The Other Woman

Jane Ryland #1

by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Reporter Jane Ryland is tracking down a candidate's secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election. Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer that may be hunting down Boston's young women under the city's bridges. As the body count rises and election looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their cases are connected...and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.
Dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series from Hank Phillipi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder—it'll take a lot more than votes to win this election.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

416 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of sixteen award winning novels of suspense. National reviews have called her a "master at crafting suspenseful mysteries" and "a superb and gifted storyteller." SHe is also an investigative reporter for WHDH-TV, winning 37 Emmys for her true crime stories.

Her newest is ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS--an INSTANT USA TODAY bestseller.

Is a debut author’s blockbuster bestseller about to ruin her life? A glamorous book tour becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase in this new and captivating thriller!

(Freida McFadden says: "Engrossing! With a main character that I loved, and a twist the left me reeling!" And Jeneva Rose says: I absolutely loved it! This is Hank Phillippi Ryan at her best!”)

Don't miss ONE WRONG WORD, now in paperback. BA Paris says: "A gripping rollercoaster of a read!"

Her 2021 thriller THE HOUSE GUEST (Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise) now in a second printing!

Hank is also an award-winning investigative reporter at Boston's WHDH-TV. In addition to 37 EMMYs and 14 Edward R. Murrow awards, Hank's won dozens of other honors
for her ground-breaking journalism.

She is co-host and co-founder of The Back Room, co-host of First Chapter Fun, and host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze.

Her previous thriller, HER PERFECT LIFE, received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, calling it "Stellar."

Her earlier psychological thrillers include,THE FIRST TO LIE (with several starred reviews) an Agatha Award and Mary HIggins CLark award nomination) and THE MURDER LIST, which won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the year, and was ]an Agatha, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee, a number one legal thriller on Amazon, and a USA Today Bestseller.

Her first psychological standalone, TRUST ME (now in paperback) , is an Agatha Award nominee, and was named BEST of 2018 by the New York Post, Real Simple Magazine, BookBub, Crime Reads, and PopSugar. Mary Kubica says: "Dazzling!" and Lisa Gardner says "Mesmerizing!"

The Booklist *starred review says "...it's a knockout. First-rate psychological suspense."

Her thriller SAY NO MORE, is a Library Journal BEST OF 2016. And this just in: it's a nominee for the AGATHA AWARD and the MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD! And now, breaking news, it is also a DAPHNE AWARD nominee! Associated Press calls it "stellar" and Publishers Weekly calls it "thrilling" "unflinching" and "gratifying."

Her 2015 book, WHAT YOU SEE, is a Library Journal BEST of 2015, an ANTHONY and AGATHA Award nominee, and a Top Pick!, dubbed "exceptional suspense." It received a starred review from Library Journal which says: "Readers will find themselves racing to the finish!"

Her 2014 book, TRUTH BE TOLD, won the AGATHA Award for best mystery, and is a Library Journal Best of 2014. It received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, which says, "Drop everything and binge read!"

THE WRONG GIRL won the Agatha Award and the Daphne Award, and is a seven-week Boston Globe bestseller and Anthony Award nominee.

THE OTHER WOMAN won the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was listed as a Best Book of 2012 by the Kansas City Star, the Sacramento Bee, Suspense Magazine, and The Boston Globe, won the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was the only novel nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Shamus and Daphne awards for Best Novel of 2012.

Her first four mysteries, beginning with the Agatha Award-winning PRIME TIME, feature Charlotte McNally, a Boston television reporter. FACE TIME was a BookSense Notable Book, and AIR TIME and DRIVE TIME were both Anthony and Agatha Award nominees for best novel of 2009 and 2010. They are now available in all new editions.

Her journalism work work has resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for victims and consumers. She's been a radio reporter, a legislati

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

RE-READ 09/17/2015

The first in a series. Jane Ryland is a reporter. She gets fired from her TV job and gets a newspaper job. She is in love (or at least, has the potential to be) with Jake – a cop, but they can never be together because of their jobs.

I actually like that Jake and Jane don't do anything sexual in the book. For one thing, I feel like they really are getting to know and love(?) each other as people instead of just lusting after each other.

This book is about a political campaign and all the back-stabbing and scandal that goes along with it. This book is well-written. I liked how smart this book was.

However, the book is a bit confusing. This is the third time I've read it and even though I know very well who all the characters are and what the end result will be, it's a tangled mess. Is that a good thing for a mystery? Perhaps so - Ryan sure has created a well-thought-out and mysterious plot with tons of twists and turns, but I think the book could benefit from being a bit more straightforward.

The writing doesn't help. Ryan switches POVs (well, third-person POVs) multiple times in a chapter, and most definitely ever chapter. Ryan is also inordinately fond of a kind of "stream of consciousness" writing which involves a lot of broken sentences, sentence fragments, and rather jumbled prose - much as if you are reading someone's thoughts. It makes the book a bit hard to follow and is frustrating at times. Here's an example of what I'm dealing with:

She had a nice spot here, by the harbor. Boats and stuff. Seagulls. He'd driven all the way to Springfield, finally gotten to the hotel, bullshit bullshit, then had to drive all the way back. Tailing her, keeping a couple of cars between them. Once he'd even passed her. Luckily it was dark. Luckily she hadn't seemed to notice. Now, she was inside. All he had to do was wait.

