Overall a good book with great insight in to the changing world of journalism. Stunning conclusion, and interesting characters. Will certainly read more by this author.

Very entertaining plot and well developed characters with many twists. Endings were convincing with loose ends tied nicely -- except for Brett and Dani:)
Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Oceanview for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Last Scoop
By: R. G. Belsky


REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
The Last Scoop is part of a series which I have not read; however, I found that it reads fine as a standalone. The heroine, Clare, is a bit of a hot mess in her personal life, but a total professional in her work life. She is a newswoman and good at her job. Tragically, her mentor is killed, and Clare feels guilty about not seeing this person often enough. She decides to look into what he was working on, and his last scoop turns into much more than Clare anticipated, for example, a potential serial killer. Now, it is up to Clare to finish what her mentor started, but what if she is in danger of being a victim herself? This story is convoluted with several threads sort of going on at once, but it wasn't confusing. There is plenty of action, suspense, intrigue and dead ends to enjoy. Clare is a modern woman with problems, intelligence, strength and determination to solve this case. This book is a thrilling read, and I fully intend to read more about Clare.

Another 5-star read for me! Clare is a flawed but lovable character who has been married and divorced several times and is obsessed with her job at the newsroom. When her good friend Martin is the victim of a senseless murder one night, she vows to get to the bottom of it. But there's more to this story than meets the eye and she gets caught up in a political scandal that involves corruption at the highest level. And then there's the serial killer angle that goes back years and links several seemingly-unrelated victims to each other through DNA. How are these cases similar? Clare is relentless in her pursuit of the truth and it's shocking when it's revealed. Keeps you on the edge of your seat through the entire book!

The Last Scoop is a well written thriller. A real page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I look forward to reading more books in this series. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

The Last Scoop by R. G. Belsky is a highly recommended mystery and the third in the Clare Carlson series.

Clare Carlson is the news director of a New York City Channel 10 News. When she learns about the death of her mentor and first newspaper editor Martin Barlow, she is remorseful that she wasn't able to meet with him when he contacted her, telling her that he was working on the biggest story of his career and wanted to share information concerning his investigation. Clare decides to look into the files on the stories he was researching. The first story has ties to the New York District Attorney Terri Hartwell's political aspirations and mob owned property. She also discovers he had evidence about a serial killer he’s dubbed "The Wanderer" who has been killing women for years. Clare takes some risks with her job and her life to break the stories.

The Last Scoop really contains two different stories. They have some ties with each other and are somewhat connected, but are really presented as two different stories rather than connecting stories that Clare is working on simultaneously. And the novel is presented as having multiple parts. I was intrigued at the beginning of the novel and basically enjoyed it to the end, but I did feel that the presentation could have been better. I wanted the story of The Wanderer, and although I can appreciate the first story, my interest in the whole novel would have been higher if everything was tied together more tightly.

Although this is the third book in the series, this is the first novel Clare Carlson novel I have read, so it can be read as a standalone. You would likely get more background details on Clare from the previous novels, but enough information is presented to understand her character. Some readers might be put-off by her disastrous personal life, but it is easy to focus on the information she is uncovering while looking into Barlow's research notes. Clare's inclination seems to be to make poor choices in her personal life.

The writing is good and captures the tone of current journalism in the news business well. Past cases are mentioned, but new readers will be able to follow the story. There was one ending of a story arch I loved. I enjoyed most of the novel except the final denouement of the whole novel which was disappointing to me and a letdown after the fast pace of the narrative up to the end. I did enjoy The Last Scoop and would read the next Clare Carlson novel.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing.
The review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Sometimes I say there's newspaper ink in my blood. My uncles owned and worked for newspapers. I've been an editor for several newsletters. Therefore, I was interested in The Last Scoop.
Clare Carlson is a news director who says: "I'm a woman who deals in lies for a living......My job is to catch people in their lies and expose these lies to the world."
Clare's mentor has been killed. Out of guilt because she hadn't seen him in months, she visits his family and gets his laptop to learn about the last scoop that he was working on.
The mentor has been working on several stories -- they are all jumbled together. In addition, this is the third Clare Carlson book., thus it refers to events and lovers from books one and two. I got confused and almost quit, but I'm glad I didn't.
In sum, there's a serial killer that no one knew about. Before the mentor died, he realized 19 murders in the past thirty years are all connected to one killer.
There were several twists and surprises toward the end. I like surprises!
The author @RGBelsky tells us at the end how he and his character Clare are similar. I want to read more of his books.
Thanks to Netgalley.and Oceanview Publishing for permitting me to read The Last Scoop.

