Critic Oline Cogdill recently reviewed Watch Us Fall by Christina Kovac. You can order a copy through The Poisoned Pen Bookstore’s Webstore. https://bit.ly/4oONVvU
Cogdill’s review first appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
‘Watch Us Fall’ by Christina Kovac; Simon & Schuster; 272 pages; $28
Female friendship, obsession and parental issues fuel “Watch Us Fall,” Christina Kovac’s intriguing psychological thriller.
Four women — Lucy, Addie, Penelope and Estella — best friends since college, where they first became roommates, still live together as post-grads in a lovely yet decaying townhouse in the middle of Georgetown. They call themselves “The Sweeties” as they build careers, date and deepen their friendship. The four are so tightly united, especially Lucy and Addie, that an acquaintance called them “a cult.”
Then Addie, the unofficial leader, begins an intense relationship with the charming, wealthy Josh Egan, whose career as a television journalist is on the rise, with him poised to go national. Josh’s charismatic personality seems inherited from his father, a presidential candidate who was killed in a plane accident while on the campaign trail when Josh was 13.
Addie and Josh’s relationship begins intensely, with him obsessed with her, but ends abruptly. Addie believes Josh attacked her on a remote walking trail during her morning run, leaving her bruised and bloodied. Addie refuses to report the attack to the police as she becomes less sure that the assailant was Josh, who had recently been acting erratically. Days later, Josh disappears, missing his chance to anchor the evening news. Josh is too ambitious to ever miss work, especially the chance to anchor. So Lucy begins her own investigation into what happened to Josh.
The Sweeties are the heart of “Watch Us Fall,” with each woman’s personality a strong component. But Kovac’s increased focus on Josh, his complicated background and family issues add insight to the women’s choices.
Christina Kovac is the author of The Cutaway. She worked for seventeen years managing Washington, DC, newsrooms and producing crime and political stories in the District. Her career as a television journalist began with Fox Five’s Ten O’Clock News, and after that, the ABC affiliate in Washington and then at NBC news. She lives with her family outside of Washington, DC.