Rating: 
Summary: SLOW MOVING AT TIMES, BUT AN INTERESTING MYSTERY!
Review: "Expose" dealt with the same characters from "Talk." Alexandra Waring, Jessica Wright, and Cassy Cochran. This is kind of a follow up but with a much deeper view in each of these persons lives. Sally Harrington is recruited by EXPECTATIONS magazine to do an "Expose" (interview, biography) piece on Cassy Cochran. She goes back and forth from Connecticut to New York almost every day. About six tenths of this book is about interviewing people and love scenes and the other four tenths is about a MURDER! Back in Connecticut, a man is found dead by a gunshot. Sally is the one who discovers the body after a mysterious phone call, leading her to the scene. With the help of Crazy Pete, a local character who seems to have conspiracy theories for everything, Sally must discover who killed this man, where did he come from, and why is it that this man's death ties in with her father's death twenty years ago. If you want to read Laura Van Wormer and you like suspense her novels are: TALK, EXPOSE, and THE LAST LOVER.
Rating: 
Summary: Glamour isn't always as wonderful as it seems
Review: A bit above cookie-cutter type romances, the ones where you feel the writer simply followed a how-to book on romances - but just above that level. Maybe the problem was that I was looking for so more more than a romance story with a mystery thrown in. Plus I found it totally unbelievable that a chance meeting would result in a writing assigment for thousands of dollars (as a former freelance writer, I KNOW how hard those assignments are to come by). But those are really minor quibbles. There are some things going for this book - a heroine who is far from perfect, some details that are unique and interesting and above the trite plots of many romances. Still, I could have put this one down at any point. I didn't feel compelled to keep reading it.
Rating:
Summary: A TAD FORMULA PRONE
Review: Harking back to the publishing world she so vividly depicted in Talk (1998), the always entertaining, although sometimes formula prone, Van Wormer again mixes some romance with murder for a heady, fast-paced concoction.Quick-witted and savvy, Sally Harrington leaves her job as an L.A. magazine writer to return to her childhood home in Connecticut and care for her ill mother. After her mother recovers, Sally begins to feel the constraints of small town life where she has begun dating an old flame and working for the local paper. A chance to pen a lead story for a glossy New York mag - a profile of Cassy Cochran, a top-notch TV exec, is irresistible. Sally soon finds herself torn between the rather benign world of Connecticut and the intoxicating perks of the Big Apple, where she begins a tumultuous affair with book editor Spencer Hawkes. Plots bubbling in the background include a murder investigation that may reveal information about Sally's father who died in an auto accident years ago, and the ever perplexing question of a celebrity's right to privacy and the public's right to know.
Rating:
Summary: 36 hours later, I am satisfied and bleary eyed
Review: I recently attended a Professional Writer's Conference, where at a workshop on creating clever plots, I was given this book. I'll be honest, I don't usually read books from this genre. I am an historical fiction and romance writer and reader, but I am always open to learning new things about my craft. So, 36 hours ago I began reading Expose, paying close attention to the plot line. I have to tell you, I really enjoyed this book (I have even already ordered the sequel). I think Ms. Van Wormer is a talented writer, with a knack for characterization and multi-dimensional plots. If I had to point out a negative, it would be about the heroine, Sally Harrington. She was supposed to be a talented reporter, and yet, she irriated the hell out of me. Granted, my career in newspaper and magazine journalism only extends back 13 years now, and is not nearly as impressive and glamourous as writing for a fanscy-schmancy LA glam mag, but Sally really had me gritting my teeth in a few places. For instance, when she goes into her big-time "career making/breaking" interview and starts sobbing over some idiot she had casual and dangerous sex with (in New York City for God's sake). Later, she casually drops in on her subject at home (how rude and unprosfessional is that?). At the end of the novel she receives a job as an investigative reporter and yet throughout the novel she has been too blind and stupid to figure out the casual sex guy was a set-up and philanderer? Come on! That being said, I admired Sally's tireless energy and her sense of humor. She also possessed two qualities lacking in many journalism professionals - compassion and decency. All in all, a very great read. Leah Marie Brown, Author of Willing Captive www.leahmariebrown.com
Rating: 
Summary: Such a Disappointment!
