Notebook: The Other Woman

Correspondent Lesley Stahl gives CBSNEWS.com viewers a behind-the-scenes look at her upcoming stories on 48 Hours Investigates and 60 Minutes.

Isn't it great to be back at work! That's sarcasm, by the way, which I know rarely translates on the written page. It doesn't really work with subtitles, either.

I was in Paris over Christmas, and one day when it was raining, went to see a movie (which I loved) called "The Station Agent." It was in English with French subtitles. My daughter and I were the only people in the almost-full theater laughing -- and this is a funny flick. All the Frenchmen missed the ironies, the sarcasms, the subtleties. Made me wonder how much I've missed in all the foreign films I've seen (read) over the years.

We did not experience any anti-Americanism in Paris, by the way. We had been warned that we would. Then again, there weren't many of us there. It may be that the French are beginning to miss us, and our dollars, which have fallen so far in relation to the Euro. Everything was hideously expensive.

Hope you all had a fun holiday. We're looking forward to an exciting year at 48 Hours Investigates as we kick it off this Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with an hour we're calling "The Other Woman."

It's a story about a prominent Mississippi heart surgeon who died under mysterious circumstances. In the sleepy Bible Belt town of Hattiesburg, what happened to Dr. David Stephens turned out to be the stuff that scandals are made of. His wife said he probably killed himself, but she was arrested for murder.

48 Hours' investigation with Correspondent Harold Dow takes us inside the operating rooms, courtrooms - and the bedrooms - of a town where "everybody knows your name." It's a classic tale of infidelity, gossip, tragedy - and possibly even murder. And wait until you hear how it all turns out!

On 60 Minutes this Sunday, former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill gives me his first interview about his two years in the Bush Administration. He is the main source of a new book, "The Price of Loyalty" - an inside look at the workings of the White House, a portrait both revealing and unflattering. O'Neill had a reputation for candor and speaking his mind. You will find that he has not lost his touch.

I encourage your emails to me, with comments and ideas, so please send them along to lesleystahl@cbsnews.com. Apologies in advance that I cannot get to answer them all.

Hoping you can join us Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on 48 Hours Investigates and 60 Minutes at 7 p.m. ET/PT this Sunday. Thanks for watching.

Lesley Stahl