If he didn't die of starvation first. Last thing he'd eaten were two bites of that apple at the hotel. And maybe he could take a piss in the bushes or something.

He'd kill for a -

And there she was.

She had her hair stuffed under some sort of stretchy cap, and some black tracksuit with red stripes down the legs. Running shoes. A pair of iPod buds in her ears, the white wires trailing into a pocket in her jacket. A brown mailing envelope or something under her arm.

The whole book is like this, and I'm not a fan of this writing style. Your mileage may vary.

I found it very frustrating that constantly throughout the book Jane was getting an important phone call while also talking to someone about an important matter. She was always missing calls she really needed to get and the phone was constantly interrupting her very important interviews with suspects and witnesses. This was very realistic, but also very frustrating as a reader as you feel that she is always missing some key point of the plot. (Seriously. Even reading it a second third time, my stomach was in knots. And not in a good way. In a reading-this-book-is-stressful way. Just thinking about Jane's job - running around constantly, never eating right or getting enough sleep, getting phone calls literally every hour of every day and night. Never being able to answer her phone because she's already talking to suspects/witnesses/leads? This is super-stressful. Just reading about it makes me freak out. I guess this means I'll never be an investigative reporter.)

I was also upset that Jake and Jane were so right for each other but could never be together because of their job. That's sad. I wanted her to join the police force – or him to become a reporter, something to make it okay for them to date. Ryan attempts to set up a love triangle (if you could even call it that) with Jane's boss, Alex. However, I never felt Alex was much competition for Jake – after all, Jane does nothing more than call Alex “hot” a few times and wonder idly about his marital status. I felt like Jake and Jane had a real connection. They obviously care about each other and worry about each other - this is deeper than just "you're-hot."

The plot with the abandoned children of Lassiter was interesting. I really liked how it ended up – that Lassiter and Moira had wanted to be in the children's lives, but were forced away by Katherine. I was happy Lassiter was not some two-dimensional villain – he was a full person with his good and bad traits – actually, everyone in this book was well-developed. And even though this book was very “political”, it was not boring – a difficult thing to pull off, I think. I also really liked that it was NOT a serial killer – instead, the four dead women were dead for many various reasons. That is a good plot twist.

Tl;dr - This isn't a bad mystery - Ryan obviously has a great imagination and is wonderful at having many different threads of plot which all tie together at the end. And she's got the will-they-or-won't-they sexual/romantic tension between Jane and Jake spot-on. (This ISN'T a romance book by any stretch of the imagination, the characters never even kiss.) You want to read the next book partly to find out if these two ever will have a shot together. However, the choppy writing and the very intricate mystery plots are drawbacks to me, personally. You might feel differently.

And it's very Boston. If you enjoy reading about the city of Boston, this book encapsulates the vibe and locations of that city. Perhaps not as well as something like Parker's Spenser novels, but well enough.

Ryan's own past as an investigative reporter serves her well in writing this series. She knows her stuff.

P.S. The cover is gorgeous!

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was immediately intrigued by the plot line of this one. Jane Ryland’s got it all, looks, smarts and a great job as the anchor of Channel 11 News. When she refuses to give up her source she finds herself facing a million dollar lawsuit and looking for a new job. I really thought I was going to love this. So how come it was just ok.
To be fair I’d have to rate The Other Woman somewhere between ok and like. As stated above I liked the premise but something fell flat for me. I didn’t like the dialog and I thought the plot could have been neater with less confusion. I liked Jane Ryland but she was a tad too youngish for me. How to explain this? This professional woman was a bit too perky or giddy and her use of slang did not become the character’s status. Consider this. While interviewing the Governor’s wife ”Of course, Mrs. Lassister. I’m happy you decided to chat” Chat! Would you consider an interview with the governor’s wife a chat? And how about this. The man she’d like in her life, conflicted by the fact that he is a cop, is Jake. But sometimes he’s Jackey and sometimes she’s Janey and this just drove me >nutty. And then there’s Alex, her new boss on her new newspaper and he’s hot.
So it was ok. I’m certain this will be a series and I think it has potential. At least I feel the character has room to grow and more crimes to help Jake solve. I would give Hank Phillippi Ryan another shot. Remember OK is not bad, just well, ok.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 2 a.m. Do you know where your daughter/mother/grandmother/husband/son is? If they are lucky, they're finishing The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan. To a bookaholic such as myself, staying up late to finish an awesome book is on the grand experiences level of reading. When I started reading last night, my goal was to read 200 pages in The Other Woman and finish it today. Ha. I laugh at my naivety. There would be no putting this book down until it was finished. Reading at its best.

