MY REVIEW:

Starting with a real life snapshot taken by her father when she was a child, Lis Wiehl has written an electrifying story about a murder for which the wrong man has been imprisoned for fifty years. His impending execution brings federal prosecutor Lisa Waldren and her estranged retired FBI father together  to make an effort to find enough evidence to stop the execution. Although “Snapshot” is a novel, it is filled with a wealth of historical facts from the years following the assassination of J.F.K. as well as some valuable insight into the effect those turbulent years had on the people who lived through them, especially the black victims of racism.

I especially enjoyed reading along as  Lisa and her father tracked down each clue with the assistance of others who were drawn into the tale as it proceeded. The character development was excellent and the plot was well paced and kept me invested in the story until the very end. Although it was not constantly filled with action and danger, a very real sense of tension pervaded the narrative as it built to a dramatic confrontation near the end.

“Snapshot” is an exciting tale made all the more enjoyable after reading the author’s notes at the end and viewing the video clip found on youtube.com where the author describes the inspiration for this book.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publisher’s BookSneeze program.



ABOUT THE BOOK:
SnapshotTwo little girls, frozen in black and white. One picture worth killing for.

Federal prosecutor Lisa Waldren’s estranged father wants her to investigate a cold case from his FBI days. Lisa nearly refuses, even though a wrongly convicted man faces execution for murder. Then her father reveals a photograph: a little white girl playing alongside a little black girl at a rally in 1965 where the shooting of a civil rights leader took place. She recognizes herself in the photo.

She was there.

Lisa agrees to help, resolved to boldly seek answers she’s skirted for decades. What she discovers are layers of deception, both personal and professional, reaching as high as the head of the FBI. Possibly even the president.

And though Lisa and the other girl may have escaped the 1965 shooting physically unharmed, her little friend, now grown, bears the scars of it. All because of the color of her skin. As Lisa and her father get closer to the truth, the real killer turns the hunt around.

The author discusses the inspiration for “Snapshot”:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lis WiehlLis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School. Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.

Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.

Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.

Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.

She lives with her husband and two children in New York.