I enjoy Belsky's style of writing. He has great characters, intriguing plot, and a fast-moving story with plenty of twists and turns. It's especially interesting to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes in TV news and newspapers.

Clare is a great character - smart, funny, and doggedly determined. Belsky also makes good use of descriptions to make the reader easily visualize the setting - and he drops famous and current names to further help the reader relate to the situation.

I had guessed the 'guy who dunnit' but not the details so I was never quite sure until it was revealed in the book. There were plenty of red herrings and misdirection along the way which made figuring out the mystery more challenging. And more fun!

I'm already looking forward to Belsky's next book.

Clare Carlson is the News Director for New York City's Channel 10 but she had a past in reporting for newspapers. She's won Pulitzers and solved some mysteries along the way. As a person, she is thrice divorced and has trail of failed relationships and exes behind her. She is definitely a workaholic which is currently getting in the way of building a relationship with her daughter and granddaughter.

She gets a chance to interview a major celebrity named Laurie Bateman who is married to billionaire Charles Hollister. But before the interview can take place, Laurie is found with the body of her husband who just happens to have been shot with her gun. He was getting ready to divorce her and rewrite his will which currently left her the majority of his estate.

Clare does get a jailhouse interview with Laurie who throws a bombshell when she accuses her dead husband of emotional and physical abuse. She immediately becomes the focus of the #metoo movement and gains all sorts of public support. Clare is sure that Laurie is innocent even though the all the evidence points to her as the murderer.

Clare immediately begins to look into who else might have a reason to murder Charles Hollister and she finds lots of suspects. He has a mistress with a jealous ex. He has a son who is a major screw-up with delusions that he is competent. He has a number of business rivals who have reasons to want him dead.

However, Clare has a chance of heart about her belief in Laurie's innocence when her plea at her hearing is cribbed from one of her early movie roles. Clare decides to look into her past. Laurie was born in Vietnam and managed to escape with her mother when things were falling apart at the end of the war. It just so happens that Charles and his business partner were also in Vietnam as the US was withdrawing.

Clare learns at lot while she is looking into Laurie's past and it gives her an excuse to put off looking into her own past. Her daughter has told her that she has inherited a breast cancer gene and urges Clare to be tested to see if the gene came from her or if it came from the man Clare had a one-night stand with while a college sophomore. If it didn't come from her, Clare feels that she will have to contact the man's family to let them know about the gene.

Clare is also between relationships in this episode though two of her exes to have small roles to play. Clare is also looking at a potential career change when a headhunting firm from LA has approached her to star in a new talk show that is in the works.

This was a very contemporary mystery with a "ripped from the headlines" feel to it. I liked the look into big city news organizations.

This is the fourth book in the Clare Carlson Mystery Series. I haven't read the previous ones but that did not matter as they can be read as stand alone titles. I really enjoyed this book, it had enough suspense to keep me hooked and I enjoyed the ending. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for my ARC.

The fourth Clare Carlson book by R. G. Belsky follows the classic thriller structure, with a murder right off the bat. BEYOND THE HEADLINES is a celebrity crime story about a woman famous for being famous who is accused of murdering her billionaire husband. TV journalist Clare Carlson gets an exclusive jailhouse interview with the woman and believes Laurie Bateman didn’t kill Charles Hollister. And as Clare digs deeper into the tangled case, she uncovers long-buried secrets about both Bateman and her dead husband, stretching all the way back to the Vietnam War a half century ago.

Full review at The Big Thrill site.

I love and recommend this series - and this may well be the best of the bunch I've read so far. The star of the show, New York TV News Director Clare Carlson, really shines as her investigative reporter skills kick into high gear.

