8. Nicole has to send her daughter to live with Nic’s parents while the case is at a fever pitch. Is it possible to hold a demanding job and still be a good mother? Do we ask the same question of fathers? Should we?
9. As a black woman working in a white man’s world, Nicole feels she has to be twice as good to be treated as an equal. Do you think there still is a double standard for race? For sex?
10. Cassidy’s station devotes a lot of resources to the story of the missing Senate intern. Do you think TV news is catering more and more to sensationalism and celebrities and doing fewer in-depth, well-researched stories? Has the way you get your news changed in the past few years?
11. In desperation, Katie’s parents contact a woman who says she can get in touch with Katie’s spirit. Do you think there are people who really have such powers?
12. Allison knows that domestic violence accounts for more injuries to women in America than heart attacks, cancer, strokes, car wrecks, muggings, and rapes combined. Do you know anyone who has been affected by domestic violence? Have you ever tried to help someone you suspected was being abused?
13. Senator Fairview is revealed to be a man who lies, cheats, and rationalizes. Do you think it’s possible to be a politician while still retaining your principles? Or does “power corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” as Lord Acton said?
INTERVIEW WITH LIS WIEHL, CONDUCTED BY BILL O’REILLY
Q: You’ve written non-fiction, and now this novel. Why’d you decide to do that . . . inspired by my novel Those Who Trespass, right?
A: With all due respect, no not really. In my time away from you, I like to hunker down with a good mystery. But I had an increasingly hard time finding stories I could relate to. And I wanted to read about strong women solving crimes. So, I thought, why not create my own mysteries . . . fiction stories with a slice of reality about how law and journalism really work.
Q: Describe a day in “Lis Land.”
A: Let’s pick a typical Tuesday. After I make fruit smoothies and oat-meal or whatever else (fast) for the kids, get a load of wash in the laundry, and pack the kids off to school . . . I get to work to start my day. On the way in to work, I’m reading up for the 10:30 a.m. TV show, figuring out which side I want to take on the daily debate. I go directly from that to a FOX streaming Internet show, where we talk about the news of the day. I leave that show early explaining that I’m doing radio with you, Bill, grab a quick bite to eat (so my stomach doesn’t rumble during radio), and then get to spend the next two hours doing radio with you. While I’m doing the radio show, your TV producers are sending me the topics for your TV show that night. They want me to study up and then send them my point of view for the program. So I try to answer their questions while paying attention to the radio show—women know how to multitask! From radio I have a little downtime to work on my column for Foxnews.com, do more research for TV that night, and call the kids to bug them about their homework and make a dinner plan. TV with you is the next highlight (smile), and then it’s home to make dinner, check homework, make kid lunches for the next day, and start the whole process all over again.
Q: Everyone knows I’m the most boring guy around, but tell us something about you that we’d never guess.
A: I hate to shop for clothes. I won’t even look at something unless it’s at least 50 percent off, so that means sorting through a lot of piles, which I really don’t like. I’d rather wear sweats. Fortunately, FOX has a wardrobe department, so I can at least look presentable at work. But if you see me in the supermarket, you’ll see me in sweats.
Q: You were a federal prosecutor, now you work in TV, and your dad was an FBI agent. So you’re taking your material from your own background?
A: I figured with this personal background I could create fictional characters who work together, and I could give readers a true sense of what goes on in a TV station and in a courtroom. Although the overall book is fiction, many of the scenes are based on cases I’ve actually had—though I am careful to change the names to protect the guilty. And the crimesolving techniques, including forensics and grand jury methods, are based on my own experience along with consulting experts in forensics, pathology, defense lawyering, etc.
Q: You’ve been all over the place—Prosecutor, Pundit, and Professor. Which job best prepared you to write fiction?
A: All of my experiences in the law and on television prepared me for Face of Betrayal. As a prosecutor and pundit, you have to be quick on your feet, and a good judge of character. As a professor, you have to be measured and systematic. This all helps with storytelling. And it’s so fun to bring these worlds together in fiction format.
Q: Face of Betrayal. Tough sounding title. Why?