Truth Beat

by Brenda Buchanan

A newspaper reporter struggles with unreliable sources while covering two explosive stories—the apparent murder of a priest who stood up to his church and a spate of increasingly destructive bombings.Shock waves reverberate through tight-knit Riverside, Maine, when an outspoken priest is found dead. After writing Father Patrick Doherty's obituary, Portland Daily Chronicle reporter Joe Gale learns that the good Father didn't die in the garden where his body was found—the cops say it was murder, and the killer went to great pains to cover it up.Friends and parishioners tell Joe that Patrick was sincere and selfless. But a vocal gang of rabble-rousers claim he was corrupt. Joe is nowhere near cracking the case when a second crisis threatens to tear Riverside apart: a poorly constructed bomb detonates near the local high school.On the eve of Patrick's wake, the police imply the dead priest was involved in criminal activity prior to his death. And as Joe races to sort truth from rumor, his two big stories collide, putting him in mortal danger.83,000 words

237 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2016

About the author

A former newspaper reporter, Brenda Buchanan grew up in a newspaper-reading family in a mill town in Central Massachusetts. The journalism bug bit hard at age 16 when she co-wrote an exposé about the enormous disparity in spending on boys and girls sports at her high school. The powers that be were not amused, making the experience a great lesson in the power of the press. Brenda worked as a copyboy (no one ever said copygirl) and later a reporter trainee at the Boston Globe while an undergraduate at Northeastern University. She was a reporter and columnist at the York County Coast Star in Kennebunk, Maine before attending law school at the University of Maine. Now a lawyer by day and writer by night, Brenda lives near Portland, Maine with her spouse, Diane Kenty.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is the 3rd of the Joe Gale series, it does well as a stand-alone. There is no need to read them on order, although I always prefer to do so when I can.

Joe Gale is an investigative reporter who always seems to land in hot water following a story. He's an old-fashioned reporter ... honest, relentless to get to the truth.

Joe's friend, Father Patrick Doherty, was found dead with an empty bottle of sleeping pills in his hands. No one who knew him can believe that Father Patrick would take his own life ..and yet, to the naked eye, there's nothing to indicate it was a homicide.

Father Patrick had a history of defending victims that were involved in the Catholic Church's sex scandals, much to the Church's dismay.

At the same time, Joe is investigating a series of bombs that have been set off in or around the local schools.

As Joe starts looking for the truth, he finds that Father Patrick may have had some deep, dark secrets and his death may have been tied to the bombings.

The suspects are many. Motives are buried, waiting for someone to dig really deep to get at them. The book is very well-written. My favorite character is Stella Rinaldi, an 88-year-old lady who is a natural born snoop ... and has a thing for young Joe. She's a hoot! Joe's girlfriend, Christie and her son, play a small part. I hope in future books, she's given a more important part and I would love her backstory.

Many thanks to the author / Carina Press / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Gemini

Truth Beat is the third book in the Joe Gale mystery series. I have read the second book, Cover Story, but not the first, Quick Pivot. Although Truth Beat is part of a series, you do not need knowledge from the previous books to enjoy this one. Truth Beat follows the life and times of Joe Gale who is an investigative reporter for an aging newspaper in Portland, Maine. He is an old school journalist that seems to put himself in danger while trying to get to the truth. He is honest, relentless, and a little reckless at times. More importantly, he is an average guy trying to balance his life as a reporter with trying to pursue a relationship with Christie who has a teenage son and owns a diner.

In this installment, Joe is tasked with investigating the death of controversial priest Father Patrick Doherty. Father Patrick was tasked with shuttering several of the catholic churches in the area to pay for damages related to sex scandals. Joe finds that Father Patrick had his own secrets which may have led to his death. To make matters even more complicated, bombs are being set off in the area which already has the town and local law enforcement on edge. Both crimes end up with a long list of suspects as there are plenty of people protesting the church closures and dragging Father Patrick’s name through the mud. As has been the case, the storytelling comes off to be very honest and realistic. I applaud the Brenda Buchanan for not being over the top. In this day and age, the best stories are the ones that seem to be taken directly from last night’s headlines.

Joe Gale is an easy person to like. He doesn’t cut corners and he refuses to back down to anyone even if it may cost him his job which doesn’t even pay him that much. To add insult to injury, Joe’s love life seems to always get sidetracked by his career. I couldn’t help but hope that everything comes together which is why I was a little disappointed with the lack of closure at the very end of the book. Without giving anything away, I hope that the next book delves more into Joe and Christie’s relationship.

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

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

All aspects of this novel are just fine-- not stellar. Plot, characters, pace all could have been deeper. An ok read if you need one that doesn't make your brain work hard.
Netgalley

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth Beat is the third outstanding book in the Joe Gale series by Brenda Buchanan. That is three our of three! While I enjoyed the plot greatly, one of the elements that most struck me was that we got to see the story from Rufe's view point as well as from Joe's. This twist gave much greater insight into Patrick's life as well as additional motives for his death. I have liked Rufe from the time he was introduced into Quick Pivot; he is a good character and he provides a good foil for Joe. The intensity, and pacing, of the story helped me feel as if I was truly part of the action.
The call that someone has died at the rectory pulls newspaper writer Joe Gale into a much bigger story than the death of a man he admired. Father Patrick Doherty while well respected within the community as a whole has been placed in an unpopular position with the consolidation of area churches. Joe finds it hard to get a solid grip on either major story; what might have lead to the murder of a respected man and who is placing growingly dangerous bombs in the area.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the other two books in this series, this is a compelling read. Great characters, lots of twists and turns, and a real sense of Joe's conflicts, both personal and professional.