Read Your Writes Book Reviews: Review ~ COVER STORY by Brenda Buchanan

Cover Story (Joe Gale, #2)

by: Brenda Buchanan

Series: Joe Gale Series

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction

Release Date: September 28, 2015

Source: Publisher ~ Carina Press via NetGalley

Maine newspaper reporter Joe Gale is at his best when covering the crime beat for the Portland Daily Chronicle. In the dead of winter he heads Downeast to cover the murder trial of fisherman Danny Boothby, charged with burying a filleting knife in the chest of politically well-connected social worker Frank O’Rourke.

O’Rourke held a thankless job in a hard place. Many locals found him arrogant, but say he didn’t deserve to die. Others whisper that O’Rourke got himself killed through his own rogue behavior.

After Joe’s hard-nosed reporting provokes someone to run him off an isolated road, he realizes his life depends on figuring out not only who committed the murder, but who’s stalking him—O’Rourke’s prominent brother, friends or enemies of the dead social worker or members of Boothby’s family. As he digs deeper, Joe uncovers enough secrets and lies to fill a cemetery. He'll have to solve this one fast…or his next headline may be his own obituary.

REVIEW

Cover Story is part of a series that I have not read. It’s told from the first person perspective of Joe Gale himself. Joe is a newspaper reporter from Portland, Maine. He is tasked with reporting on the trial of Daniel Boothby who is accused of murdering social worker Frank O’Rourke. From the beginning, it’s clear that no one wants Joe to speak ill of the dead. Most of the people that Joe talks to in the small town of Machias where the trial is being held are standoffish and don’t want to have anything to do with him. Brenda Buchanan portrays Joe as an old school reporter that isn’t easily intimidated by politics or idle threats. And Joe gets a lot of threats. He also gets assaulted and ran off the road. That just encourages him to do more and more digging into the life of the victim.

Cover Story clearly has double meaning because there is much more to the victim than anyone wants to admit to. Without giving too much away, there’s a good reason why Frank O’Rourke has moved around within the DHHS. When people do get to talking to Joe, he learns just enough to wonder who really is the victim and the assailant in this murder trial. Joe’s interactions also allow him some insight into his own failed relationships and perspective for a love life that he didn’t think he could have. Joe is a hard-nosed and intelligent investigative reporter. He has a reputation for having nine lives and continually tries to use them up.

I really enjoyed this book and getting to know Joe Gale. I would like to learn more about his personal life and see him cover another trial. He would have made a great detective.

**Received a copy from Carina Press in exchange for an honest unbiased opinion.**

Rating: 5