Jane Ryland is starting over in her career of news reporting after her fall from grace as a television newscaster star. She now finds herself working as a reporter for a Boston newspaper and being assigned the less newsworthy issues. For Jane, being out of the loop is unbearable, and she quickly finds ways to connect to the bigger stories. Her assignment to cover the wife of a senate candidate leads to a search for the other woman, but the other woman proves to be an illusive term and person. As is often the case, present-day puzzles stem from past actions and events, both from Jane's life and the political scene in which she becomes involved. Jane's friendship with Detective Jake Brogan and his investigation into recent homicides of young women left near city bridges contributes more dots in Jane's search. With election day closing in, time is a constricting commodity. Not only are a senate race and the lives of young women at stake, Jane's redemption from her public career disgrace is on the line.

Hank Phillippi Ryan has created a mystery/crime thriller/political puzzle that will satisfy readers of all three interests. I lean more towards mystery and crime, but Ms. Ryan has shown me that political intrigue can be fascinating, too. Because, really, it's all about people and what makes them tick, motivates them, and sometimes leads them to paths of destruction for others and themselves. That's mystery indeed, and the combination of elements leads the reader on a delightfully suspenseful chase of first one twist, then another. Not to be ignored is the restrained but apparent chemistry between Jan and her detective, a fire that simmers waiting for the flame to rise. So, what's not to enjoy in reading The Other Woman? I suspect that Ms. Ryan will continue to titillate our reading pleasures in the next installment of this series.

[Tim The Enchanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plotting and Pacing Hurt a Good Character - 3 Stars

I enjoy mystery novels that revolve around journalists. Brad Parks and Bruce DeSilva are two personal favorites. I went into this novel with an expectation that there would be a similar style. By that I mean, the mystery and crimes are uncovered though investigative journalism and the crimes are substantive. In some ways this occurred in The Other Woman but overall the story lacked focus and leave the reader feeling a bit disoriented.

Plot Summary

Jane Ryland's career as a TV Journalist was on the rise but her journalistic ethics cost her that job. After breaking a big story on a well known figure, Jane is sued for libel and her source refuses to come forward. Jane stand's behind her promise of confidentiality and the television station is on the hook for a million dollar judgment. After losing her job, she is quickly back on her feet with a job for a local newspaper. Her new job finds her in the middle of a tight Senate race and Jane is not content with the puff pieces her editor has saddled her with and questions about a candidate have her trying to dig up some damning information. At the same time, Jane's former lover, a Detective by the name of Jake Brogan, is investigating a series of murder that leaves the city speculating whether there is a mass killer on the loose.

My Take

The majority of the novel focuses on Jane, Jake and the possibility of a taboo relationship, i.e. a Journalist and a Police Officer or a potential source. On the balance, the story driving the novel was interesting. The problem was grasping what exactly was happening in the story. Many great mysteries and thrillers have parallel story lines that eventual converge. The problem in this case is that the multiple story lines (there are more than two) did not flow together in a smooth manner. The transition from storyline to storyline was often jarring and confusing. The issue was worsened by the large number of characters and the purposeful obfuscation of the identities of several of them. I felt as if I was sitting and watching three theatre productions happening at the same time. I never knew what I supposed to be watching. This severely limited my enjoyment of the novel.

Additionally, I found the character development to be below average. While on the whole I did like the characters of Jane and Jake, they were not well developed. While I felt I understood some of the motivation and actions of Jake, I often found myself confused with the behavior and motivation of Jane. On a personal note, I found some of Jane's legal statements to be questionable. Admittedly, my own legal experience is with Canadian law so I cannot be too judgmental on that point.

Having read other books in this subgenre, I have come to expect similarities in the way that the reporters deal with the paper, the editor, sources etc. This novel did not follow some of the conventions of other novels. This is not a bad thing by any means but the fact that conventions and similarities occurs, it lends itself to a belief that they are real conventions in the newspaper business. Maybe these conventions don't exist or it may be that the writer comes from a television background and not a newspaper background. Or maybe it that I have come to believe that television journalist are not real journalists. Just putting my prejudice out there :)

Final Thoughts

The series has some potential. While it doesn't have the same punch and novels that focus on more intensive investigative journalism, it does offer some lighter fair in the genre. At some point in the future, I will pick up book two and give it another chance. It is my hope that the author does a better job of juggling the perspectives and provides an experience with less confusion.

Content Advisories


It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading.

Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest

Sex - 2

One of the storylines deals with potential sexual affairs. There is never any explicit sexual content. There is some sexual tension between characters.

Language

F-Word - 0 instances Mild Profanity - Approx. 72 Religious Exclamations - 10

Violence - 2

There are a series of murders. The details of the actual murders are sparse. A character is attacked, but the details are also sparse.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book with many intriguing plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat to the very last page.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars bumped up.

Reminiscent of an `80s style detective show, The Other Woman is a fast-paced thriller/mystery that could easily be turned into a Lifetime special.

It was okay.