I really enjoyed this book, the multiple storylines, the main character and her relationship to truth and the pursuit of it. I was surprised it was written by a man since she was so believable. This is book three of a series and it worked as a stand alone and it made me want to go back and read his other books in the series. 4.5

Solid, enjoyable writing, but a narrative that was so farfetched it got downright, laugh-out-loud silly. There were so many coincidences and people who turned out to be someone else that the plot ended up resembling a French farce. Quality writing in a mystery/thriller deserves a quality story worth telling, one that bears at least a passing connection with reality, and this wasn't it.

NOTE TO PUBLISHER - This is the second time I have read a .mobi file provided by you as an ARC and the second time the formatting was such a mess that I almost gave up even trying to read it. Paragraphing missing altogether, paragraphing thrown in where there shouldn't have been any paragraphing, words mysterious split into meaningless pieces (even some of the chapter headings were split up!), and the font suddenly turning to bold for a few pages then going back to normal. How in the world is it possible that a reputable publisher can't produce a simple .mobi file without screwing up the formatting? No other publisher has that problem. Not even the humblest self-publisher has that problem. You are showing grave disrespect to your authors by distributing ARCs of their hard work that are such a mess. You really should be ashamed of yourself.

I had a hard time putting this book down. It read easy and fast. There were some “sit on the edge of your seat” moments. This is about a newswoman who climbed up through the ranks and like many people, always “ran out of time” to have coffee with her mentor. An excellent newsman in his time. Once he’s mugged, she just can’t get that last big story he said he was working on out of her mind.

This is really unusual in that there is only one main character, Claire the newswoman. Oh, she talks with her BFF now and then and a few other people. I didn’t even realize this until after I read the book. There might have been a little old love interest and an FBI agent involved and of course, Claire had a boss. But somehow, R. G. Belsky kept my interest with Claire’s thoughts throughout this whole book. I understood her, felt her strength, and felt her curiosity. Good book. Worth your time to read.

This is Book 3 in a series titled “Claire Carlson Mystery”. Belsky has several books published. All have good reviews.

In The Last Scoop, the third book in the Clare Carlson Mystery Series, author R.G. Belsky weaves a riveting mystery tale that easily draws the reader into New York Channel 10 News Director Clare Carlson's latest investigation.

The story begins with the random street murder of Clare's mentor and first newspaper editor, retired journalist Martin Barlow. Even though Martin was retired, he remained active in local NYC politics and community events. He even had a website dedicated to the suggestion that there is corruption between NYC politicians, the mob, greedy wealthy landlords, and the city government. Martin and Clare had kept in touch, and Martin tried to tell her about the two big stories that he had been working on: (1) the alleged corruption between the mob and NYC government, and (2) a thirty year old search for a serial killer possibly linked to the murders of twenty young women. Clare never checked out his tips and leads, she considered them ramblings of an old man, but now she feels guilty and is determined to follow through on Martin's last news scoops.

As Clare delves into the investigation of Martin's two big story scoops, she finds that there are more questions than answers, a growing list of suspects, deeply buried secrets, mobsters, a serial killer, and the intertwining of Clare's personal and professional lives and her dark past that continues to come to the surface.

The Last Scoop is a captivating mystery tale that is rich in detail and vivid descriptions. It has enough intriguing and suspenseful twists and turns that leaves the reader with no other option than to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. As a diehard fan of mystery tales, I must admit that this third installment in the series is my favorite. The complexity of the two story scoops and Clare's investigation kept me thoroughly riveted and so engrossed, I couldn't help but try and guess the outcome as Clare puts all the pieces of the puzzle together.

With a complex and realistic cast of characters, the author does a phenomenal job of transporting the reader into this fast-paced white-knuckle storyline. The thrilling cat-n-mouse game engages the reader to follow Clare's investigation as she tries to follow the notes and leads from the two stories that Martin had been working on prior to his death. The jaw-dropping surprise ending will leave the reader completely speechless. It just doesn't get any better than this!

