Beyond the Headlines by RG Belsky

She was born in Vietnam near the end of the war . . . family whisked to America with the help of the US military . . . father killed in an LA hit and run . . . mom weds a TV/movie mogul . . . Step dad gets his daughter into commercials that leads to modeling that leads to acting . . . that leads to marrying Charles Hollister who helped get the microchip biz going to meet the thirst for computers . . . Laurie Bateman was living proof that the American Dream is real.

Remember Clare Carlson? Channel 10 News Director in NYC. Has a Pulitizer Prize in her pocket for her investigative reporting. Even behind the desk, she manages to somehow get inserted into the next story further upping her street cred in a city that values street cred. A lawyer friend says that Laurie Bateman wants Clare to interview her. She and Charles are starting the divorce process and Laurie wants her truth delivered to the public. Clare agrees and heads uptown only to find police barriers surrounding the Hollister townhouse. Laurie is being perp walked to a waiting squad car. Charles has been found dead, broken vase beside his head and three bullets to complete the scene. The maid found one deal multimillionare just as Laurie was ready to rush out the door.

About as open and shut as a case can be. Means: Laurie owns a gun. The lamp was handy. Motive: Charles had rewritten his will years ago after a showdown with his son. Wrote Jr. out and put Laurie in. Opportunity: Home alone arguing with Charles. With the divorce, Charles had rewritten the will to agree with a prenup, but he had yet to file it. Too perfect. Clare thinks Laurie is being set up while the rest of NY is ready to toss her in prison.

So, Clare does what Clare does best. She digs. Digs. Digs some more. Snagging interviews with Charles adult children, Charles’ former wife, Laurie’s mom, Hollister’s lifelong #2, business rivals of Hollister, the PI Clare hired to follow Charles.

To say that Clare shakes things up is an understatement. Much of what keeps this bizarre media blitz alive dates back to when Hollister was stationed in Vietnam near the end of the war. And the connections from there to now are enough to leave the reader with multiple audible gasps.

RG Belsky has spent a lifetime in various aspects of media and journalism. And while I’ve no way to know otherwise, Belsky certainly delivers the goods. Clare is a no holds barred journalist when it comes to chasing a story to its end no matter how many 3 steps forward 2 steps back situations block her path to the truth.

Betting few of us knew much about investigative reporting in the pre-Watergate years. But from what books about news reporting that I’ve read, Belsky sits at the top of the heap. A lifetime of writing has sharpened his skills to a razor’s edge. Pace, plotting, characters, twists. This has them all. With this effort, I’m happy to elevate him into my personal power rotation. Can’t wait until the next Belsky book comes out.

Available May 4, 2021. Get in line, kids.

ECD

p.s. you might recall in my previous post (Bad Scene) that you should pay attention to books from Oceanview Publishing. Well, Tomlinson may be good. But if Belsky isn't Oceanview's top sellling mystery writer, I have to wonder just what the public wants.