I started working for Burt Weissbourd in April 2020. We were in the first major peak of COVID-19. I was working remotely, and I had no idea what to expect. When you sign on to work for an author, you can never really predict what their content will be like. Anything is possible. So, when I picked up Danger in Plain Sight and started in on Callie James’ story, I was simply delighted.
Callie James is the secret badass every female reader hopes for. Reading Danger in Plain Sight was my first experience with one of Burt’s books, and I’m glad I got to start by meeting Callie. She’s this organized, very particular, exceptionally talented restaurateur in Seattle who lives for her gorgeous French restaurant and her sweet son Lew. She’s independent, successful, and a self-starter, so of course I loved her from the start. Then, she gets better. When she’s faced with several intricately written villains, she has to turn to Cash, a truly unlikely ally, for help as they try to save her painfully self-centered ex (Lew’s father), her restaurant, and her life. I fell in love with this book, because I got to watch Callie access emotional depths and brave terrifying situations despite her overwhelming fears. Callie James realizes that she has to put aside her delicately crafted hopes for reality and meet the daunting challenges she’s facing to become the heroine everyone needs her to be.
As soon as I finished reading it, Burt sent a second copy to me for my grandmother, Diane, who adores thrillers. She is one of those magnificent people who reads nearly a book a day and never returns from the library with any less than five new novels. She’s an extraordinary woman, who was unfortunately at very high risk for COVID-19, so we hadn’t been able to share as much as 10 minutes for a cup of tea during the previous few months, but we had our phone calls and our books. I immediately wanted to introduce her to Danger in Plain Sight to see if she would enjoy it as much as I did.
The next day, I got a phone call. “Jade, I finished that book in one sitting! Callie is so awesome, and I would just love to meet Cash. He is such a wonderful character that I wish I could call him up and hang out with him.” Needless to say, she loved it. We talked about the depth of the characters and how rare that was for modern thrillers. Diane, as I said, has read at least over a thousand novels, many of which have been thrillers. She could not believe how well-crafted the nuances of each character were, and how quickly the book flew by. She was used to the same detective or vigilante leading a series and staying essentially unchanged even after five, ten, or fifteen books in a series. But Callie and Cash evolved. They pushed each other to grow and change in the face of fearsome circumstances in just under 300 pages. “I can’t wait for the next book. When is Burt writing the second Callie James Thriller?”
I quickly began to realize that my grandmother and I were not isolated cases. We started receiving reviews from our first round of mailings to influencers, friends, family, and a vast a varied selection of other female readers.
“This is the first book that I have read by Burt Weissbourd but hopefully it won’t be the last, I can honestly say that it had me gripped from the very beginning to the end … Burt’s descriptive powers are brilliant, I could almost see the places, taste the food and feel the slow smoldering romance between Callie and Cash. A very well earned 5 stars.” – Pat, Goodreads
“Weissbourd’s past as a producer/screenwriter shows in this character driven, page-turner of a thriller [with] a strong female protagonist in Callie James. Skillfully crafted, intricate plotting and action packed, Danger in Plain Sight keeps the reader engaged [and] wanting more! A well-written, fast-paced book!” – Mom Loves Reading (Instagram Influencer: @mom_loves_reading)
“This one is not for the faint of heart. There is death and kidnapping and bombing and terrorism galore. This was the first time I have read this author but definitely not the last. Oh, and I enjoyed this one in audio form and the narrator was perfection!” – Pennie Morgan, Goodreads
“I loved the drama and sarcastic humor that Callie and Cash shared, it was a great way of interweaving the tension and drama of teaming up together with a touch of unexpected romance added into the mix. Danger in Plain Sight is a well-written, fast paced story that left me interested in finding out what Callie’s next adventure will be in the continuation of the series.” – Jersey Girl Book Reviews
“In just over 200 pages Burt Weissbourd has written a story that readers will devour! I already hope to see another novel featuring Callie James and all of her new friends. It’s sure to be just as action packed as “Danger in Plain Sight” is. I hope you’ll decide to grab a copy of your own!” – Briana’s Best Reads (Instagram Influencer: @brianas_best_reads)
And those are only a fraction of the influx of reviews we received from these incredible women. I knew, after reading and compiling all of these incoming reviews, it was time. I would send the book to … my mother. Now, my mom is one of the kindest, sweetest people you could meet. She’s caring and compassionate, supportive and encouraging. But she is brutally honest about novels, and she holds them to a very high standard. She loves classics like Wuthering Heights and authors like Jane Austen and J. D. Salinger. But every so often, she does enjoy a very well written thriller. I dropped off the book and waited.
About a week later, I went over to my see my parents for a socially distant cup of tea. The moment we sat down to our Earl Grey, we started talking about Danger in Plain Sight. “The antagonists are my favorite part.” I was delighted. We talked about Christie and Avi, the book’s primary antagonists. We agreed that as much as we loved to hate them, there was something intriguing about the authenticity of their love for each other, as twisted as they were. Christie and Avi’s stories were so intricately woven that we began to speak about them as if they were people we knew.
It occurred to me then why three generations of women enjoyed this book: a daughter who reads non-fiction and fantasy, a mom who reads classics and fiction, and a grandmother who reads thrillers and romance. What were we all drawn to? The characters. Callie, Cash, Christie, and Avi came to life for us. They became people about whose lives we knew intimate details. We knew their history. We knew them. When simply examining content and plot, Burt’s writing includes variety that will draw in readers from all walks of life. But the aspect of Burt’s writing that locks us in until the very last page is his character development. I know how rare it is to grab a book by a new author, because you never know what you’ll get between beneath the cover. This book is worth it. All three of us were pleasantly surprised when reading our first Burt Weissbourd novel, and I know you will be too.
