It’s News to Me by R.G. Belsky is the fifth in the Clare Carlson mysteries, an investigative journalist fiction series. When her boss and mentor is fired, Clare faces a controversial, cantankerous new head honcho, a woman determined to achieve high ratings on their TV news program whatever the cost. Her goal is within sight when young Riley Hunt, the “perfect” college student, is found murdered near campus. Clare must investigate the real story, not just the one her boss chooses to promote her “Take New York Back” program to foment fear in the city and, thus, bump the station’s ratings. Clare becomes convinced that the story is more than a simple murder case and investigates further, bringing her deeper into conflict with not only her boss, but a mob boss and the police commissioner.
Clare Carlson is a credible journalist, funny, feisty, and determined. The dialogue is excellent with multiple great retorts by sharp-witted Clare. There are many plot twists and turns, some I could anticipate and others not, in this complex story. I will check out the earlier four books in this series, my ultimate compliment.
A similar series is August Norman’s Caitlin Bergman series in which award-winning journalist Caitlin Bergman investigates her own backyard of Indiana plus her mother’s death, kidnappings, murders, and a free-love cult in the Pacific Northwest. Like Belsky, Norman is a male writing from a female point-of-view. I think Norman’s is the better series as Caitlin has more skin in the game than Clare does.
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It’s News to Me (Oceanview Publishing, October 4, 2022) is available through:
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You can read my reviews of Norman’s Come and Get Me here and Sins of the Mother here.
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