THE SEPARATISTS by Liz Wiehl and Sebastian Stuart, the 3 rd book in the Newsmakers series.
Another political thriller, with Erica a successful newspaper reporter, about North Dakota secede from the U S. Giving the readers the inside scoop, the dangers involved, revealing the truth as she sees it. While dealing with a rocky marriage and family at home. About the intiatives of Bellamy, will they succeed. Gripping story, can be read separately from series. The story flowed, characters good. Given book by Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

It is a story that could happen in the future we are not careful. The main character is a reporter who trouble finds her often. In this story it is a couple trying to start a secessionist movement in North Dokata . The story also touches on how trying to do it all can make you miss things closer to home. It also touches on the journalist responsibility of knowing what you cover may have unattended consequences

I thought this book was fascinating. I grew up in North Dakota, where much of the story takes place, and I have heard people there jokingly speak of secession. It was interesting reading a book that makes it seem more plausible and it made me shudder to think of all the ramifications if it were to happen.
Erica Sparks once again finds herself with the inside scoop on a story of mind-blowing proportions. As the danger increases, so does her drive to find out and reveal the truth about the Bellamy’s and their “Take Back our Homeland” initiative. Erica is a classic workaholic who struggles to find time for her daughter and husband. I appreciate that this is shown realistically and isn’t glossed over as being okay. Erica feels the distance in her family and reaps the consequences. There is a glimmer of hope though for her in this regard. Still, Erica is not a particularly likeable character. She often thinks about how her success provides the money for this or that for her family. She just wasn’t very relatable.
While I thought the plot was interesting and had a good pace to it, there were a couple of writing style issues that I found peculiar. At times statements would be made that felt like an author’s side note. For example, “Erica only wears clip-ons—as a teenager there was enough pain at home, she wasn’t about to self-inflict more” (location 247). Also, the author likes to use uncommon words. It’s fine for someone who is reading on a kindle and can just click on the word to see the definition, but those reading a paperback may need to keep a dictionary handy for words like “insouciance,” “avuncular,” or “zeitgeist.”
Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The latest book by Lis Wiehl is another thrill ride and will not disappoint. Erika Sparks is following a lead about a group that wants to separate itself and become a new state. What she doesn't realize is how dangerous this group is and how far they will go to make sure their plan will succeed. Erika risks her life, her career and her family to try to save the United States as she knows it. This is a heart-stopping thrill ride that you will not want to put down once you have started it! The explosions, the gunfire and the threats are so real...you have to read it.

This is the third book in the Newsmakers series by Lis Wiehl, and although all three books have been fast reads, I think each successive one is a little harder to believe. Erica is a successful tv news anchor who just seems to have stories fall into her lap. The problem with the stories is they are always a part of a larger conspiracy. She always seems to save the day, though. Her lack of confidence in her role as a wife and mother seems to get bigger each time. I was also put off sometimes by the actual writing itself—changes of tense and voice. Sometimes it read a bit awkwardly. The story is exciting and the ending obviously sets up a #4.

The third book in Lis Wiehl's Newsmakers series is finally here! I was really excited about this one, since I absolutely devoured the first two. As a former prosecutor and Fox News contributor, Lis has a lot of knowledge about both legal and journalistic topics. She uses her personal experiences to make her books really unique and believable.

In The Separatists finds Erica Sparks beginning research for the first episode of a brand-new monthly show. Each show is to be centered around one topic that will be discussed in-depth for an hour, with multiple points-of-view, interviews and discussions. She chooses for her first show to focus on groups of people who want to secede from the United States. Her main focus is a group in North Dakota who have a movement called "Take Back Our Homeland." The founders of the group are a wealthy couple, and they seem very reasonable and sane. They make good points, and invite people from all around the country to come to North Dakota and join their "peaceful" movement. A scared woman comes see Erica with proof that the group has bigger plans than secession, but she's killed before revealing her secret. As she delves deeper into the woman's death, Erica is drawn into something bigger and darker than she could have imagined.