She's asked by an attorney friend to give some air time to the story of Vietnamese supermodel and relatively low-level actress Laurie Bateman, who is divorcing her filthy rich husband Charles Hollister. But just as Clare's about to make that happen, Laurie's story veers off in another direction: Hollister is found brutally murdered, and his still-wife has been arrested as his killer. Apparently, she was at the scene of the crime and had somewhere around a billion reasons to do him in. But when Clare does a jailhouse interview in which Laurie plays the wronged woman card to the max, the dial on Clare's suspicion meter starts jumping. Ignoring conventional wisdom (police-style), she takes on the job of getting to the truth.

Mind you, as a former newspaper journalist I can't totally condone Clare's methods for trying to prove wrong is right or right is wrong (nor, on a personal level, her choices in men that pretty much are limited to anyone who's good-looking and not currently married). But hey, those characteristics absolutely make for a more intriguing story with plenty of action; and not insignificantly Clare's slightly left of center sense of humor makes the whole thing more fun. Her digging early on not only reveals that the dead guy had plenty of enemies, but also a hint that he may well have been involved in some very shady activities.

It is Clare's investigation and dedication to leaving no stone unturned, of course, that makes for a great story - one with several twists and turns (some surprising, some not so much) that kept me glued to the pages (well okay, to my Kindle). Already, I'm chomping at the bit for the next installment - this is the fourth, by the way. Also for the record, while I always recommend starting any series at the beginning, this one stands on its own quite well. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it.

When I requested this book from Netgalley, I didn't realize it was Book 4 in a series but I didn't feel at a disadvantage while reading it. It definitely stands on its own. TV news director Clare Carlson gets a chance to interview Laurie Bateman, a supermodel and actress originally from Vietnam, who has been charged with murdering her billionaire husband. Clare sets out to investigate the details surrounding the murder hoping to discover whether Laurie is the killer or someone else. I liked the character of Clare, she seems quite laid-back and some of her wisecracks made me chuckle. I don't know a lot about the tv news business other than what I've seen in movies and on tv but I suspect Clare's behaviour isn't very realistic; nonetheless I enjoyed the story and wouldn't hesitate to read another book in this series. The writing was easy to follow and the story flowed well. The descriptions of the Vietnam conflict in the early 70's was interesting to read.

Sorry, but I really did not like this cover although I see the book covers in this series are all similar. It reminds me of bad television reception in the old days.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

I have enjoyed this series revolving around the corporate life and actions of the news media. Clare is a great heroine. She is determined to get to the bottom of a story even if she makes mistakes along the way. She has tackled a tough one in this novel. There are so many twists and turns in the investigation as new material is revealed, I lost count. But Clare keeps digging for the truth, even when it takes her back to events in the Viet Nam war.

Belsky's experience in journalism is evident in this novel. We see how television news broadcasts are produced and what kind of quirky people are involved. Clare as an investigative journalist is developed well by Belsky. I don't like the repeated references to her many one night stands and sexual exploits, but other than that, she is a great sleuth. And Belsky's writing style is engaging.

This is a good novel for readers who like a complicated high profile murder case with a tough journalist determined to solve it.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Clare was expecting to interview Laurie Bateman about her life, not become an advocate for her after her husband, the uber-wealhy Charles Hollister was murdered. Clare, who won a Pulitzer but now works in a tv news room chasing hot stories, is intrigued enough by Laurie's claim that Hollister abused her that she starts to burrow into the story- and mainly into Laurie's history. How does what happened during the Vietnam war and its immediate aftermath matter to this case? No spoilers. Clare is a troubled woman who doesn't always make good choices and while she steps outside the boundaries of responsible journalism, it does make for a good story. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I'm a fan of this series - this one will be fine as a standalone- for the writing and the complex mysteries as well as for Clare.

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

I really enjoyed Beyond The Headlines, an interesting premise that was executed well. I think the "twist" in the middle of the book is a bit obvious but regardless still good. The main character, Clare is snappy and quick, her dialogue was so much fun to read!!


