Local author Hank Phillippi Ryan debuts new novel

by Celina Colby

On September 13, 346 people from all over the world gathered in the Brookline Booksmith online space to celebrate Hank Phillippi Ryan’s new book “Her Perfect Life.” Inspired by her own experiences as an investigative journalist, the book follows a picture-perfect news reporter whose life is turned upside down by a source. The page-turning thriller keeps readers guessing until the very end.

“I’ve been a television reporter for 43 years, and I’ve wired myself with cameras and confronted corrupt politicians and gone undercover and in disguise and chased down criminals,” says Ryan. “When I started writing fiction, it seemed logical to use that experience and authenticity to write about a world that I really knew.”

Ryan also found that reporters were a believable alternative to a police detective. They had every right to be asking questions about a crime, and it was reasonable that people might answer them. Her on-air experience has translated into crime fiction so well that she’s a USA Today bestselling author and won five Agatha Awards for mystery and crime novels.

“Her Perfect Life” stars television reporter Lily Atwood who is beloved by her fans and seems to lead a perfect existence. A source that has provided Atwood with excellent tips in the past begins to feed her mysterious and alarming information. Ryan describes her novels as cat-and-mouse mysteries, and as “Her Perfect Life” progresses, it becomes unclear who the cat is and the mouse.
Like many of Ryan’s books, this one is set in Boston, and Atwood takes readers by Emerson College, down the Mass Pike, and through the streets of Watertown. Ryan lived in Brookline for many years, and though the action for this particular book doesn’t center there, the neighborhood and Brookline Booksmith have a special place in Ryan’s heart.

“The Booksmith has always been my go-to bookstore,” she says. “The staff is amazing. I walk out with piles of books every time; it’s an endless joy to shop there.” Ryan grew up reading classic mystery novels like Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, and now her thrillers line the same shelves at the Booksmith.

What’s changed since Christie’s days of writing is technology, and Ryan uses social media and technological advances as an extra tool in her crime-writing arsenal. Ryan can make a reporter looking someone up on Instagram as thrilling as a 1930s detective opening a mysterious door with her undeniable talent.

In her fiction writing, Ryan’s objective is the same as in her on-air reporting: to keep readers and listeners on the edge of their seats. “After all those years on television, I know how to tell a story,” she says. “My goal is to make people miss their stop on the T because they’re so engrossed in ‘Her Perfect Life.’” Watch out, Green Line; you’ve got some stiff competition.

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