Review: I usually love her books, but for some reason, I just couldn't empathize with the protagonist. What a drip! Maybe, it's because she's not a superwoman like Cassie Cochran, et al, but I just didn't care about the story. Please, go back to the West End stories!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, High Quality Read
Review: Laura Van Wormer's Expose is an excellent, hight quality read, well-written with an excellent plot. Van Wormer weaves two story lines around Sally Harrington, a thirty year old reporter living in her home town in Connecticut. Sally is dealing with a mysterious murder in her home town which may or may not have a connection to her father's accidental death some twenty years earlier and a high-paying assignment from a high profile magazine to do a story on a beautiful celebrity. She is torn between her old boyfriend and a new love she meets during the novel. The story lines work well together--and both involve events that have Sally questioning her beliefs and assumptions about the people in her life. I had a minor concern that Van Wormer was somehow going to neatly tie both story lines together in some sort of far fetched plot development, but she does not. Instead they both resolve naturally, but not independently. This is a well done romantic thriller and an excellent read. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, High Quality Read
Review: Laura Van Wormer's Expose is an excellent, hight quality read, well-written with an excellent plot. Van Wormer weaves two story lines around Sally Harrington, a thirty year old reporter living in her home town in Connecticut. Sally is dealing with a mysterious murder in her home town which may or may not have a connection to her father's accidental death some twenty years earlier and a high-paying assignment from a high profile magazine to do a story on a beautiful celebrity. She is torn between her old boyfriend and a new love she meets during the novel. The story lines work well together--and both involve events that have Sally questioning her beliefs and assumptions about the people in her life. I had a minor concern that Van Wormer was somehow going to neatly tie both story lines together in some sort of far fetched plot development, but she does not. Instead they both resolve naturally, but not independently. This is a well done romantic thriller and an excellent read. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly entertaining
Review: On the cover of "Expose" New York Times Book Review describes Laura Van Wormer as "a master of romantic suspense." After meeting the main character, Sally Harrington, you will quickly realize Van Wormer's reputation is well earned. Sally is impetuous, sassy and everything you imagine a young reporter to be. Two years ago Sally left a Los Angeles magazine and accepted a position working for her hometown paper in Castleford, Connecticut. When an unexpected event lands Sally an offer to write a feature article for a New York magazine, Sally's world is turned upside down. A new boyfriend, a murder investigation and an introduction to Cassy Cochran, president of DBS TV network set the stage for this highly suspenseful and romantic story. Long-time fans of Van Wormer will recognize Cassy, a character who first appeared in "Riverside Drive." Along with Cassy are Alexandra Waring, Jessica Wright and a host of other familiar names. You might say Van Wormer has come full circle to her original cast. Better, stronger and with a style all her own, Van Wormer has found her niche. I enjoyed the book so much I started "The Last Lover" right away.
Rating:
Summary: Highly entertaining
Review: On the cover of "Expose" New York Times Book Review describes Laura Van Wormer as "a master of romantic suspense." After meeting the main character, Sally Harrington, you will quickly realize Van Wormer's reputation is well earned. Sally is impetuous, sassy and everything you imagine a young reporter to be. Two years ago Sally left a Los Angeles magazine and accepted a position working for her hometown paper in Castleford, Connecticut. When an unexpected event lands Sally an offer to write a feature article for a New York magazine, Sally's world is turned upside down. A new boyfriend, a murder investigation and an introduction to Cassy Cochran, president of DBS TV network set the stage for this highly suspenseful and romantic story. Long-time fans of Van Wormer will recognize Cassy, a character who first appeared in "Riverside Drive." Along with Cassy are Alexandra Waring, Jessica Wright and a host of other familiar names. You might say Van Wormer has come full circle to her original cast. Better, stronger and with a style all her own, Van Wormer has found her niche. I enjoyed the book so much I started "The Last Lover" right away.
Rating:
Summary: Glamour isn't always as wonderful as it seems
Review: Reporter Sally Harrington works for her small, hometown newspaper after returning to Castleford, Connecticut two years ago to care for her ill mother. When an assignment leads her to a nearby ghost town, Sally unexpectedly assists a man in medical crisis. It turns out that his wife Verity Rhodes is the glamorous editor of Expectations who subsequently offers Sally an opportunity of a lifetime. She's assigned to write an expose on Cassidy Cochran, president of the DBS network in New York. Soon Sally finds her professional life and personal life sharply split between the glitzy world of New York and the mundane world Castleford, which has drastically taken a turn a turn toward its own excitement. Crazy Pete Sabatino, with his conspiracy theories, has long been the butt of jokes around town, but this time the truth may exist within the miasma of speculation and confusion. A fascinating character, Pete feeds his addiction to conspiracies and the new world order through a series of books, pamphlets, and videos ordered from post office boxes in Texas and California. Pete's enormous satellite dish and forty-foot short-wave radio tower also bring in an inordinate amount of information to feed his obsession. So when Pete claims that Sally's father's death twenty years ago wasn't an accident and is, in fact, linked to a recent mysterious death, she's not inclined to believe him. A lead from Pete leads Sally into a murder investigation in Castleford even while she also writes the expose on Cassidy Cochran. Consequently, the work on both assignments sends her life hurtling out of control. Her "chance of a lifetime" assignment isn't what it seems, her love life endures unexpected upheaval, and her father's accidental death might have been murder. The first person narrative allows the reader to participate in EXPOSE, enduring the turmoil and surprise right along with the heroine. Further, Sally's one of those wonderfully strong characters who still does stupid things and gets carried away by opportunity gone off kilter. Her believable foibles, wonderful enthusiasm, and powerful presence make her a remarkably memorable character. Further, the entire cast of characters, including the dogs and Crazy Pete, make for a fantastic reading experience. And the surprising conclusion is wonderful! Highly recommended.
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