The Fair Weather Friend

 

Faith Richards was Detroit’s favorite TV meteorologist. Murder was the one thing she never saw in the forecast.

In The Fair Weather Friend by Jessie Garcia, Faith’s sudden disappearance and shocking death rock her loyal viewers and the newsroom she left behind. The story is told through a revolving door of narrators. Carol is an ardent fan who feels like she truly knows Faith. Olivia is Carol’s niece and a college intern at the station with a front-row seat to the chaos. Matthew is the disgruntled weekend weatherman who’s tired of living in Faith’s shadow. Steve is a super fan who claims to be Faith’s secret boyfriend.

With the police closing in and "armchair detectives" Carol and Olivia digging for the truth, everyone is a suspect.

Garcia perfectly captures that eerie, one-sided bond fans form with celebrities, especially the one’s in our living rooms every night. I liked the behind-the-scenes peek at a newsroom. It added a lot of tension especially where Matthew was concerned. The multiple POVs kept the pace moving and the tension high.

Gail Shalan’s narration was spot on. She gave each character a distinct voice, which is crucial for a multi-POV story. She navigated the transition from the grieving fan to the bitter colleague easily. 

While the "big reveal" was a little over the top and a smidge unrealistic, I totally rolled with it. It was just too much fun to put down. The final twists at the very end were icing on the cake. This is an entertaining popcorn thriller that’s easy to binge.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary listen. The Fair Weather Friend is out January 20. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what’s the weather like in your little corner of the world right now?

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About the Author

Jessie Garcia is an award-winning sports journalist who has risen the ranks in television news, first as an anchor/reporter, then to newsroom management. She is the News Director at the CBS affiliate in Milwaukee. Her non-fiction books My Life with the Green and Gold: Tales from 20 Years of Sportscasting and Going for Wisconsin Gold: Stories of our State Olympians won Midwest Book Awards, and her documentary Leaps and Bounds: The Men Who Changed Track and Field was featured in over a dozen film festivals. She also taught journalism at four universities.