Synopsis: The biggest story of Francine Vega's career could end her life... or start World War III. Francine is a rising TV news reporter in New York City. Despite her brains, beauty and a growing following, she is stuck covering local interest stories. That is until her career literally hits the jackpot when the winner of a $450 million dollar lottery tells Francine that he is committed to using his new fortune to avenge his brother's killing at the Pentagon on 9/11. His seemingly crazy plan is backed by more than just money - he is in league with a ruthless and powerful Army Colonel gone rogue, religious extremists and co-conspirators in the highest levels of government. Francine teams with FBI Special Agent Will Allen, one of the few people who believe the threat is real, in a desperate race across three continents to stop the plot before it's too late.
Critique: A terrific premise, "Fava' is a deftly written suspense novel that holds the reader's entertained attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for summertime (or anytime!) personal reading lists, "Fava" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).
★★★★★
The ‘big scoop’ on a multi-million dollar lottery winner is supposed to be a ‘ten seconds in the spotlight’ type of break for journalist Francine Vega, but the last words the winner speaks to her are fraught with tension and promise, just enough to make it a good story. His letter to her a short time later is enough to prompt an entire following desperate to destroy something that could mean millions of lives. But could the words of one small-town pastor really inflame an entire nation into starting a third world war? With the backing of some powerful men that may just be the case in Fava by John Hazen.
Francine, Jonas and Farad are all extremely interesting characters. They are the type of characters that not only do you feel you know, but you feel you want to know them better. I was drawn into this story from the start. Even though Francine is working a job she doesn’t necessarily like (at least she doesn’t like the stories she covers), she’s determined to make the most of it until she can get where she wants to be, which is inspiring. Of course, the fact that she’s thrown into a new story full of adventure, danger and plenty of mystery definitely keeps the reader intrigued and guessing. You never know who you can trust and who’s actually hiding in the background and sabotaging progress. Fava is a book that I couldn’t put down until it was done.