What I liked

The writing is crisp, clean, and full of sensory detail. Ryan's experience as an investigative reporter certainly comes through. Furthermore, the plot and subplots are revealed slowly and woven together nicely.

What I didn't like

Cliché one-dimensional characters. This is a rather formulaic genre, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the stereotypical caricatures here, but as a reader who judges a story by its characters, this one just missed the mark. The bad guys were bad...and the good guys were good, in other words they were predictable and boring. Add to that a forbidden love story that one would expect to add tension but that just came off as corny (sorry Jakey and Janey, but I just wasn't feeling it), and there's not much to capture the interest of a reader like me.

Finally, I did not buy the story...which started off fine but then became so contrived at times, it made me wince.

Conclusion

This is an award winning writer, and I think the issues I had are more a reflection of personal taste than the novel's merits. I suspect this was written with a particular audience in mind and succeeds at being what it is intended to be (albeit not what I may have wanted). Had I read something like this twenty years ago on the beach, it might have appealed more to me. Not so much at this point in my reading life. It wasn't horrible. I didn't hate it and it had some redeeming qualities. I might even read another one...because who knows...

[Nancy McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other Woman is a thrilling roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and twists and turns. And is a totally believable look into the world of investigative reporting, political machines, police procedures and how they collide.

Investigative reporter Jane Ryland is trying to resurrect her career which was destroyed when she refused to reveal a source. She has no idea that her determination to find out who the ‘other’ woman is in random pictures of a senatorial campaign will turn out to be a convoluted story of seduction, betrayal and murder involving several ‘other’ women.

[Kathleen J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so disappointed by the opening of this book I could go no further. Writers are told that the first scene of a novel should capture the reader, make them feel as though they are in the hands of a master who will take them on a wonderful journey.

The writing in the opening is amateurish, characterization and dialog poor. The author tries awkwardly to give us time, place, backstory. Do the following excerpts sound to YOU like what a realistic seasoned detective is thinking and saying at a murder scene? Or does it sound more like Jake, the new boy-detective, the master of cliches and dumb thoughts?

He recognized television. Radio. That kid from the paper. How did they get here that fast?

Too bad I can’t call Jane. She’d love this.

What does Jane always say? It bleeds, it leads. At least her stories aren’t like that.

The EMT’s scrambling out of the doors. No need for them to hurry, Jake thought. She’d been dead for at least three hours. Just like the other woman.

***
And, REALLY, can you "hear" this exchange among crime reporters at a murder scene?

“One a couple a weeks ago, one today, that’s two.” "Is two murders serial?” “Both by water. Both by Bridges...That’s serial. We’re going with that. Maybe… The River Killer.’
“We are, too. The Bridge Killer.”
***

The description is pretty well written. But if I'm going to spend hours of my time listening to a novel, I expect good writing. I gave two stars for the story because I had to rate it. Actually I have no idea.

If you're thinking of buying this one, read a sample. My own fault, buying this loser. Should have done the sample. Got caught up in the reviews. When will I learn?

[judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had to happen sometime--I'd hate an author most people love. I've waited forever to get my hands on a Hank book. Other authors mention her in their books. The comments on the back include many of my favorite writers. Sadly,I closed it maybe 1/5 from the end. The book was completely unbelievable to me. (2 weeks to election and you're only just doing major interviews?) With all the attention Jane paid to attractive men in the very beginning, I was worried that we might head down a romance book road. It seemed to me that Jane desperately wanted to find an "other woman" no matter what. Did she consider other possibilities for the candidate's wife dropping out of sight before she met her? Didn't seem so to me. Of course that annoyed me because it made Jane just a scandal hound instead of a serious reporter. That was kind of the problem with the the book. It felt like a soap opera with cardboard characters.

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Doubtful that I'll read anymore of this author. Very disappointing, poorly written. I kept reading till the end hoping it would get better. Thankfully, it was a library book.

[Karen Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Ms. Ryan's writing style, but this book is a mess. The protagonist, Jane Ryland, while engaging and likeable, can't (and won't) follow her boss' directions, makes lots of unsupported claims about suspects, mistakes people for other people with serious consequences and, in the romance department, Janey can't decide between her cop buddy, Jakey, and her boss, Hot Alex. (See me roll my eyes.) But the kicker for me was the TSTL (too stupid to live) moves she makes -- going places alone, despite police warnings to wait, etc.

Finally, this book takes place during a U. S. Senate race in Massachusetts and, being a sometime politico, I was sure I'd love it. But when one of the candidates' pasts turns out to be considerably less than stellar, I found myself wanting to toss the book at the wall. Candidates in national races, particularly in high profile states like Massachusetts, I believe, are vetted so thoroughly that they squeak with cleanliness. Either that or they're a Kennedy. :-) Even here in little old South Dakota the candidates rarely have drama in their past.

