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“Headlines & Deadlines” (2015) by Amanda M. Lee is the seventh installment in the Avery Shaw Mystery series. It follows reporter‑sleuth Avery Shaw as she juggles a high‑stakes investigation, newsroom politics and personal drama. The book matters because it advances Avery’s character arc, raises the stakes in her professional life and solidifies Lee’s signature blend of cozy‑mystery mechanics and newsroom satire.
Setting & Author Context
Amanda M. Lee sets the story in suburban Michigan, where Avery works for a local newspaper and covers crime, corruption and the odd sensational story. The setting of the newsroom and local community plays a key role: the workplace world → influences → Avery’s investigations, and the town’s hidden under‑belly → shapes → the tone of danger. Lee herself draws on her past experience as a newspaper reporter, so Lee’s style is marked by sharp dialogue, insider newsroom detail and a protagonist who is equal parts witty and determined.
Plot Summary (No Spoilers)
In Headlines & Deadlines, Avery Shaw finds herself back in the news department after a brief stint elsewhere. Her focus is on taking down her perennial nemesis, but when a local woman goes missing and is found dead, Avery is thrust into a major investigation. As she digs deeper, Avery uncovers a tangled web of underground activity, witnesses pointing in different directions and a husband with secrets. The investigation → triggers → Avery’s personal and professional journey as she balances her role as reporter, sleuth and woman in peril. The initial conflict (woman disappears → Avery investigates) sets off a chain of revelations that test Avery’s resilience, her alliances and her sense of truth.
Characters & Themes
Main characters:
- Avery Shaw: Local journalist and amateur sleuth; tenacious and sarcastic. → Represents professional integrity and risk‑taking.
- Eliot Kane: Avery’s supportive partner; tries to keep Avery grounded. → Represents loyalty and personal stakes.
- Tad Ludington: Avery’s newsroom rival; friction‑generator. → Represents career rivalry and tension.
- Jake Farrell: Law enforcement contact; occasional ally. → Represents the boundary between reporter and detective.
Themes:
- Truth vs. perception: Avery’s investigation shows how appearances can deceive—investigation → reveals → hidden motives.
- Workplace identity and ambition: Avery grapples with her role as reporter and what she’s willing to risk—career + identity → collide → growth.
- Danger lurking in everyday life: The suburban setting hides corrupt actions; everyday world → conceals → danger.
- Ethics of journalism: Avery’s dual role as reporter and sleuth raises questions about boundaries and responsibility.
Amanda M. Lee uses her voice to explore these themes in a tone that remains witty yet charged. The author often uses newsroom banter and investigatory tension as a means to develop character as much as plot.
Tropes & Reader Experience
Headlines & Deadlines uses familiar cozy‑mystery tropes—an amateur sleuth (Avery) who stumbles upon something dangerous; the professional setting (newspaper); a tangled social web of suspects. The tropes → define → reader expectations of humor, danger and resolution. Amanda M. Lee delivers on those expectations by combining light banter with real stakes: the reader experiences the thrill of an investigation without full‑on thriller intensity. According to Goodreads, the book holds a strong average rating (around 4.5–4.6/5) for its mix of character work and mystery.
Series Placement / Reading Order
Headlines & Deadlines is Book #7 in the Avery Shaw Mystery series by Amanda M. Lee.
Here are the first few titles for context:
- Who, What, Where, When, Die (2011)
- If It Bleeds, It Leads (2012)
- Buried Leads (2013)
- Shot Off the Presses (2014)
- The Preditorial Page (2014)
- Misquoted & Demoted (2015)
- Headlines & Deadlines (2015)
While Headlines & Deadlines can be read as a standalone mystery, readers will appreciate character callbacks and professional arcs more fully if they’ve read prior books in sequence. The series → created by → Amanda M. Lee increasingly builds emotional and relational continuity.
Reader Suitability / Why Read It
If you enjoy cosy mysteries with a professional‐setting twist (especially journalism), Headlines & Deadlines is a strong fit. The tone balances humor and suspense, making it appealing to fans of reporter‑sleuth narratives, workplace mysteries, and character‑driven fiction. Amanda M. Lee’s protagonist Avery Shaw is witty, capable and relatable—readers like thinking alongside her and cheering her on. The novel appeals to readers seeking both entertainment and personality, without veering into dark thriller territory. For series readers, this book offers deeper stakes and character development than some earlier entries.
Continue the Avery Shaw Mystery Series
Read other books in the Avery Shaw Mystery Series.