What I'm Reading
A taught thriller by Elise Hart Kipness about a sports reporter caught in a dangerous volley with a kidnapper at the US Open.
Close Call by Elise Hart Kipness
Just in time for the US Open, Kate Green is back and caffeinated as ever! The third in Kipness’s series about Kate, a sports reporter who is drawn to trouble, is a Grand Slam (technically a three-quarter slam, but the next installment will undoubtedly right that!)
The book opens with Kate preparing a television special covering two American tennis players who could win the US Open: Lucy Bosco, the favorite, a ten-time Grand Slam winner, who, rumors speculate, may retire; and Brynn Cole, a teenager with a lot of buzz surrounding her. But when one of the players withdraws and another player receives a texted photo of the withdrawn player bound and gagged with a ransom request, Kate turns to her previously estranged father, Liam, to help her find the kidnapped woman.
The plot is full of more twists in direction than the Steffi Graf/Monica Seles US Open Finals match, and the pacing is faster than a serve by Andy Roddick. If you love tennis, sports or, just coffee and thrillers, you will love Close Call. While it is part of a series, you can read it as a stand-alone. But if you do, you’ll be clicking “buy” on the first two installments, Lights Out and Dangerous Play.
Close Call is out August 19. 2025.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.