book I've read by this author. I liked the protagonist, the subject was much more interesting than the usual "oh a dead body!" scenario of many other books, and I'll definitely read more by this author.
July 16, 2009
Meh. The first 2/3 dragged, the last third was decent, and the concept of a teen porn Ponzi scheme was interesting, but overall not particularly entertaining.
May 15, 2009
This was a good mystery. I learned a lot about child/teen pornography and the internet by reading this book.
July 26, 2009
So far, so good.. and it was good!
September 13, 2009
Nothing at all special
October 26, 2009
This book got off to a kind of slow start, but it ened it up being a really good book. I couldn't stop reading it until the last page.
July 21, 2011
Interesting story but a little overdone.
August 8, 2016
The story was decent but the main character felt like a cheapened version of Kinsey Milhone. Maybe I need to read the other books in the series?
January 12, 2013
A fun light mystery, especially due to the locale.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews