annieb123's Review of Beyond the Headlines (Clare Carlson Mystery)

by R G Belsky

She was a mega-celebrity—he was a billionaire businessman—now he’s dead—she’s in jail

Laurie Bateman was living the American dream. Since her arrival as an infant in the U.S. after the fall of Saigon, the pretty Vietnamese girl had gone on to become a supermodel, a successful actress, and, finally, the wife of one of the country’s top corporate dealmakers. That dream has now turned into a nightmare when she is arrested for the murder of her wealthy husband.

New York City TV journalist Clare Carlson does an emotional jailhouse interview in which Bateman proclaims her innocence—and becomes a cause celebre for women’s rights groups around the country.

At first sympathetic, then increasingly suspicious of Laurie Bateman and her story, Clare delves into a baffling mystery which has roots extending back nearly fifty years to the height of the Vietnam War.

Soon, there are more murders, more victims, and more questions as Clare struggles against dire evil forces to break the biggest story of her life.

Beyond the Headlines is perfect for fans of Robert Crais and Harlan Coben

While all of the novels in the Clare Carlson Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Yesterday’s News
Below the Fold
The Last Scoop
Beyond the Headlines
It’s News to Me
Broadcast Blues (coming 2024)

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Beyond the Headlines is the fourth investigative procedural mystery featuring reporter Clare Carlson by R.G. Belsky. Released 4th May 2021 by Oceanview, it's 336 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Writing realistic gritty procedurals is an art. It's all too easy for that realism to shade (unironically) over into self-parody. So I'm always on the lookout for series and authors to follow. This is a very well written and engaging procedural with a gutsy and intelligent female protagonist which is cleverly plotted and written and with believable characters who aren't perfect cookie cutter archetypes and who have realistic internal motivations and interactions.

I was unfamiliar with the series before reading the fourth book and although it works perfectly well as a standalone; I was intrigued and impressed enough to seek out the first three books in the series before finishing this one. It's not necessary though, but they're worth a look as well.

I'm also slightly wary of male authors who write strongly female dominant character driven books. There are some wonderful authors who nevertheless still make me cringe when reading their female characters (John D. MacDonald, I'm looking at you). This wasn't a problem here. He writes Clare with wry and sarcastic wit, unapologetic appetites (physical and sexual), and a sharply cynical worldview.

Four stars. Worth a look for fans of modern procedurals.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Beyond the Headlines (Clare Carlson Mystery)

by R G Belsky

Reviewed by annieb123 on Nov 2, 2021

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