Journalist-turned-novelist Elise Hart Kipness serves up high-stakes suspense in her latest thriller Close Call. Inspired by her own career in reporting, Elise shares why she set a kidnapping story against the cutthroat backdrop of professional tennis. We talk about how technology raises the stakes in her thrillers, what it takes to write convincingly about pro athletes, and the delicate balance between adrenaline-pumping pacing and the emotional weight of secrets, betrayals, and family ties.

Step onto the court if you dare—download and listen today.