It's News to Me

Clare Carlson Mystery, Book 5

By: R. G. Belsky

Narrated by: Sheryl Hartman

Dashed dreams: She wanted to run for president one day, now she's dead at 20.

When Riley Hunt—a beautiful, smart, popular student at Easton College in Manhattan—is brutally murdered, it becomes a big story for TV newswoman Clare Carlson.

After days of intense media coverage, a suspect is caught: a troubled Afghanistan war veteran with a history of violent and unstable behavior. The suspect's mother, however, comes to Clare with new evidence that might prove her son's innocence.

As Clare digs deeper into the puzzling case, she learns new information: Riley had complained about being stalked in the days before her murder, she was romantically involved with two different men—the son of a top police official and the son of a prominent underworld boss—and she had posted her picture on an escort service's website offering paid dates with wealthy men.

Soon, Clare becomes convinced that Riley Hunt's death is more than just a simple murder case—and that more lives, including her own, are now in danger until she uncovers the true story.

©2022 R.G. Belsky (P)2022 R.G. Belsky

Another great story!

Once again RG Belsky has written a story that you can visualize as a movie. It’s fast paced and moves quickly which is his unique style . Listening to it in the audio version puts you right into every scene and makes it enjoyable.

Wow - what a thrill ride

It’s News to Me is the 5th in the Clare Carlson Mystery series by R.G. Belsky. Riley Hunt graduates High School in Ohio and heads to New York City for college. But when the bright, talented, well liked student is found dead near her dorm, investigative journalist for Channel 10 news, Clare Carlson is on the story. Clare doesn’t believe the police’s version of a random attack, and keeps investigating until she finds the truth. I enjoyed Clare’s intelligence and instincts for the truth and how she handled her new boss. The story, characters and plot twists kept be very engaged. The narration by Sheryl Hartman was wonderful. Her performance brought the characters and story to life. I received a free audiobook code for my honest review.

Fun Murder Mystery

It’s News to Me is a fun who’s done it told from the perspective of the journalist rather than the typical detective. The audio version was well narrated.
I have not read the other books in the series yet but it was easy to pick up the story without feeling like I was missing a bunch of the backstory.

Mystery told from Reporter's Point of View

Clare Carlson, a nationally known news reporter is challenged to find the story behind a young coed’s death. Riley Hunt, now a deceased 20-year-old is brutally murdered. Clare’s role is multifaceted as she wants to find and reveal the truth and temporarily satisfy the new boss’s demands for an increase in ratings. She must tread carefully as the truth can be deadly to her and others.

The author R. G. Belsky weaves an intense mystery told from a news reporter's POV instead of a detective, PI, or victim. The storyline builds on the death of Riley while also folding in notorious characters such as a prominent underworld figure, an escort service, and a police official. The twists are well done. The characters are richly developed providing just enough insight into the mystery to keep you hooked.

The narrator, Sheryl Hartman, is impressive in her performance. She captures the characters bringing them to life. Her attention to detail is apparent as she is consistent with the voices of each character and projects the storyline with sufficient tone range and delivery. Hartman enriches and further enhances the story with her performance.

Overall, this is an interesting and captivating mystery. Once you start, you will not stop until you reach the suspense-filled end.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

5 stars

This is the best book of the series. Claire does a great job following all the threads to the story. I look forward to the next book.