ARC Review: The Cutaway by Christina Kovac

The Cutaway
Author: Christina Kovac

Publication: Atria / 37 INK (March 21, 2017)

Description: The Cutaway draws you into the tangled world of corruption and cover-up as a young television producer investigates the disappearance of a beautiful Georgetown lawyer in this stunning psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn.

When brilliant TV news producer Virginia Knightly receives a disturbing “MISSING” notice on her desk related to the disappearance of a beautiful young attorney, she can’t seem to shake the image from her head. Despite skepticism from her colleagues, Knightly suspects this ambitious young lawyer may be at the heart of something far more sinister, especially since she was last seen leaving an upscale restaurant after a domestic dispute. Yet, as the only woman of power at her station, Knightly quickly finds herself investigating on her own.

Risking her career, her life, and perhaps even her own sanity, Knightly dives deep into the dark underbelly of Washington, DC business and politics in an investigation that will drag her mercilessly through the inextricable webs of corruption that bind the press, the police, and politics in our nation’s capital.

Harkening to dark thrillers such as Gone Girl, Luckiest Girl Alive, and Big Little Lies, The Cutaway is a striking debut that will haunt you long after you reach the last page.

My Thoughts: This story is as complicated as the politics in Washington, D.C. Virginia Knightly is a television news producer who becomes intrigued by the photo of a missing woman and who tries to find out what happened to her.

Virginia has a photographic memory and knows that she has seen the woman before on some news clip. She tries to track it down while trying to get information from the police. It happens that the man in charge of the investigation is a former boyfriend of hers.

Meanwhile, her job is in jeopardy because a new News Director has been hired who wants to take over her programs and promote his own protegee as the news anchor. Virginia and Ben, the current anchor, work well together and have a relationship that could be more than professional if only Virginia would let herself take a chance on him.

Virginia is a fascinating character who is the product of a dysfunctional childhood. Her father abandoned Virginia and her mother when her mother developed cancer leaving twelve-year-old Virginia to cope with her mother's illness and death. After her mother died, Virginia was in a variety of foster homes but managed to be admitted to, and graduate from, a prestigious journalism school. She has built her career at this Washington television station.

As Virginia investigates what happened to Evelyn Carney, she learns more and more about her and the people she interacted with. Virginia has a number of sources but not all of them are giving her accurate information.

This was a wonderful, fast-paced thriller with twists and turns until the very end.

Favorite Quote:

When I hurried toward my office, she ran around her desk and stopped me. "I don't know why I was afraid of you," she said. "You're so much nicer than everyone says."

"Well, for God's sake. Don't tell anyone."

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.