The Last Scoop is one heck of an adrenaline rush that is a must-read for the true diehard mystery junkies!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest book review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

This book starts a little slowly, but builds to a continuing level of intensity. The death of her first editor and mentor causes a busy TV news editor to add a continuing investigation to her many chores. She is put into danger several times and seems to find a last minute salvation each time.. The writing is clear and easy to follow. The Characters are very individual and interesting. The plot keeps you guessing and engrossed. I call this a great book!

This is the first book I read in this series and was surely be the last.
It was a gripping read that kept me on the edge till the last page.
I loved the well thought characters, the plot that kept me hooked is well crafted, the solid mystery.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I loved his style of writing and how he tells the story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I haven't read the first two books in this series, but don't feel it was at all necessary - - this book stands on its own. It started slowly but rapidly started increasing the mystery and clues. I like Clare and other characters were also well depicted. There were plenty of red herrings throughout the book that made the final reveal all the more interesting. Lots of exciting twists and turns and surprises! And just when you think everything has been revealed - - another BIG surprise!

A well-written and exciting thriller.

The Last Scoop
by R. G. Belsky
Oceanview Publishing
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 05 May 2020 | Archive Date Not set

It's always a pleasure to read about things I really have no knowledge of. For example, a newsroom. I felt R.G. Belsky gave us a good look at life in the newsroom. Great thriller. I really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to Net Galley and Oceanview Publishing for the ARC.

I have not read the other books in this series, but didn't feel as if I was missing out on any major plot points. Clare's mentor, Martin, is murdered in a supposed mugging after telling her that he is working on a major new story even though he is retired. I found the suspense to be plentiful and the Clare is a likable main character.

Having spent roughly 16 years in journalism prompted me to say yes to this book - the third in a series featuring journalist Clare Carlson (now a TV news director). I'm glad I did; I thoroughly enjoyed every single page.

That's not to say I identified well with Clare; two of my years was as a beat reporter for a daily and 14 came managing editor of a regional business journal. Unlike Clare, neither experience got me a Pulitzer, sorry to say, but then again, neither was I ever in much danger. The closest I ever came was when I was interviewing a pair of township trustees who clearly didn't like each other, and when one started to take a whack at the other I had to jump out of the way. For sure I never got death threats, nor was my life ever in danger because of any story I wrote.

Almost from the first page of this book - the third in the series - Clare is on shaky ground. When a long-time friend and mentor is murdered, she isn't willing to believe, as do the police, that it was a mugging gone wrong. That's mostly because shortly before his death, he met with Clare to tell her he was looking into goings-on that related to New York's current hot-shot District Attorney Terri Hartwell.

Clare's TV boss isn't thrilled that she wants to delve into the situation to find out specifics about what her friend knew; but she's determined to get to the bottom of things, for the most part going off on her own. Meanwhile, Clare has a few personal "secrets" she'd rather not disclose - things that could derail her so-far stellar career. Her investigation takes her through a dark world of mob bosses, payoffs and yes, murder that go back to an unsolved murder many years ago in small-town Indiana (another plus for me, since I grew up not far from Indianapolis and Fort Wayne). In the end, everything comes to an exciting conclusion, most issues are resolved without, of course, Clare getting killed off (you really don't expect the heroine of a series to bite the dust, do you)?

All told (in first-person, by the way), I highly recommend this book. As always with a series, I'll also recommend starting with the first; but I have not, and I'm happy to say this one stands on its own just fine. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

R.G. Belsky certainly knows his way around a newsroom. Former managing editor for NBC News, his portrayal of a brilliant, driven journalist who’s found herself promoted out of actually reporting the news to managing it is genuine and compelling. Clare never comes out and says it, but she’s obviously never happier than when she’s chasing down a story.

The story begins with the death of Clare’s old mentor, Marty, shortly after they had a conversation where Marty dropped a few tantalising hints about a big story he was chasing. The circumstances of Marty’s death raise Clare’s suspicions and she can’t quite help herself looking into his research. Which leads down some unexpectedly deep rabbit holes and, eventually, to not one but two of the biggest stories of her life.

This is a well-written story with an amazing flavour of realism about the journalism aspects of it. That said, I did honestly think it read like two different books; although the two stories were linked by more than just Clare’s involvement in them, they were quite different in tone and I feel like both would have benefitted from being given a full book to tell each of the two stories. There’s already a story from a previous book referenced multiple times here; since this is a series, I don’t quite see why one of them couldn’t have been carried forward to another book. As things stand, it felt like neither quite got the full justice done to them.

