Shooting for the Stars
A Gil Malloy Novel #2
R.G. Belsky
Atria, August 2015
ISBN 978-1-4767-6236-4
Trade Paperback
From the publisher—
Some thirty years ago, movie star Laura Marlowe was shot to death by a crazed fan in New York City, who then killed himself. The police ruled it a murder-suicide, the case was closed, and the beloved starlet faded away into history. But when New York Daily News reporter Gil Malloy re-investigates Marlowe’s death, long-buried secrets emerge and he begins to uncover the trail of a new serial killer. And more people are dying. Now, before he can solve the current crimes, Gil must find out what really happened to Laura Marlowe all those years ago.
There’s something that really appeals to me about investigative journalists, maybe because I admire their unwavering drive to find the truth. That liking for nosy reporters 😉 carries over to the fictional types and I was glad to discover that Gil Malloy can be added to the roster of those I like to follow.
Gil is an interesting guy, really into what some would call snooping but what I call having a true enthusiasm for following one lead after another until the facts add up. He also has a burning desire to hold onto his job at a time when print journalism is fading away and more and more emphasis is being put on TV and online venues and their natural inclination towards short clips of news. It doesn’t help his outlook when he’s assigned to do a promotional piece on a hotshot TV reporter who’s about to break a big story regarding a movie star who was murdered by a fan years earlier.
When Gil meets Abbie Kincaid, though, he’s in for more than one surprise, including the revelations that she’s been dating a Mafia boss’s son and she’s packing. He’s even more blown away when she tells him what her big exclusive is all about but the real shock is still to come.
Shooting for the Stars is a quick read and the pacing is nearly ideal. Mr. Belsky is sure-handed in his characterizations and plot development and I’m just sorry I haven’t encountered his work before now. Many good things have been said about Gil’s first adventure, The Kennedy Connection, and I’m looking forward to picking that up while I wait for the next one.
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, August 2015.
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