Buy Book "In the light of cameras" in Ukrainian

“In the Light of the Cameras is the debut novel by Christina Kovacs, who spent seventeen years running newsrooms in Washington, D.C., and writing crime and political stories around the District.

One of the main things I liked about this book was the angle from which it was told. The information presented in the news is not only unique, but also adds more intrigue. I definitely didn’t expect to be so engrossed in the story of this book.

The book has well-developed characters and plot. The story has many mysteries, romance and surprises that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

Would you be interested in going behind the scenes of a TV news crew and looking at the media process from the inside? Kristina Kovak’s book gives us this unique opportunity. The author easily immerses readers in the whirlwind of TV news – filming a story, journalistic investigations, interviews… And then – preparing the final version of the story, writing a script and – go live. It’s hard, exhausting, but so interesting! Kristina Kovak knows what she is writing about, because she is a TV news producer, so her descriptions of the work are more than believable.

As for the plot, it is dynamic and interesting. A young lawyer has disappeared after dinner at a restaurant. And television producer Virginia Knightley can’t shake the impression that she knows this woman and has to find her. A journalistic investigation, meetings with police and prosecutors, attempts to talk to random witnesses… All of this is described in an interesting way.

A fascinating read for several evenings is guaranteed. And what is important to me is that I did not guess the outcome. There are no questions left to the author, everything is clear and logical.

It’s a pretty good detective thriller, considering that this is Kristina Kovac’s debut in literature.

The central event of the novel is the murder of a young lawyer, framed by a television “kitchen”. Virginia Knightley, a producer of the evening news, investigates the murder. It is clear that the author herself worked on television, and she has revealed its backstage in a detailed and interesting way. It was interesting to read how journalists work together with cameramen, how they get exclusive footage and interviews. And, of course, the writer did not avoid intrigues in the TV team. Virginia was demoted and threatened with losing her job. That’s why the heroine plunged headlong into the investigation of the murder of an unfamiliar girl to whom she felt some sympathy. In the end, however, the talented and hardworking win over the conspirators.

The novel is also spiced up with political and corrupt conspiracies of the powerful, human envy, and the desire to get one’s way at any cost. All this led to the tragic consequences of the murders.

For me, this is a purely American story, a serialized story. It’s easy to read, but somewhere in the third part of the book, the events began to unfold very rapidly. I think the author managed to keep the mystery of who the killer is. This is a good middle grade detective story.

A beautiful cover, which can be played up nicely in a photo, and a bookmark from the #booklover publishing house is love 🙂

But…

The detective is my favorite genre and I’m used to the fact that in books of this genre absolutely everything is aimed at investigation.

And here, half of the book is more about the inner life of television, filming, infighting, and a little bit about the main thing, and somewhere in the middle, the main character Virginia Knightley finally says this: “What was I supposed to do there? Oh, right, to investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Carney. Well, okay, fine…”

Since the author is a producer of political and criminal news, and this is her debut novel, it is natural to write about what you know best – your element, journalism “in the light of cameras” (after all, the title is 100% revealed).

But from the beginning, the plot was very exciting, because everyone was under suspicion, it was not known who to trust, so the ending was almost impossible to unravel.

I can’t give it the highest rating, but in general, I feel as if I hadn’t read it, but watched an American detective story.

⠀ Probably, when you see the detective genre, you subconsciously imagine a respectable uncle a la Poirot, or a cool, self-confident man in black glasses (inspired by American films) who easily follows the trail of a criminal.

How about this: the investigation is conducted by a journalist, not a detective or the police?

Yes, journalists are constantly conducting investigations for stories, but to look for a missing person, to endanger your career and your life in general, you must admit, is unusual.

So here’s the story. A novice lawyer went missing. She just left the restaurant where, by the way, she told her husband about the divorce and disappeared… Yes, she disappeared, according to an unreliable witness. But that’s what unreliable is for, so I don’t really believe him.

A few days later, the woman is found dead. And now it’s not her they have to look for, but the one who killed her.

A book in which you will see the underside of television news. You will learn how stories are prepared and how much effort it sometimes takes. But the author weaves these nuances so well and smoothly into the plot that the reader plunges into this creative atmosphere without even noticing. The main line is still the investigation. And it is interesting!

Have I guessed who the killer is? Yes, I did. I suspected it right away. But then my guesses ran from one character to another. The author juggles images and emotions well!

The book left a pleasant aftertaste, although there was a bit of vanilla in the ending.

I would also like to praise the edition by the publishing house Knigolav. The sewn-in bookmark-ribbon is just the coolest thing ever! I used to have such bookmarks in my school textbooks. But they were not practiced in fiction books. And in vain! It’s very convenient!

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P.S. If the book is difficult to read on the first 100-150 pages, don’t rush to abandon it! The further, the more interesting, I promise!