Review of Above the Fold and Below the Belt by Amanda M. Lee

Avery Shaw has taken on her fair share of jerks.
Often, she’s considered the jerk when she takes them down … a role she gladly relishes.
Now, though, she’s taking on a whole faction of jerks.
It seems a battle of the sexes is brewing in Macomb County. A local shock jock, a man who believes women should be home tending children and keeping the house clean while men bring home the bacon, is on trial for sexually harassing his underlings.
His followers believe he’s innocent. Every female empowerment group in the state – and ultimately the nation – believes he’s guilty. That means it’s a media circus, and there’s nothing Avery likes more than a circus.
She has her hands full with this one, though. She very clearly agrees with one side but there seems to be something wrong with the underlying story. When one of the radio personality’s followers is shot in the middle of a rally, ensuring he’s a martyr for the cause, Avery realizes there’s a path to follow … and it’s long and winding.
Avery knows who she wants to win. She also knows someone isn’t telling the truth. It’s her job to find out which side is lying.
It’s all hands on deck for another zany adventure, and everyone is along for the ride. Who’s left standing at the end is anyone’s guess, but Avery smells blood in the water … and she’s going to find the truth no matter who goes down in the process.

Available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

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Above the Fold and Below the Belt is Book 14 in the Avery Shaw Mysteries and one of the best ones I’ve read in the series for a while.

I love following a good series and I don’t even mind (too much) when a couple of books maybe rely more on readers’ love for characters to move the story. But I appreciate it when we’re given a good juicy mystery to sink our teeth into, like in the beginning of the series.

The mystery: Who killed Dan Crawford? He’s mean and archaic and there’s little love lost for him.  That doesn’t mean Avery won’t dig deep until she finds out who murdered him.  On top of that she wants to find out just how many dirty secrets the local shock jock, Bart Savage, is hiding and if the claims of assault against him are true.  These two cases play off of each other.  There are a couple unexpected twists, several culprits, motives, opportunities and really believable red herrings thrown in along the way.  The pacing of this book is excellent.  Every chapter moves us forward in the cases and we still get a sprinkling of interaction with series favourites.

Avery and Eliot continue to make strides in their relationship with each one trying to figure out the best way to compromise without having to change too much.  It’s fun to read them interacting and having each other’s back.  Avery’s family continues to be hilariously annoying.  Any time her Grandpa gets more page time, you know you’ll be well-entertained.

I also like that the theme of this book is a topical one.  Protest signs and subtext could be ripped from almost any high profile sexual assault or women’s rights case of recent years.  But it’s not overdone and this book certainly isn’t a soapbox.  Stereotypes from various sides are pulled out and poked at.  That said, if conversations about sexual assault are a trigger for you then you may want to pass on this book.

Overall, I found this instalment to be well-plotted, attention keeping and a really good read.  I give it 4.5/5 espresso shots.