I hope to read more of Hank's books, but this one truly left me flat.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Bostonian I probably expected too much so when the book did not meet my expectations I was disappointed. I did not like the many quick and choppy plot jumps, the unclear characters, the puerile dialog, and the completely unbelievable premise. My biggest desire was for the story to end so I could go on to another book by someone else. (One month later) The Other Woman won the Agatha reward so I went back and reread it. It helped that I read it before so now I would not confuse the characters. Unfortunately, I did not experience what others did so my rating only improves marginally by half a star. 2.5 stars from me and it appears a lot more from everyone else.

[Donna Weber ( Recuperating from Surgery) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Other Woman is my first Hank Phillipi Ryan novel and will definitely not be my last! This book had all the elements of a great suspense story. From page one, I was drawn into the story, the compelling conflicted characters and the likeable main character. This novel keeps you on your toes in a fast paced plot full of twists and turns.The unpredictability, the political intrigue, the intricate betrayals and the insights into human desire, deceit, greed and ultimate frailty, make this a novel you won’t want to put down! I can’t wait to read another novel from the award winning former U.S. Senate and political campaign aid, investigative reporter Hank Phillipi Ryan!

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw an ad for this book on the right side of my Goodreads page and ordered it from my library. I wasn't the only one with the same idea and had to wait for a long time to get it.

What do I think? I think the same things many of my favorite mystery and suspense writers think. Here is a sampling:

Lee Child> "The Other Woman does everything a great suspense novel should. Ryan raises the bar sky high."

Lisa Scottoline> "If you haven't read Hank Phillipi Ryan yet, you should, and The Other Woman is the perfect place to start. A killer plot, compelling characters, and nonstop suspense. Riveting!"

Sandra Brown> "Nonstop action from the rare perspective of one who knows the news business from the inside out. Ryan grabbed me on page one."

Lisa Gardner> "A rocket ride of a thriller."

Joseph Finder> "A thriller that twists so fast it'll leave you gasping."


There are more but this is just to whet your appetite for a book that even the masters of modern mystery/suspense/thrillers find riveting.

The star of the book is a refreshingly intelligent reporter Jane Ryland who has lost her job at Channel 11 News for protecting her source and losing an expensive court case over it. Her police detective friend Jake Brogan of the Boston Police Department gives her a lead on a reporter job at the Boston Register working for Alex Wyatt, the city editor. She gets the job- but with a 6 month trial period.

Meanwhile, women are being found dead in the water around various bridges in town and the public is starting to worry about the Bridge Killer. Jake is certain there is no bridge killer but that each woman was killed by someone different for different reasons.

This is a very exciting book. The murders are tied in with the Congressional campaign of Governor Owen Lassiter who has some strange women in pursuit of him- and not for good reasons, and a secret family from the past. As the deaths pile up and a strange man enters the scene, Jane and Jake realize their cases are intertwined. Jane is attracted to Jake and once had a short affair with him but decided it could complicate their work. There is no sex or romance in the book but mercy, I could feel the hot undercurrents! I am hoping Hank Ryan is working on a sequel right now. She is a good author who knows how to tell an exciting story.

Jane is also somewhat attracted to her boss (don't go there, Jane!) who is getting divorced. The attractions do not interfere with the story at all.

Read this one! It is worth the time spent. When you get to the scene in the cemetery on Halloween where unarmed Jane is stalked by the mystery man with the gun, well, be sure the doors are all locked and the lights are all on before reading it! I like Jane a lot. She is a good character I can relate to.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Refusing to reveal her source, TV reporter Jane Ryland lost the court case and was fired. To pay her bills, she had to accept work as a newspaper reporter with the Boston Register. Jane begins investigating the murders of several women with her friend Detective Jake Brogan.

I like books featuring nosy reporters. This book from 2012 has a lot of characters to keep up with. New characters suddenly become integral parts of the story. Characters appeared without warning and obviously had an agenda but it took me awhile to figure out who was on first, especially with the changes in who was who. I know the previous weird sentence didn't make a lick of sense but when you read the book you might understand what I'm trying to say. I've read several other books by this author that I liked better than this one.

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hank Phillippi Ryan is an award winning investigative reporter for a television station for Boston, Massachusetts. She has also turned her talents to fiction writing and has won numerous accolades for her four books. After all, she's writing what she know - reporting and investigation. So I eagerly picked up my first book by this author - her latest - The Other Woman.

Jane Ryland was a television reporter, fired when she refused to reveal a source and cost the station a million dollars. Now she works for a newspaper. But the drive is still there to uncover the 'big' stories. And she thinks she's found it in the final days of the senate race. A mysterious woman is appearing at every rally for the governor. At the same time her cop friend Jake (or as she refers to him - Jakey) is investigating the deaths of a number of young woman. Is it a serial killer? Could there be a connection between the two 'cases'?

I never read other reviews until I've written my own. And I've discovered I'm in the minority on this one. It was an okay listen, but never really engaged me fully. I listen back and forth while driving to work and honestly found my attention wandering during the last few discs. Much of the story seemed to be repeated - there were multiple phone calls and texts that I found interminable, discussions rehashed and more. I truly think Ryan dragged out the story - it could have been two discs shorter for me.

