It was interesting to see Ned Bodine's saga continue and to find an additional piece of the puzzle. I was surprised in how that came about.

I can empathize with Amanda's work struggles about which stories she was assigned and being taken for a fluff reporter rather than one with skills. She does seem to be a good mentor to C.J.

I do wonder which makes the reporter: the ruthlessness to pursue a true story even if someone gets hurt or the caring aspect for the human interest or some combination of the two. I suspect it's a combination--there are times when someone is going to be hurt by the truth but there are also times that a human interest angle can make a story more intriguing to me.

I can't see Amanda liking Ross romantically given his behavior--though he does develop a "heart" by the end and starts thinking beyond the "next big story" that will restore his journalism career to its former prestige. Perhaps there might be hope for them in the future if his change of heart is a true one--but not as quickly as it happened in this novel. ( )