Thank you Oceanview press and Netgalley for an eARC copy of Beyond the Headlines

In “Beyond the Headlines,” book four in the Clare Carlson Mystery series, Clare is busier than ever as the Channel 10 news director. Managing a news staff that includes an ambitious weatherperson and married co-anchors who are expecting their first child, takes patience, common sense and more than a touch of humor. Balancing her professional life and her personal life, which now includes the daughter she gave up at birth and a growing list of exes, is challenging, to say the least. But Clare didn’t win all those awards for investigative journalism for shying away from challenges. She embraces them.

Such is the case when her best friend, attorney Janet Wood, offers her the opportunity for an exclusive interview with actress Laurie Bateman. After emigrating to the United States from Vietnam as an infant, Laurie has been living an uber-American dream. But now she’s ready to tell all, to break the news of the pending divorce from her billionaire husband, Charles Hollister. And she wants Clare to do the interview.

When Clare arrives for the scheduled interview, she finds the Hollister home a hive of police activity. The divorce exclusive vanishes when Laurie is accused of murdering her soon-to-be ex-husband and is escorted from her luxury home in handcuffs. Clare doesn’t miss a beat. She runs with the story unfolding before her, pursuing an even more shocking exclusive. Murder.

But when Laurie claims she’s innocent, that she’s suffered silently through years of spousal abuse, Clare believes her and champions her cause. As a series of complex events unfold, Clare does what Clare does best—she relentlessly looks for the story behind the story, the truth that is beyond the headlines.

Wisecracking Clare Carlson, executive director at Channel 10 but a breaking news journalist at heart is back and investigating another murder.

As you can see below, I am a HUGE fan of this series and have read all the previous books. And WOW!!!! This book didn't disappoint!

A very wealthy Charles Hollister is found dead in his condo and his estranged wife, Laurie Bateman, is arrested for his murder. Clare, the only news person that was there as the police escort Laurie out in handcuffs. Clare was at the scene as she was supposed to interview the wife, who in her own right is famous, and was going to tell all about her marriage to Hollister, which wasn't what they portrayed in the public and media.

As Clare starts digging into this story, she feels that Laurie is innocent and wants to help her get out of jail, which she does and even the charges are dropped. However, she wants to get the scoop as to who really killed Hollister but the more she delves in, the more questions are unanswered and not making sense. Did she make a mistake? Who really killed Charles Hollister.

Like the previous books in this series, this sequel will transport the reader because of the descriptive nature of the written word and conversations of the characters. The reader will become one with the story and be totally unaware of what is going on around them. That's what happens to me when reading this author's works.

The suspense is constant and will have the reader sure as to who the suspect is and then BAM! Wrong! OK. Let's try this again. it has to be this character!! Not!! Duped again!!!!!

Even though this is the 4th book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone, but I suggest you start with the first book, not only to get to know Clare a bit better but to also have the experience of reading some exceptional writing!!!!!

I absolutely recommend this extraordinary book(s)!!!!

BTW Mr. Belsky, no pressure, but when will the next book be available????

<h3>Check out my Review for <Yesterday's News</i><a href="http://cmashlovestoread.com/2018/06/06/yesterdays-news-by-r-g-belsky-review-giveaway/">HERE</a> and enter the giveaway</h3>
<h3>Check out my Review for <i>Below The Fold</i><a href="http://cmashlovestoread.com/2019/05/01/review-below-the-fold-by-r-g-belsky/">HERE</a> and enter the giveaway</h3>
<h3>Check out my Review for <i>The Last Scoop</i><a href="http://cmashlovestoread.com/2020/05/06/the-last-scoop/">HERE</a> and enter the giveaway</h3>

Posted to GR 12/26/20
Posted to Instagram: 12/25
To be posted to blog: 05/01/21

An interesting plot line with some moments of humor and drama. However, the protagonist of this story (Clare Carlson) -- the news director for a local NYC television station -- is a hot mess who violates about every rule of professional journalism. Rather than operate from a position of objectivity, she sets out to prove Laurie Bateman, a celebrity who has been accused of murdering her husband, innocent -- seemingly just because everyone else thinks she is guilty. Thus, she ignores any evidence that contradicts her theory of who actually committed the crime. When it finally dawns on her that perhaps she has taken the wrong approach, she launches yet another wild goose chase.

