The university president has breakthrough COVID, and everyone seems to see it as a chance to gain power — even if it's for a day or two. So, the interim Vice President for Student Affairs, who is also in the hospital with breakthrough COVID, and the faculty advisor for the student-run Eyewitness News decide the students should do it. Students in Control Day, or SIC Day.
Only Ryan Matthews would manage that acronym, Cinder thought sourly. And only he could manage to put her, the president of the Student Senate, in the university president's chair. She avoided the limelight. And this would shine a spotlight on her — one she didn't want. And like most of Ryan Matthews' ideas, it snowballs from there. Until somebody dies, and police are looking at her — exactly the scrutiny she'd been avoiding.
Book 14 in the Newsroom PDX political suspense series. Foul language. Some sex. Lots of politics. Welcome to Portland.
A former journalist writing mysteries and thrillers about what she knows: complicated people, small towns, big cities, cops, reporters, politicians, assorted bad guys.
I write about religion, and politics. About race and gender. I believe in the journalism axiom: Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. To which the labor organizer Mother Jones was supposed to have added: And in general raise hell.
Works for me.