The reader was Ilyana Kadushin. Kadushin has an excellent voice - rich and resonant. She also read the Twilight series. And that was the character I associated her voice with - a teenager. Her breathless delivery didn't suit an investigative reporter character. She really didn't have a different voice for each of the characters and at times I was hard pressed to figure out who was talking. You really had to listen the the "Tuck said, Jake said" cues.

I never really bought into the Jane Ryland character. Her cutesy references (Jakey and Janey) and daydreaming about her married boss (Hot Alex) lessened her and I had trouble taking her seriously. I found Jane's dialogue amateurish given her profession and Jake as a detective was the same.

Given the number of 'big name' blurbs that promoted this book, I thought I would love it too. Sadly,I didn't.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Ryland, an investigative reporter in the Boston area is forced into a new journalistic career after a jury doesn't believe her 'source' and Jane refuses to reveal the person's name. Now, living as a Newspaper reporter, she is assigned a political fluff piece that turns into a parallel investigation into possible serial killings.

It is clear that there is an "Other Woman" but, what is not clear is exactly who or why she is....

This story was filled with intriguing characters, an exciting backdrop of a political election, the glorious but deadly beauty of Boston, Ma., and the thrill of a police chase. What more can a reader want in a novel?

Ms. Ryan has created another powerful and dramatic mystery novel. A novel that lends itself open to many possible future tales. I, for one, look forward to following the careers of Jane Ryland, and Police Detective Jake Brogan.

I would have liked to see more romance blossom between Ryland and Brogan, however in a professional situation, that is truly not always the way life turns out.

This ARC was a gift to me from the author and the review is my own with no input.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should create a shelf titled "Kind of read but skimmed most of it" which is what I did with this book. The pace and uneven flow turned me off so I ended up quickly paging through to see what happened.

[Anastacia Reads Stuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Normally I am not drawn in to books with a baseline of politics but due to current events this actually interested me. The author did a good job of building characters and bouncing between voices without it being too confusing. I loved how the story progressed. Though I was able to figure out some basic plot twists along the way there was still quite a bit that I couldn't put together until the end. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Ryland was going places in TV news that is until she got the camera pulled out from under her. Now she finds herself out of work and the forefront of a lawsuit as a result of a news story where she won’t reveal her source. She’s given a chance to work as a newspaper reporter on the Boston Register and is given her first assignment to interview the wife of a candidate to the Senate. But nothing is ever as it seems and Jane’s nose smells a bigger story one where there seems to be “The Other Woman” involved, and the more she investigates the deeper the subterfuge seems to go and the more danger Jane is put in because of it. In the mean time the case that got her fired from Channel 11 is raising it’s ugly head again and she may just get her head taken off because of it. She only has her wits and one particular sexy cop to protect her and they’re both spelling trouble with a capitol T.
Jake Brogan has his plate full with multiple murders that the press is screaming serial and the cops are trying to keep the screaming down to a dull thud. And the murders are taking him right into the path of a certain girl reporter that he’d like to know a lot better, but for professional reasons she won’t let him. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to keep her informed and keep her out of harms way especially since their paths seem to be crossing with great frequency and he’s not above using those crossings to strengthen his case for them to be a pair.

Hank Phillipi Ryan has wowed me before with her Charlotte McNally series and she’s doing it again with her debut novel in her brand new Jane Ryland series. Her quirky, and laughable sense of humor is still front and center and there’s a deeper and more complicated feel to Jane that makes her a most interesting protagonist. Her storyline is a quagmire of puzzle pieces that she fits together perfectly, but she doesn’t fill in all the pieces until the end but much sooner than that she had me hook line and sinker. Her dialogue is filled with cop-speak and reporter jargon that made me wince, tense and laugh sometimes all on the same page while she filled my head with images from the words on her pages. Her characters are awesome, both bad guys and good guys and sometimes I had trouble figuring out who was who until she told me. Her Jane is a complicated woman who’s nose for news sometimes battles with her sense of responsibility and it was my pleasure seeing her work them out. They always say write what you know about which is what makes this such a slam dunk of a crime drama told in an expert voice that knows exactly what she’s talking about. If you like seriousness mixed with humor you’ll love Hank Phillip Ryan, if you’re a crime drama lover, a lover of mystery or heck just a fantastic read put this on your wish list for September. Hank Pillipi Ryan is a brilliant and relatively new voice in this genre and already she’s had to move over her Emmys for all her writing awards, so if you haven’t tried her do and if you have and you’re biting at the bit, your wait is almost over.
Hank thanks for another unforgettable journey fueled by your imagination I can’t wait to see where we travel from here.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Ryland is a reporter with something to prove. Up until she refused to name a source in a high profile story she covered on Channel 11, she was the rising star in Boston's TV news. But her principled stand resulted in a losing court case that got her fired and is costing Channel 11 a million bucks.

Humiliated and suddenly jobless, she drops out of sight to wallow in depression for awhile, but when she decides life must go on, she follows up on a lead provided by her police detective friend, Jake Brogan, and takes a job as a newspaper reporter on a local Boston paper.