Then there is the fact that she doesn't just blur the boundary between her professional and her personal life, she tramples all over that line with reckless abandon. One learns that she has slept with just about every male that she has ever encountered on the job or off. Not to mention that she has a habit of inserting herself into the story, so much so that it seems she is more interested in becoming a celebrity than in being a journalist. In fact, one of the side stories is that she is being considered to star in a talk show being produced in Los Angeles. So between her efforts to catch a murderer and get an exclusive story, she is fantasizing about becoming the next Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, or more likely Geraldo Rivera. While I have no qualms with a story's protagonist having flaws, I am uncomfortable when a male author creates a female lead character in her late forties who sleeps around and who more often than not acts anything other than professional. In other words, Clare Carlson is NOT the smart, strong female lead that some readers at least would love to see.

For this reason, I cannot recommend this book.

Beyond the Headlines has everything I enjoy - all in one book! Mystery, drama, intrigue, love interests and humour. Needless to say, I loved it. It reads like a rom-com but doesn't feel too chick lit because of the murder mystery involved.
Narrating the story is the main character, journalist Clare Carlson, and it's her quick wit and sharp intelligence that make this a good romp. That said, the one-liners are a touch overdone and sometimes fall flat.
The story begins with Clare being requested by a female celebrity to do a tell-all interview about her marriage to the man she's about to divorce. When that man is found dead on the day the interview is to happen, the story Clare thought she would be doing takes a completely different direction. But is the wife as guilty as her presence at the scene of the crime suggests?
Clare decides to dig deeper and cast the net wider. What she discovers is there are a number of people who stand to benefit from this man's death and may have motive, plus links to other mysterious deaths. Dogged in her pursuit of the truth, we follow Clare as she rules out suspects one by one until she solves the case that has all of America talking.
I was initially surprised to learn the author, R.G. Belsky, is male, although it could be argued that some of the dad jokes and Clare's constant bragging about her sexual conquests are giveaways.
Aside from being entertaining and well-paced, Beyond the Headlines is very current in terms of setting and the high-profile names that are dropped.
I found myself picking up this book at every chance, even if I could only read one page at a time, just to bring myself closer to knowing how it ended.
By the last page, I was pretty satisfied and felt as though I'd made a new friend in Clare. For that reason, I'm confident we will cross paths again as this is the fourth book in this author's mystery series. (Each book can stand on their own and the series doesn't need to be read in any order.)
If you're looking for a fast and fun read, and if you're a news junkie who devours celebrity gossip, you won't go wrong with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.

I loved it. You can tell I clearly have a thing for psychological thrillers and true crime type books. I again finished it within a week because I couldn’t put it down. This was also my first time reading anything by this author, and I want to read the other books in this series.

I also like all the twists and the turns, and I really didn’t except what was going to come next, like I did in some other books I’ve read.

This book also talks about important issues like the #metoo movement and domestic abuse.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for giving me an opportunity to read a copy of this book.

You can find my reviews at:
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3664779889

This is my first time reading R.G. Belsky, and I really enjoyed it.

I loved the main character, Clare Carlson, she was refreshing, witty and quick with the banter. I enjoyed her inner emotions and thought process.

Now, the plot was suspenseful and driven. There were a few places where things were either repeated too many times or some information was interchanged somehow. This may just be editing issue that will be resolved with the final release, however it did pull me away a tiny bit in those places.

The mystery and intrigue was all very tight rope balancing act, and while I can usually pin down the culprit - this one kept me guessing the whole time.

Also, I loved the information we were able to glean about the Vietnam War.

On another plus side, the inner working of media, a glimpse into the world was nice to see.

Thank you netgalley for providing an eARC.

Good book great author and serie and very suspenseful would tell friend and family to read this book