I also feel uncomfortable about a principal female character who is professionally successful but a disaster in her personal life, as written by a male author. It feels like a judgement that women actually can’t have it all... and that assessment made by a man feels pretty icky. I liked Clare, but she was a harsh judge of herself. I’d have liked her better if she was perfectly happy in who she was and confident in her choice not to have personal relationships, or to simply have sex without entanglements. There are plenty of professional women who choose their careers and don’t make excuses about it to themselves.

This has some really great writing and a solid premise, but I feel like in the hands of a firm editor it could have become two excellent books instead of one I feel a bit ambivalent about. I’ll give it three stars.

We've met Clarisse "Clare" Carlson before. She heads Channel 10 news. She drinks and screws and otherwise is just like a guy.

I find Mr. Belsky's writing style too breezy and I'm not sure the story really holds together. But I suspect that I will be in the minority of readers, though.

The Last Scoop is Dick (R.G.) Belsky's latest release, just published today, and the third instalment in his Clare Carlson Mysteries series , preceded by Yesterday's News and Below The Fold (read our review here). I had been waiting for this book since last year, and it didn't disappoint; the writing is as strong as ever, and the twists and turns keep on coming.

The formula remains the same, with the story being narrated through Pulitzer Prize winner Clare's eyes, in the first person, as she faces her personal issues and as she chases that next scoop for her newsroom. A fresh murder, an old murder, corruption and an unknown serial killer intersect and keep us guessing throughout as we swiftly turn the pages to get to the next clue (as per the previous offerings, I read this in one sitting). However, two deeper background subjects run through this story which give us some food for thought: guilt and lies.

"It was Adolf Hitler who once famously said that the bigger the lie, the easier it was to tell. "People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one", Hitler boasted. I'm not sure I agree though. I believe it is sometimes the little lie, the insidious lie we might not even be aware of until it's too late that can be the most dangerous and damaging and disturbing. Not only because it is so difficult to detect. But because once you find out a person has lied - no matter how small that lie is - you immediately begin to wonder what else they're not telling you the truth about. I mean, if someone lies about one thing that you know about, the odds are pretty good he or she is also lying about a lot of other stuff you don't know. And so - before we even realize it - we find ourselves caught up in an endless cycle of dishonesty and deception."

Belsky is very skilful in his effortless narration and his female lead is genuine, flawed and believable, as are the rest of the supporting characters. His experience in the newsroom is evident as he shares its workings and challenges with us. Also, in this instance, as in several of his other novels, the premise for this story is "ripped from the headlines" and it is inspired by a real life crime which has gone unsolved since 1964 for which Mr Belsky asked "what if?"; find out more on 21st May when the author tells us about "Using a real-life crime for mystery fiction".

My only gripe with The Last Scoop would be that on a couple of occasions events surrounding Clare's main personal situation were repetitive - verbatim - notably a conversation about motherhood that she has with her friend and confidant, Janet. The fact that Clare has won a Pulitzer also felt a little over-used.

Just as with the previous offerings in this series, The Last Scoop can be read as a stand-alone novel, however, be aware that both books reveal significant spoilers in relation to the first book, Yesterday's News, which was initially intended as a self-contained novel, in the fact that they progress Clare's personal storyline which is introduced in book one and which is an integral part of the rest of its plot: although the main mystery will not be spoilt, the overall impact will be less due to the spoilers. My advice would be to read Yesterday's News first, which in my opinion is the strongest book in the series, and then carry on with either of the others; they are all very good reads and you will not regret it!

I cannot wait to read the next chapter in Clare's life, Beyond the Headlines, which is due for publication in 2021! Belsky has also been writing a thriller series, Jessie Tucker Mysteries , under the pen-name of Dana Perry; book two, The Golden Girl is due for publication on 8 June 2020, and I cannot wait to check them out.

[ARC received via Netgalley]

I have read all of Belsky's novels featuring Clare and I think this is the best one yet. I really like Clare as a character. She is a tenacious journalist. Even though she manages the news broadcasts at Channel 10, she is an investigator at heart. When she is presented with a mystery by her mentor, she is on the case. I like how Belsky combines snippets of Clare's personal life with her ongoing investigation of the mystery. It makes Clare come alive as a character with issues and feelings of her own.

I really liked the plot too. The mystery Clare's mentor was investigating before he was murdered centers on a decades old unsolved murder and additional unsolved murders that might be connected. Perhaps a serial killer is still on the loose. Clare systematically went after clue after clue, often to the dismay of her boss at the TV station and even the FBI.