Jake is dealing with a couple of murders of young women near bridges which have occurred within a few days of one another. Though he doubts a link between them, people are beginning to refer to The Bridge Killer, assuming a serial killer is on the move in Boston.

In the meantime, Jane is assigned the task of getting an interview with Senatorial candidate Owen Lassiter's wife...not the candidate, but his wife Moira, who is apparently taking a break from campaigning and the campaign staffers aren't exactly up front about why. Against all odds, Jane does connect with the woman, who is surprisingly chatty and is very suspicious of those campaign staffers. She wants Jane's help to ferret out "the other woman" that she suspects her husband is seeing.

Jane and Jake have an obvious attraction to one another, but know that a potential relationship would be sabotaged by their professional need to keep work related information secret from one another. To add intrigue to her mostly non existent love life, the editor who hires Jane is also known among the females in the business as "Hot Alex." A few days after Jane starts to work she notices that he has quit wearing his wedding ring. His behavior toward Jane however, is strictly on the up and up.

The bridge murders and the Senatorial campaign which Jake and Jane are working on eventually collide and they begin to share enough information to shed a little light on both the murders and the identity of the other woman, but work interruptions frustrate their efforts to spend a little time alone.

The suspense builds as additional murders occur. Could Jake have been wrong in doubting that a serial killer was at work? And as Jane learns more about the Senatorial race, the identity of the other woman shifts from one mysterious suspect to another. Neither is who she seems to be, and the real story is much more sordid and complex than first assumed. What's more, the prominent businessman who had originally sued Channel 11 emerges as a suspect in the Bridge murders, and Jane's life is in danger too. This book starts off at a fast pace and never stops. There are twists and turns at the end that make this book anything but predictable...but I do predict that if you enjoy suspense, detective work, murder and a little bit of romance, you will indeed enjoy this!

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Hank Phillippi Ryan is a Renaissance Woman of the 21st Century. In addition to being an award-winning fiction writer, she is a multiple Emmy winner for her three decades of work as a television journalist, and she has won numerous prestigious Edward R. Murrow awards for her hard-hitting revelations as an investigative reporter. Hank is also a teacher, a popular and accomplished public speaker, and the owner and operator of a sharp wit and keenly observant mind. She is also generous to a fault in her ceaseless encouragement of fellow authors and others in the scope of her vision. I say all of this in preface to my review of her latest release, "The Other Woman", because everything that Hank takes in comes back out in her work. Her readers are the lucky recipients of all of the thought processes, observances, and life experiences of this remarkable woman. Hank once again rocks the suspense/thriller genre with "The Other Woman", a timely thriller that turns over rocks and lets loose all sorts of slimy, slithery political creepers and crawlers. Jane Ryland was building a solid career in television journalism until protecting her source left her vulnerable to a high-powered media barrage, thus ending her favored status. With a recommendation from her almost "more than a friend", police detective Jake Brogan, she is hired as an investigative reporter for one of the very Boston newspapers which had featured her prominently in their headlines. As Jane begins working on finding the secret mistress of a Senatorial candidate shortly before an upcoming election, Jake is investigating a serial murderer dubbed "the bridge killer" because each of the bodies was left by a bridge. As common elements emerge, Jane and Jake realize they are working on the same story, and then things really get complicated, not to mention deadly. Be forewarned: Once you start reading "The Other Woman", you won't want to put it down, and you'll have to read it right through to the end. Next, you'll have to check out the rest of Hank Phillippi Ryan's book list, and I predict your reading table will soon be stacked with terrific suspense thrillers from this talented author. Highly recommended.

Review Copy Gratis Amazon Vine

[M.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: I haven't read a thriller this gripping in a long time.

Long: I reserve five-star reviews for books that I find almost perfect & can give an unreserved recommendation. THE OTHET WOMAN starts out at a fairly brisk pace. Dead body. Possible serial killer. Disgraced reporter. It's a good hook. Ryan moves the story right along using several POVs, no mean feat. You get a good picture of Jane & Jake. There are some people who are clearly not who they appear to be. Then somewhere around the mid-point (chapter 45 or so). Things kick into overdrive. Once the dominoes start falling, they fall rapidly. Some of them I figured out. Most of them I didn't. When a book keeps me up past bedtime & I'm afraid to pick it up lest I lose hours of productivity, that's a good book.

Some have quibbled at Jane's character. I get the impression that she's young. Not too young but enough that she still makes me want to slap her (go into the cemetery on Halloween - are you stupid?). I think there's a lot of room for Jane to grow into her new role as a newspaper reporter. And as far as her relationship with Jake...

The switch between "Janey"/"Jakey" and Jane/Jake didn't bother me. It's kind of like how I knew I was in trouble when my mother used my full name. One is sweet/joking, one is "this is serious."

Someone also commented that the portrayal of the press at the opening crime scene was unrealistic. Given that the author is an award-winning investigative reporter, I think she's in a position to know exactly how these things happen.