Okay, guys, I'm going to be completely honest on this one. I love this series and I love the stories. But this one was just a little over-the-top for me. The tone of it was so political, I almost couldn't finish it. When Erica refers to people who don't believe in climate change as "ostriches," I was really put-off. The plot is great, and edge-of-your-seat thrilling, but maybe just a little bit too far-fetched. I liked the Erica of book one much better than I like this successful Erica, who is self-centered, selfish and insecure. What time she doesn't spend trying to save the world, she spends on an internal argument with herself that she's a good mother, (she isn't) that her marriage isn't in trouble, (it is) and that she's a successful journalist (at least one thing that's true). She continues to investigate, circumventing the police and other authorities, even as the bodies pile up in her wake. Her relationship with her daughter, Jenny, is so disturbing to me. She basically ignores her, and always puts her job first, then can't figure out why Jenny doesn't want to talk to her. Finally, she tells Jenny, " ...part of me gets annoyed sometimes at the demands of being a mom, the emotional demands, the practical demands, who gets consumed by her work, who thrives on adrenaline and even danger, who is bored by domesticity. Who is neurotic and haunted and guilty....I think we're pretty darn lucky to have each other." As a woman who prides herself on being a mother, I find this revolting. Erica's relationship with her husband isn't much better. She's so proud and self-centered in her own success, she can't stand the thought that he might have some, too, and she balks at sharing her spotlight with him. Is this really how woman in the business or journalistic world feel about marriage and parenthood? Is this how they measure their success?

While Erica's relationship woes and political views were almost enough to make me put this book down immediately, I really couldn't stop reading it. The story of the secessionists was very intriguing, and I was hooked from the beginning. Just like the first two Erica Sparks novels, there are a lot of twists and turns and unknowns that I never could guess. I love how Lis (and her co-author, Sebastian Stuart) can take a person who seems so normal on the surface, and disguise so much evil underneath. Although a plot about a group of Americans who develop a nuclear warhead and plan to train an army to do battle with other Americans seems pretty far-fetched, Lis writes it in such a way that it seems totally possible.

I really wanted to know what happened next for Erica after The Newsmakers and The Candidate. I'm really glad that I read The Separatists, even if I was a little disappointed in it. It seems like it's probably the last book in the series, as there's a little surprise at the end, that may or may not be a good thing...I'll let you decide that for yourself. Lis recently announced that she's writing a new, nonfiction thriller series about true crimes. The series is called The Hunting and begins with a book about Charles Manson. Lis promises deep research and never-before-released information about the case. Hunting Charles Manson is due out in 2018. I'm on the fence right now about if I'll read it or not--true crime isn't really my thing--but I think it could be really interesting. I'm curious to see her take on this new project.

The Newsmakers series is really something new and different. I do recommend it if you like thrillers, and don't mind some political undertones. I can promise you that you will be on the edge of your seat, your spine will tingle a little, and you will never look at politics quite the same way.

The Separatists is on my list of books you need to read this summer! You can see the full list here.





I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.

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This is the third book in the Newsmakers series by Lis Wiehl, and although all three books have been quite entertaining and fast reads, I really wish that Wiehl would start straying a little more from her template, which in general terms is: Successful female TV anchor stumbles upon potential news story that is actually part of a bigger and much more evil plot than anyone could have anticipated, while her relationship with her husband is getting worse due to suspicions of infidelity and general jealousy. Her relationship with her daughter from her first marriage is also taking a plunge causing much grief and frustration for the successful TV anchor. Miraculously, her usually strained relationship with her drug-abusing mother is not taking up much room in this book, and things are actually not that bad on that account anymore. I guess that is the reason why Wiehl thinks she is sufficiently straying from her template from the first two books in the series.
Wiehl has cast females as most of the characters in this book (even the president and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - yeah, why not?!), and for some readers this may be a refreshing new take on casting, I found it a little odd.
Summing up, Wiehl knows how to write a page-turner, but in this case I think that her stubbornly sticking to more or less the same template as in the first two books in the series makes me want to leave the series here.

Erica Sparks is a successful national news reporter who is starting a new investigative news program. Her first story is about a secessionist group headed by charismatic Mary Bellamy. The group wants to secede from the US and form their own independent nation. They are very well organized and have obviously been working quietly behind the scenes toward their agenda for quite some time. The group is not what they seem.

This is part of a series but I feel it could stand on its own if a reader hadn't read the previous books. The book is fast paced and full of suspense. This is a political thriller with a plot that is scarily possible in real life. For a successful person the character Mary seems to be lacking in self confidence and sometimes trusts the wrong people. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is the 3rd book in the 'Newsmakers' series by author Lis Wiehl. I really enjoy this series and find it a refreshing change from the normal psychological thrillers I also enjoy. Erica Sparks is a News Reporter at the top of her game and is never far from the action both in her personal life and her work.
In this latest book she is launching a new investigative news show and after getting the green light from her network she flies to Bismarck, North Dakota, to investigate Take Back Our Homeland, the largest secessionist group. What she finds is profoundly disturbing, a growing threat to the future of our union.
The book is full of action and suspense and the usual amount of personal trouble all which succeeds in making this a very entertaining read.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for supplying a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Wiehl has proven herself to be quite the novelist, drawing on her years of experience reporting the toughest of real-life drama. Her back-room experience and natural savvy obviously helped in the telling of this story. Characters were well-drawn, tension was built at a satisfying pace, and plenty of surprise twists kept the ultimate culmination of the plot well-veiled until the very end. Highly recommended.