That Belsky is himself a journalist comes through in how well he portrays Clare and her investigative work. I recommend this novel to readers who like a compelling plot involving a complicated serial murder case tackled by a tough journalist. I certainly hope Clare will involved in another mystery soon. I'll be watching for it.

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

I have read the first two books in the Clare Carlson Series and I knew I had to read The Last Scoop. I am so glad I did.

This third and final installment is an intense and daring mystery novel, and the journalistic vibe embedded within the story line enhances Clare’s latest escapade.

From the onset, fans will welcome the focus on truth and transparency, as each character struggles to deal with those very things against all odds.

Loaded with small town familiarity and laced with domestic thrills, fans of gripping suspense will not want to put down The Last Scoop.

Highly recommended for mystery readers.

The Last Scoop is the seventh novel By R. G. Belsky that have been reviewed in this blog, which means that they guys at Men Reading Books really likes his writing. He’s kept up the great writing with this new novel, the third in his series about Clare Carlson, a former Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, now the news director of a television channel in New York. Except, despite having promised herself she would always be truthful, Clare finds herself compelled to tell lie on top of lie, which she knows is bound to catch up with her, starting with the very story that won her the Pulitzer. That story was about the disappearance of Lucy Devlin.

Now there has been a new murder. A former colleague and Clare’s former editor, Marty Barlow, was an old and washed up reporter who was still hot after one last big story. But, he was brutally murdered before he could reveal the fruits of his research into the dirty world that touches both politics and New York real estate. Clare felt compelled to pursue Marty’s work with the scant clues that he left behind which suggested he had been pursuing a serial killer that no one else knew existed. Meanwhile, her interest was still caught on Lucy, and if her unscrupulous behavior in that case was ever discovered, then her career would be at an end. Carlson is a most curious character, one who stands for truth while covering up a trail of lies, one who is impulsively pulled into love affairs with the wrong guys, but one who is incredibly consistent at uncovering the secrets of others. She is very loose about some standards, but obsessive about others.

Carlson rides a line between the politically powerful and the wealthiest of real estate magnates. Belsky has crowded his way the power rotation of my 10 favorite authors. He’s rubbing elbows with Michael Connelly, Daniel Sylva, Louise Penny, and C.J. Box, James Lee Burke, John Grisham, Ken Bruen, Robert Crais and Greg Iles. That is high praise for Belsky. If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, then start this book which you won’t put down until the story is over.

In "The Last Scoop," the latest Clare Carlson Mystery, Clare is busy as usual and fails to help her mentor and former editor, Martin Barlow, at a time when he needs it the most. After he's murdered, her guilt propels her to not only track down his killer, but complete the investigation that she suspects got him killed. Her relentless effort to discover the truth leads her to a serial killer more elusive than any other. The problems begin when nobody believes her. She has to dig deeper to convince everyone, and that she does, risking her life in the process. With multiple suspects, multiple motives and a hair-raising ending, "The Last Scoop" is a must-read.

Clare Carson is a veteran news reporter who finds herself tangled in a murder investigation when her mentor is found murdered in an alley. Martin Barlow was investigating a story at the time of his death. Clare picks up where he left off and soon realizes he was on the trail of serial killer. The problem is getting the police to believe in the story. The story keeps the reader off balance until the big reveal. Clare is an interesting character. I will look for more books by this author.

I love how this book brings out the process it takes for any journalist to uncover a story!
What starts out as a mentee( Clare) feeling sad upon hearing the news of the death of her mentor (Marty) becomes something much more than her original assumption that it was all a conspiracy theory. The twists and turns in this book make it such an engaging read.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC, anyone who loves a thriller, investigative journalism and is looking for a character as real as can be, will be down for this!

The beginning of the book introduced the readers to Clare who is the protagonist and we get a glimpse of Marty who was her mentor. In the beginning Marty comes off (from Clare’s memories) as a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Clare finds out that Marty was murdered in what appears to be a mugging. Those details quickly don’t add up.

This story is in parts. Marty was working on 2 stories before he died that are seemingly unrelated.

This book has a lot of twists and turns. It definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending was very shocking and this books couldn’t have been better written. The characters are all imperfect which I find enjoyable. I find that more relatable even if they make decisions you wouldn’t usually make.

I would definitely read more by this author.