RG Belsky

BELOW THE FOLD, A NEW CLARE CARLSON MYSTERY

Every human life is supposed to be important. Everyone should matter. But that’s not the case in the cutthroat TV news-rating world where Clare Carlson works. Sex, money, and power sell.

Only murder victims of the right social strata are considered worth covering. Not the murder of a “nobody.”

So, when the battered body of a homeless woman named Dora Gayle is found on the streets of New York City, her murder barely gets a mention in the media.

But Clare―a TV news director who still has a reporter’s instincts―decides to dig deeper into the seemingly meaningless death. She uncovers mysterious links between Gayle and a number of wealthy and influential figures.

There is a prominent female defense attorney; a scandal-ridden ex-congressman; a decorated NYPD detective; and―most shocking of all―a wealthy media mogul who owns the TV station where Clare works.

Soon there are more murders, more victims, more questions.

As the bodies pile up, Clare realizes that her job, her career, and maybe even her life are at stake as she chases after her biggest story ever.

Praise for BELOW THE FOLD - and the Clare Carlson Series

“Below the Fold is a gripping and intelligent thriller that rips open the dark underbelly of TV news, written by a former television and print journalist himself. Fast-moving and full of colorful, down-and-dirty characters, this terrific novel is the second in a series starring the compelling and engaging TV journalist Clare Carlson. I highly recommend it.”―Douglas Preston, New York Times best-selling author

“Below the Fold is what journalism is all about . . . crackling with the kind of authenticity only an experienced reporter could capture.”―Lee Goldberg, New York Times best-selling author

“Below the Fold is a terrific mystery, written with a veteran journalist's eye. The pacing and plotting are everything you want, but it's R. G. Belsky's insider knowledge that adds a wonderful layer to this story of media and murder.”―Michael Koryta, New York Times best-selling author

“Below the Fold takes readers on a whiplash ride through a New York murder case. The television news investigation provides a fascinating lens for the story. Heroine Clare Carlson is formidable, human, and thoroughly authentic. R.G. Belsky knows his stuff.”―Meg Gardiner, author of Into the Black Nowhere

“Belsky’s background as a reporter shines through, but he’s also earned his place as a writer of memorable characters and intricate plots. Even the murdered woman, who kick-starts the several mysteries in this book, and who is mainly depicted in others’ distant memories, is well fleshed out. The banter among reporters, cops, and those they investigate rings true, too, and keeps the pages turning. Readers who enjoy police procedurals but who are looking for something a little different are an ideal audience for this thriller.”―Booklist

Praise for the Clare Carlson series:
“Belsky’s Yesterday’s News elicits all parents’ deepest fear―the disappearance of a child. But this intelligent, gripping novel is about so much more: ambition, secrets, and, most shocking of all, truth. Read it.”―Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times best-selling author
[Yesterday’s News] is an "engrossing mystery...Belsky puts Clare’s journalistic integrity to a dramatic test in this gut-wrenching tale."―Publishers Weekly

“Belsky's behind-the-headlines story of the story news director Clare Carlson can't let go has enough twists to keep even the best-read fan on their toes. Yesterday's News is a thriller about truth, lies―and how much of each we're willing to live with.” ―Lori Rader-Day, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author

“…Belsky’s extensive news-media background allows him to paint behind the scenes of a TV-news set realistically and with a wry sense of humor.”―Booklist

“Taut, fast-paced and compelling characters make Yesterday’s News a page-turner.” ―Mary Burton, New York Times best-selling author

“What a terrific book! A complex and compelling nonstop cat-and-mouse chase―and you're never quite sure which one's the mouse. Even the savviest of readers will be gasping in awe at Belsky's impressive story-telling skills.” ―Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author

“the fast pace and frequent uncovering of new information, along with a protagonist with her own baggage, will please fans of J. T. Ellison and Lori Rader-Day.”―Booklist

About YESTERDAY'S NEWS - Clare Carlson Mystery #1

A classic cold case reopened―along with Pandora's box

When eleven-year-old Lucy Devlin disappeared on her way to school more than a decade ago, it became one of the most famous missing child cases in history.

The story turned reporter Clare Carlson into a media superstar overnight. Clare broke exclusive after exclusive. She had unprecedented access to the Devlin family as she wrote about the heartbreaking search for their young daughter. She later won a Pulitzer Prize for her extraordinary coverage of the case.

Now Clare once again plunges back into this sensational story. With new evidence, new victims, and new suspects―too many suspects. Everyone from members of a motorcycle gang to a prominent politician running for a US Senate seat seem to have secrets they’re hiding about what really might have happened to Lucy Devlin.

But Clare has her own secrets. And, in order to untangle the truth about Lucy Devlin, she must finally confront her own torturous past.