West End

The riveting, glamorous story of a young anchorwoman in the roaring Reagan years. (A sequel to Van Wormer's first novel, Riverside Drive.) In the first scene, Alexandra Waring makes headlines when a deranged admirer fires a gun at her while she's reporting on the air. This violent act foreshadows her tempestuous rise in the world of television , wooed away from her network by Jackson Darenbrook - a dashing, womanizing , Southern media mogul - who is determined to use Waring's drive, talent and magnetism to redesign television news. Darenbrook also recruits other major talents to launch an entire alternative crack executive Cassy Cochran, certainly the most beautiful off-camera woman in television; Jessica Wright, the fiery auburn-haired talk-show host extraordinaire, whose personal life is even more sensational than her show; and gifted miniseries producer Gordon Strenn, the young and handsome man the network is counting on to marry Alexandra.But Alexandra Waring is not easily packaged for public consumption and her secrets, and her desires, can possibly bring down the whole endeavor.ReviewsKathleen Beckett, Harper's BazaarAlexandra Waring is too good to be true. She has the well-bred good looks of Diane Sawyer, the sharp mind of Connie Chung, the cool professionalism of Mary Alice Williams - and the off-screen traumas of the late Jessica Savitch ... The superstar news anchor of the Darenbrook Broadcasting System appears to enjoy the best of the respect of her colleagues, the adoration of her audience, great clothes, a great lover and an even greater apartment. But there's trouble in paradise, for America's darling of the airwaves has a secret. Alexandra Waring likes women.USA TodayThe top TV news ranks today are packed with outstanding women, so, naturally, a novel has come along that dissects their world the way Jack Collins carves up Hollywood ... Sensation aside, West End has a solid grounding in TV's high-tech and low-office politics.Susan Toepfer, PeopleEverybody gets suitable paired off in the end, and the reader has learned a great deal about the television news business. Why, Connie and Leslie and Barbara are probably dulling up with this one right now!Irma S. Mirante , Cranford Chronicle"West End" has been called a "fat fall read" - your reviewer calls it an utterly engrossing must-read."