Front Page Fatality

Nichelle Clarke is having one hell of a week.

Front Page Fatality by LynDee Walker is what a crime novel should be. From engaging characters to a mind bogglingly complicated mystery, this is a book that will keep you guessing till the very end. The main character, Nichelle Clarke, is a crime reporter working a beat at a Richmond paper while dreaming an investigative reporter position at the Washington Post. While her current job is generally fast paced and keeps her on her feet, Nicey can’t help but dream of something bigger……especially when her gaze rests on the Pulitzer Prize hanging in her boss Bob’s office. Little does she know how quickly things will change, when the story of a lifetime just might end hers.

When some eerily similar drug dealer deaths get Nicey thinking there’s a story in there somewhere, a tragic boat crash turns her attention elsewhere. If the fatal crash between a famous local pitcher and a police boat was an accident, why can’t anyone tell her why the police boat was there in the first place? Things get more and more convoluted when a huge amount of evidence goes missing from police headquarters – evidence that just happens to be from the drug dealer cases. But who could have taken a huge amount of cash and drugs from the evidence room without being caught? Nicey not so sure, but she’s going to find out…even if it means putting herself at risk.

As a main character, Nichelle Clarke is a doozey. Everything from her die hard optimism to her obsession with shoes is so very relatable. Terrified or not, she’ll do anything for a story, and you can’t help but love her for it. Yes, she’s doing it for the byline, for the recognition, and maybe even for that coveted spot at the Post. But she’s also doing it for the wives who lost their husbands and don’t know why, for the honest cops who don’t know who they can and can’t trust in their own departments, and for her beloved newspaper family. Of course, getting this story is not as easy as calling in a few favors and asking the right questions. She is going to have the cross the line from reporting to investigating if she wants to get to the bottom of this case.

The best mysteries keep you guessing without leaving you confused, and Front Page Fatality fits this bill perfectly. From the mafia to the ATF, you just never know who will turn up next. As Nicey works her way deeper into the mystery of what is going on at the Richmond Police Department, it soon becomes apparent that she simply cannot trust anybody. She’s got to get to the bottom of this mystery on her own, all while keeping up her crime beat so she won’t lose her column to that pesky copy editor who’s constantly gunning for her job. It’s a lot to handle, but if anyone can do it, it’s Nicey.

Front Page Fatality is a well written crime novel that covers all the bases. From the first page to the last, you just won’t see it coming – and you’ll love every minute of it.