I do not hesitate to recommend this book to any lover of suspense/thriller stories.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

When TV Reporter Jane Ryland refuses to name her source, she loses her job. Detective Jake Brogan recommends her for a job at a newspaper where she is asked to get an interview from the wife of Senate hopeful Owen Lassiter. Mrs. Lassiter has dropped out of the public eye and everyone is asking why. A phone call form Mrs. Lassiter tells Jane that she believes her husband is having an affair with another woman. Meanwhile Jake Brogen is investigating a series of dead young women whose bodies are found under Boston city bridges. People are asking if there is a serial killer in Boston. Soon another body is found which ties Jake's case with Jane's story about the Lassiter campaign.

This book was nominated for several mystery awards and I can't figure out why. The story is confusing. Characters pop in and out of the story and the point of view is constantly switching. I had no idea what these characters were up to for over half of the story. The writing is choppy and sometimes hard to read.

A couple of things drove me absolutely nuts. Jane is constantly ignoring her phone or unable to answer it because she is in the middle of an interview. I swear this happened at least twenty times. I just wanted to shout "answer the *#@&$# phone". The other thing that drove me crazy was Jane and Jake's relationship. When the story starts they have already dated and decided to be friends since a relationship between a reporter and a cop would be prohibited. So I had to read about one character constantly wondering what the other was up to and wishing they could be together. I thought the whole situation was just dumb. My rating: 2 Stars.

[Victoria Allman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other Woman is a plot-twister of a novel set in Boston involving a strong and sexy cop, Jake Brogan, and a smart and savvy newspaper reporter, Jane Ryland, as they struggle to find a serial killer and follow a political campaign while trying to ignore their draw to one another. When the murder investigation and campaign seem to overlap, Jake and Jane are thrown into each others worlds and have to face what their growing attraction could mean to both of their careers.

Steven King once said, "Good books don't give up their secrets all at once." and Hank Phillippi Ryan has proven that with The Other Woman. This is a book that keeps you turning pages to find out its secrets and just when you thought you figured them out they twist and turn into something new.

Hank knows how to build suspense. I could not put this down and stayed up way to late promising myself just one more chapter. I HAD to know what happened next. That is what I love about a good book and this one is a great one!

Victoria Allman
author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey With Her Captain

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's get this straight right off the top: this is one terrific novel! This story introduces us to down-on-her-luck, ex-TV star reporter Jane Ryland, as she hopes to resurrect her media career as a newspaper reporter. Her seemingly impossible opening assignment is to find and interview the wife of Senate candidate Governor Owen Lassiter, who has mysteriously dropped out of sight. From this simple(?)assignment Jane falls into a world of high profile murders, mysterious campaign staffers, layer upon layer of intrigue, twists and turns that mystify and amaze, love (lust) abounding, and a cast of characters slowly circling each other in a waltz of intrigue, double-cross, and death! What's not to like!! I will have a hard time waiting for the next novel featuring Jane and company! Nicely done, and brava, Hank!!!

[Judy Alter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing novel of politics, elections, serial killers, and other women...with more than a hint of romance that must be denied. A TV reporter herself who has covered campaigns and probably killers, Hank Phillippi Ryan creates an authentic world of journalism and a tough journalist in disgrace. Jane Ryland fights to regain her reputation and credibility and to solve the bridge murders even while she resists that charm of Jake Brogan. His career, as a law officer, would conflict with her impartial journalism, and she's career driven. Ryan keeps a lot of balls in the air in this one, with several possible "other women" and unexpected plot twists and dturns. It is, as others have said, a page turner and a nice demonstration of the freedom that third-person narration gives an author. This one deserves the attention it's getting.

[Teresa Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book especially the relationship between the two main characters, Jane and Jake. She's a journalist, he's a cop, and their agencies have rules against relationships. They have a definite chemistry and, of course, their paths keep crossing. She is reporting on a senatorial campaign and he's working the Bridge Street Killer case. Things get interesting when the cases intertwine. The pacing is fast and the subordinate characters are interesting. An overall great read.

I just started reading the next book in the series and looking forward to seeing how Jane and Jake deal with their relationship or lack thereof. I met the author at this year's Sleuthfest in Orlando. She's a smart lady, award winning TV journalist, and author.

[T de V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hank Phillippi Ryan’s THE OTHER WOMAN is a fast moving story. By the middle, I had to put the book down every couple chapters and pace the house; I didn’t want to stop reading, but I had to release tension bolstered by the story. Jane Ryland is a tough, investigative reporter who perseveres. She is, however, charming and flawed and the reader comes to care deeply about her. Detective Jake Brogan is bright and driven, but has amusing scuffles with many characters.

The plot is very well executed and the ride is a blast!

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[Tgordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun fast paced read. This book moves very fast and has lots of main players. It did on the middle become a little hard to keep up with however once I got near the end The Who done it and the several major twist tied it up nicely. Worth a read but was not sure at first. This does read like a second in a series as there was too much backstory I felt at times I was missing major pieces from.