Hank Philippi Ryan. One Wrong Word. Forge, 2024.

One of us at English Plus has read a number of Hank Philippi Ryan novels, but I never had. I figured that her latest would be a good introduction.

If you like fast-paced thrillers, you will like One Wrong Word. The writing is very effective. Few chapters are more than four or five pages long, but they always end with a surprise or a cliffhanger. In other words, it makes the reader want to keep on reading.

Arden Ward works for a Boston public relations firm that specializes in fixing reputations. The wife of a prominent real estate developer comes to her for help. Her husband Ned Bannister had been on trial for running over a twenty-something skateboarder late one night in his firm’s parking garage. The local press followed this case closely, and the district attorney zealously wanted a conviction. While he was found not guilty, he still had public opinion against him. Mrs. Bannister wanted them to move on with their lives and was looking for help.

Arden sympathized. Her father had been governor of Pennsylvania when some government officials were involved in a scandal. While her father was in no way implicated, the scandal put an effective end to his political career. With this week’s news, one might think of O.J. Simpson. He was acquitted of murder, but he could never face the public in quite the same way after his trial. One might also think of Donald Trump, a real estate mogul who seems to be in the crosshairs of two or three district attorneys who dislike him.

Arden also finds herself on the wrong end of a scandal. Her boss, Warren Carmichael, fires her because a client noted Arden uses the same brand of perfume that the client’s philandering husband gives to his paramours. It is strictly coincidental, but Mr. Carmichael explains that he cannot lose the client’s business. He promises that if she handles the Bannister case well, he will give her good recommendations as she searches for work elsewhere.

Ned’s defense attorney suddenly gets run over by a car on her way to see Ned. Before she completely loses consciousness, she says his name. Now it looks like Bannister may have run her over as well—though Arden asks, logically, why would he want to harm the person who just successfully defended him in a murder case? Monelle Churchwood, who works for the D.A. and was Ned’s prosecuting attorney, is eager to find evidence to implicate Bannister in another case.

Meanwhile, Monelle and Arden get occasional text messages implicating Ned in other crimes. These texts are anonymous, but seem to carry some legitimate information. At one point Ned and Arden visit Ned’s mother in rural Vermont only to find out they have been followed.

There is much more action. As I noted, nearly every chapter has some kind of twist or revelation. The surprises keep coming right up until the end. One Wrong Word is truly entertaining. While more of a mystery than a suspense thriller—reputations, not lives, are endangered here—One Wrong Word keeps the reader guessing and likely misdirected. But isn’t that what good magicians do?

P.S. Ryan is a news reporter for a Boston television station. Her given name is Harriet, and Hank is a nickname for Harry. This reviewer enjoyed the book partly because of its Boston setting. At one point, though, I felt bit disoriented. I said to myself, “I do not recall Route 2 going where they were going.” But in the note at the end, Ms. Ryan admits that she did take some liberties with the geography of the Boston area. For the sake of the story, who will notice?