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Fair & Unbalanced (2025) by Amanda M. Lee is the twenty‑sixth installment in the Avery Shaw Mystery series. Amanda M. Lee uses her long‑running reporter‑sleuth, Avery Shaw, to explore a high‑octane case involving rival biker gangs, a dead man’s secret, and personal danger that strikes close to home. The book matters because it reintroduces Avery into a physically and emotionally intense scenario while maintaining the series’ signature workplace humor and cozy‑mystery spirit.
Setting & Author Context
Amanda M. Lee sets Fair & Unbalanced in Michigan (the broader setting of the Avery Shaw series) and places the narrative in the dangerous milieu of rival biker gang threats and a murder. The setting of the newsroom and the rough biker‑world collision contributes to a tone that is tougher and more suspense‑driven than typical cozy fare, yet Lee maintains her trademark snark and reporter’s lens. Amanda M. Lee’s style is grounded in her journalism background—Lee writes stories where the profession of reporting becomes a core part of the conflict, and her best‑known voice (Avery Shaw) reflects that newsroom authenticity.
Plot Summary (No Spoilers)
In Fair & Unbalanced, reporter Avery Shaw finds trouble once again when two rival biker gangs begin exchanging threats after one member is found dead. Avery Shaw lives by the motto “trust no one” and now she’s dealing with people she suspects are lying — the tension builds as Avery navigates threats, secrets, and danger both from the gangs and from those who want her excluded. When Avery uncovers a secret about the dead man that she is definitely not supposed to know, she suddenly finds herself holding key cards in a very dangerous game. The stakes climb when danger targets someone in Avery’s family and Avery realizes she can’t back out — she must see this through. The story follows Avery juggling professional investigation, personal stakes and her characteristic mouthiness as danger accelerates.
Characters & Themes
Main characters:
- Avery Shaw (reporter/sleuth) → represents tenacity, humor and professional curiosity.
- Eliot (Avery’s husband) → represents personal anchor and the voice cautioning Avery out of danger.
- Dead man / biker gang members / rivals → represent hidden motives, danger and the collision of criminal underground with everyday life.
Major themes:
- Truth versus secrecy: Avery Shaw → uncovers → secret about the dead man.
- Danger in unexpected worlds: A biker‑gang scenario collides with the reporter’s domain, so the novel → explores → how different worlds overlap.
- Professional identity and personal risk: The novel → shows → Avery’s work putting her personal life at risk when her family gets targeted.
- Balance of power: The title Fair & Unbalanced hints at how justice, fairness and imbalance play out in both journalism and the criminal underworld.
Amanda M. Lee uses her voice to merge cozy‑mystery humor with heightened stakes—readers get both laughs and sharper thrills as Avery navigates this more dangerous terrain.
Tropes & Reader Experience
Fair & Unbalanced uses several familiar cozy‑mystery tropes: a professional protagonist (reporter) who turns sleuth, a scenario with clear time‑sensitivity and danger, and a blend of work and personal stakes. But the biker gang element adds grittier tension than some previous entries in the series. The story appeals to fans of reporter‑sleuth narratives, humor‑laced investigation, and cozy mysteries with higher stakes. Amanda M. Lee delivers an experience of fast‑paced investigative tension without losing the series’ accessible light tone. On Audible, the audiobook holds a 4.9 out of 5‑star average with 25 ratings.
Series Placement / Reading Order
Fair & Unbalanced is Book #26 in the Avery Shaw Mystery series by Amanda M. Lee.
Here is a brief sequence around it:
- Book #24: Banner Headlines & Late Deadlines (2024)
- Book #25: Bossy Nos & Circulation Woes (2025)
- Book #26: Fair & Unbalanced (2025)
While the novel offers a self‑contained mystery, reading earlier books deepens familiarity with recurring characters (like Avery’s husband Eliot) and professional arcs. The series → created by Amanda M. Lee continues to evolve Avery’s world, and this installment builds on long‑term character relationships and themes of journalism.
Reader Suitability / Why Read It
Fair & Unbalanced is ideal for readers who enjoy cozy mysteries anchored in a professional setting (especially newsroom/reporting), who want to see a long‑running protagonist (Avery Shaw) face new levels of danger, and who appreciate witty voice mixed with investigative suspense. The novel appeals to fans of reporter sleuths, workplace comedy‑mystery hybrids, and cozy reads that still deliver adrenaline. The story inspires enjoyment, curiosity and a sense of personal risk for the hero—not so cozy that there’s no danger, but still within a familiar universe. If you like mysteries that balance humor and tension, this one stands out.
Continue the Avery Shaw Mystery Series
Read other books in the Avery Shaw Mystery Series.