Another masterpiece by Ms Weil...always enjoy her mysteries. Thank you for sharing.

The Separatists by Lis Wiehl
Erica Sparks is at it again. Her nose for a good story keeps her heading toward danger. This time it is uncovering the secrets of a separatist group that wants to secede from the United States. Of course, this story couldn’t come at a worse time for Erica. Her marriage is stretched to the breaking point by her husband’s lack of comparable success, and her daughter’s rebellion. She needs to focus on her family, but the murders that surround her divert her attention and cause her to fear for her family’s safety. In addition, they all seem to point to the leader of the secessionist movement, Mary Bellamy. Can Erica successfully navigate between the demands of her career and the needs of her family and manage to stay alive, too?
Lis Wiehl keeps us on the edge of our seat with another Erica Sparks story. However, after having read two of her previous Newsmaker Novels with Sebastian Stuart, this one was a bit predictable. The strong female villain, the last second escapes, and the challenges she faces trying to balance her priorities have all been introduced in the previous books. Wiehl uses interesting backgrounds in her books and this book is no exception. The fact that a state wants to secede from the Union may be more like real life than we might suspect.
This book does have a satisfactory conclusion, but leaves room for another sequel with another complication. Over all, I enjoyed the book and think suspense readers will too.

Erica Sparks is becoming more and more popular in the journalism world. With that fame brings more insecurities to her. She and Greg are now married, but Greg is without a job, and let's face it, he was unfaithful once before will he remain faithful now? Erica's latest news drama is a group of people in North Dakota starting a movement to secede from the United States. When people start dying Erica becomes suspicious and starts investigating. What do the secessionists who claim to be non-violent have to hide?

While I liked the news story I did find myself getting frustrated with Erica's insecurities and paranoia and ego. I found her to be bit whiney and too self-involved. Her relationship with her husband and daughter suffers throughout the whole story. Her drive to find the truth goes above and beyond the call of duty and places her in danger constantly. She gets the job done for sure and is cutting edge in news, but the toll it takes on her family doesn't seem worth it to me. As we are left with a big "uh oh" at the end of this book I would say there will be another Erica Sparks book coming out. Despite all of the things that irritate me about her I do look forward to the next book.

Notes:

This review will be posted on my blog http://myfavoritepastime.blogspot.com on June 27, 2017. It will also be posted on Goodreads on that date as well as Amazon. All reviews will post to my facebook pages.

The Separatist is exciting, face paced, and suspenseful! Ms. Wiehl has deftly woven an interesting - and terrifyingly possible- political thriller of a grass roots, rogue rebellion within the heartland of America. Disgruntled citizens unite to form the Homeland, an independent, autonomous nation in protest to the ever expanding Federal government. However, the founders of the Homeland are not the purists they want to portray; they are corrupt and complicit in machevillan mayhem and murder.! The climax is riveting, and the denouement is satisfying! Good characterization of Erica produces a likeable protagonist.! The epilogue sets up for a sequel! I can't wait for the next installment!

The Separatists is book 3 from the Newsmakers series by Lis Wiehl. Reporter Erica Sparks finds herself in Bismarck, North Dakota covering the recall of the state's governor. Erica meets Mary Bellamy, she is wanting the state to have more freedom and thinks the governor should be removed. Erica believes there is more to this woman's motive. Will the state succeed from the union and will there be many lives in danger to make it happen?

The Separatists is a fabulous thriller. I found the plot to be unique and it really made me think if the events could possibly really happen. The book is action-packed and fast-paced, making it hard for me to put it down. So many twists and turns, I never knew what would happen next. This is probably be the best book in the series. Lis Wiehl is truly an amazing author.

I would most definitely recommend this book!

Five stars

I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is my own honest opinion.

Loved this book! Another winner in the Newsmakers series. This is a very fast paced mystery that grabbed my attention from the first page. This begins with Erica pitching a new show concept to her station executives.

Once green lighted, her first task is to hire a producer and put a team together. Despite many qualified candidates, none seem just right until Gloria is interviewed. Before long, the show progress is humming along and Erica has a compelling concept for its debut. It seems like a normal political story, but with a curious twist to be revealed during the show premier - a state plans to secede from the union. They don't concern themselves with laws or ethics and believe their sovereignty justifies all actions. Before long the bodies are piling up, even as Erica's personal life is veering wildly off course.

It is a disturbing thriller and the lengths that some might take to achieve power. If you enjoy political mysteries/thrillers, you will love this book. It is a must read for fans of the genre. If you've never read a book by this author, you are really missing out. She is on my must read authors' list. While this is part of a series, this is a stand alone novel.