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If It Bleeds, It Leads (2012) by Amanda M. Lee is the second entry in the Avery Shaw Mystery series. Amanda M. Lee uses her reporter‑sleuth protagonist Avery Shaw to confront death, family secrets and newsroom danger all in one chaotic week. The novel matters because it deepens Avery’s personal and professional stakes, establishes key relationships in the series, and sets the tone of witty but intense cozy crime that Lee has become known for.
Setting & Author Context
Amanda M. Lee sets Avery’s world in suburban Michigan, where Avery works at a local news desk and commutes through small‑town beats. The setting of the newsroom + local community environment provides the backdrop: workplace tensions → spill into → personal life. Lee herself draws on her background as a former newspaper reporter, so Lee’s style is marked by insider newsroom detail, snarky humor and a protagonist who’s both charming and tenacious. Lee → brings experience → authenticity in the journalistic setting.
Plot Summary (No Spoilers)
In If It Bleeds, It Leads, Avery Shaw’s week goes off the rails when a dead body turns up in the newspaper parking lot. That corpse triggers an investigation that uncovers drug ties and a connection to Avery’s own family. Avery must juggle her role as reporter and amateur sleuth while navigating missing relatives, family secrets and her own personal entanglements. The story follows Avery Shaw → who faces → a mixture of workplace drama and personal threat. As tension builds, Avery’s dual identity as journalist and investigator creates conflict: the professional role → collides with → personal risk.
Characters & Themes
Main characters:
- Avery Shaw: Local news reporter and sleuth; determined, witty and somewhat reckless. → Represents professional ambition and moral drive.
- Eliot Kane: Avery’s partner (and later husband in the series) who provides support and grounding. → Represents loyalty and the personal dimension of Avery’s life.
- Jake Farrell: The county sheriff and occasional ally; tension and history with Avery complicate things. → Represents law enforcement boundary and interplay with journalism.
- Avery’s cousin: (Unnamed in summary) serves as a personal connection to the case. → Represents family ties and hidden secrets.
Themes:
- Journalistic ethics vs. personal stakes: Avery’s investigation shows how her role as reporter complicates her personal life. Investigation → challenges → identity.
- Family secrets and accountability: The family connection in the case forces Avery to confront personal loyalty and truth. Family ties → reveal → danger.
- Workplace chaos meets personal danger: The newspaper setting becomes a scene of crime, blurring professional boundaries. Workplace setting → becomes → crime scene.
- Humour within danger: Amanda M. Lee’s tone juxtaposes snark with real stakes, making danger approachable yet serious.
Tropes & Reader Experience
If It Bleeds, It Leads uses familiar cosy‑mystery tropes plus journalist‑sleuth elements: a reporter protagonist who turns detective, a local community hiding secrets, and a mix of humor with peril. The tropes → define → reader expectations of light‑but‑serious mystery, witty dialogue and character‑driven narrative. Amanda M. Lee delivers on those expectations by combining snappy banter with real investigative tension: she → gives → humor + suspense. Reader reviews on Goodreads show an average rating around 4.2/5 for book #2 of the series.
Series Placement / Reading Order
If It Bleeds, It Leads is Book #2 in the Avery Shaw Mystery series by Amanda M. Lee.
Here’s a snapshot of early entries:
- Who, What, Where, When, Die (2011)
- If It Bleeds, It Leads (2012)
- Buried Leads (2013)
While If It Bleeds, It Leads can be read as a standalone mystery, readers will gain extra enjoyment from the character continuity, especially Avery’s evolving relationships and career progression. The series → created by → Amanda M. Lee builds forward momentum in both plot and character arcs.
Reader Suitability / Why Read It
If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a workplace twist especially in journalism, If It Bleeds, It Leads is a strong choice. The tone balances humor and suspense, making it appealing to fans of reporter‑sleuth narratives and character‑driven mysteries. Amanda M. Lee’s protagonist Avery Shaw is sharp, resilient and relatable—readers like thinking alongside her. The novel appeals to readers seeking entertainment with personality: a mystery that doesn’t sacrifice character for plot. For series readers, book #2 deepens stakes and character development while keeping the catalogue fresh.
Continue the Avery Shaw Mystery Series
Read other books in the Avery Shaw Mystery Series.