Jump Cut: An Ellie Foreman Mystery

"Exceptional..." PW Starred Review

Chicago video producer Ellie Foreman has been absent from thriller author Libby Fischer Hellmann's repertoire for almost a decade. Now, in Jump Cut, she's back...and is soon entangled in a web of espionage, murder, and suspicion that threatens to destroy what she holds most dear. 

Hired to produce a candy-floss profile of Chicago-based aviation giant Delcroft, Ellie is dismayed when company VP Charlotte Hollander trashes the production and cancels the project. Ellie believes Hollander was spooked by shots of a specific man in the video footage. But when Ellie arranges to meet the man to find out why, he is killed by a subway train before they can talk. In the confusion, she finds a seemingly abandoned pack of cigarettes with a flash drive inside that belonged to the now-dead man. 

Ellie gets the drive's contents decrypted, but before long discovers she's under surveillance. Suspecting Delcroft and the ambitious Hollander are behind it, she's unconvinced when Hollander tells her the dead man was a Chinese spy. Ellie and her boyfriend, Luke, try to find answers, but they don't realize how far they have ventured into the dangerous echelons of hidden power-- where more lives are on the line―including their own.

From spies to drones and hackers, Jump Cut is a heart-stopping tale of corporate espionage that will have you snapping on your seatbelt.  The tangled web of international intrigue is riveting. Hellmann is a renowned master of suspense, and her great talent shows in the story's many rich characters, the beautifully honed paragraphs, and the sweep of her provocative story.  A keeper! Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of The Assassins

With spooks, spies, sudden death and double-crosses, Jump Cut hits all the right notes for a top-notch action thriller. Once again Ellie Foreman is a thoroughly likeable real-world heroine, fiercely protective of those she loves, thrown in at the deep end and swimming for her life. Don't miss it! Zoë Sharp, author of the Charlie Fox series and THE BLOOD WHISPERER

Welcome back Ellie Foreman! JUMP CUT rockets to a stunning but thrilling climax…  Another winner from the standout Chicago novelist Libby Hellmann. Paul Levine, author of BUM RAP

After a long hiatus, Hellmann returns to her Chicago-based sleuth with a chilling tale that may be all too close to the truth. Kirkus, Reviews

Exceptional… offers no easy solutions to the various security threats America faces today… As Hellman's convincing, conflicted characters face impossible choices, the tension is real and memorable. Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

Hellmann's writing sparkles…plenty of suspense in this richly detailed thriller, but Hellmann's characteristic wit and warmth are evident, too. Booklist, Amy Alessio