Celebrity journalist Ann Roth has one last chance to prove herself.

Unlike her colleagues at Famous—the L.A. magazine—Ann doesn't pick through people's garbage and would never pervert the truth. But her editor thinks she's too nice—and unless she does something drastic, he's going to replace her with a killer journalist who's more willing to get down and dirty to get a story. When airplane-phobic Ann's scheduled interview with actor Malcolm Goddard falls apart—after the surly, notoriously media-averse celeb insists he'll answer questions only while piloting his Cessna—she finds herself abruptly unemployed . . . and headed back to her tiny Missouri hometown to heal and regroup.

As luck would have it, the great Malcolm shows up in little Middletown under an alias—a patient at the local hospital—and Ann recognizes a golden opportunity to reclaim her career . . . and score some payback in the process. First she'll volunteer at the hospital, then she'll befriend the laid-up screen star and secretly worm the story of a lifetime out of him. If she proves she's everything her editor wanted, she'll certainly get her job back. But how much is she willing to risk for her career? Her conscience? Her ethics? Her heart?

• January 2012 Indie Next List
• December 2011 Indie Next List
• November 2011 Indie Next List