If It Bleeds

By Linda L. Richards

Nicole Charles didn’t go to journalism school to become a gossip columnist, but the job fell into her lap right out of school and her immigrant work ethic just won’t let her quit to find something she’d like better. It’s a good job, but she struggles with the stigma attached to her position by other reporters. More than anything, she wants to be a real reporter, but it looks like she’s never going to get a chance. Then one night while covering a gallery opening, she discovers a dead body in a dark alley. An upand- coming artist has been stabbed in the throat with an antique icepick. Nicole is right in the middle of the biggest story of the year. It’s the chance of a lifetime. Too bad someone had to die to make it happen. If It Bleeds is the first novel in a series of mysteries featuring rookie reporter Nicole Charles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raven Books
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781459807358

Linda L. Richards

Linda L. Richards is the editor and cofounder of January magazine (www.januarymagazine.com) and a regular contributor to The Rap Sheet (the rapsheet.blogspot.com). Mad Money, her first work of long fiction, was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for best first novel. Death Was the Other Woman is her hardcover debut. She lives near Vancouver.

Reviews for If It Bleeds

[wcath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If It Bleeds is part of the Rapid Reads series. It is the story of Nicole Charles, a rookie reporter at a newspaper in Vancouver. She is working as the gossip columnist for the paper, covering parties and galas, art openings and fancy fundraisers. She enjoys her job but is frustrated that opportunities to move into hard news are not presenting themselves at a paper that seems to have a well-established good ole' boys network. That all changes when she attends a gallery opening and discovers the artist dead in his car with an odd-looking tool stabbed in his neck.This was a very fast read and a fairly good story. I think the premise was good and there was a decent amount of background for the main character but it would have worked better as a little bit longer work. I think it would adequately hold the interest of a new reader or someone just learning to read.

[croknot1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It could have been better. As an adult, I found it a little too simple. If it were longer, and the characters had more depth, I think it would have been better. The mystery, also, wasn't developed very well. The main character, Nic, was more than dissatisfied with her job as a reporter, and tried her hand at detective work. I think it would be a good book for a YA.

[dulcibelle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meh. This qualifies as a Rapid Reads - it's novella length and moves along quickly - but that's part of the problem. We don't really spend enough time with these characters to learn anything about them, which makes it hard to understand how/why they are acting as they do. Add to that, this is a mystery that isn't really that mysterious (I had strong suspicions early on) and it wraps up with a lot of lucky guessing at the end. The publisher states that this imprint is for adults with literacy problems (among others). If the others in the imprint are like this one, it will serve that purpose well. It's easy enough to read and is definitely an improvement to the "see Spot run" types of books.

[cfk_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nicole Charles longs for the career as an investigative reporter for which she prepared with a journalism degree. She considers herself lucky to have landed a job as a gossip columnist and has made the most of it. But, she eagerly leaps at the chance for a real job when a dead body all but lands in her arms. Unfortunately, not only is the top reporter given the story, but he actually steals her lead for the first article and then proceeds to rub her nose in it. This story is short and sweet, too short to fulfill its potential and display the author's ability to layer the plot and characters more effectively. Clearly, Nicky is not a quitter and voices some frustration, but it's just not developed fully as a driving passion. Her mother offers up a warning as a nice bit of foreshadowing which then goes nowhere. Her antagonist is too polite at the end after being so nasty and dismissive toward her early on. This could have been much stronger in a longer format.

[oregonreader · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was an ERC that left me puzzled. I was surprised at how short it was, 159 pages of fairly large print. Then I noticed it was a "Rapid Reads" book. It is apparently part of a series of novels aimed at those who want to read an entire book in an hour or so. The book itself had promise. Richards creates a protagonist who is a young society reporter who wants to do serious stories. When an artist is found dead at a gallery opening she is covering, she sees her chance. But from there it goes down hill. Supporting characters are never developed, just there to help the plot speed along. Clues are never really shared with the reader, just apparently stored in the main character's head. At the end, she announces who the murderer was, without any real explanation, and there it ends. Richards seems to be a good writer and I plan on tracking down her other works.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was unfortunately a disappointing read. It really just fizzled out. The premise was interesting-a young reporter stuck on the gossip beat stumbles upon a murder outside an art gallery opening she has been scheduled to attend-but the ending just kind of happened, with not enough quality buildup or explanation.

[bookdivasreads · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wish I could find something nice to say about this book, but I'm limited to the following: it was short and a relatively quick read.

[madibour-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To put it simply, I found this book quite dry. Although the idea of the story was interesting, and the ending had a massive twist, I found the main character was lacking depth, and that important details were missing. The book felt incomplete; there was very minimal foreshadowing leading to the ending, making it seem as if the conclusion was for a different story. The solution to the case was a far reach from what was going on in the rest of the book. The idea for the whole book seemed to be too large for the number of words it was put into. But even putting all that into consideration, for a quick, mindless read I found the book to be enjoyable enough.

[jjking_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being a rapid read book book, just makes me want more of the story. Love how the main character was hungry for the story and the officer was willing to help. The story just left me wanting more,can't wait for my next Linda Richard story,there will be more.

[bayleaf_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

If It Bleeds is short on character development and plot. In fact, it's pretty unbelievable. Yes, the cub reporter wanting to rise in the ranks from a lowly position of gossip columnist to star crime reporter is pretty standard material, but the immaturity and actions of Nichole Charles are what make this novel so mind blowing. Nicole doesn't come off as an ingenious journalist; she looks like an immature and bumbling reporter wannabe. She uses her shoe to break into a dead artist's loft and that's good journalism? She's fortunate she didn't lose her job, instead of just being sent back upstairs to cover parties. In fairness to the author, the actual writing in the book is not bad (it read smoothly and easily), but the plot and character development needed a lot more work for it to be a finished product. There was reference in the author's note that lent me to think that this book is meant to be noir. If this is true, I'm left scratching my head.

[schatje_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nicole Charles is a Vancouver society columnist. She struggles with the stigma attached to her job and wants to be a real investigative journalist. She may have her chance when she discovers the body of Steve Marsh, an emerging artist. This book is part of the Rapid Reads series which, according to the publisher’s website, “is committed to providing books that will help adults achieve their literacy goals in an interesting and accessible way.” The short format certainly makes for a quick read. The problem is that there is insufficient opportunity for character development. The focus tends to be on plot, so the novel will appeal more to readers who want action. What I found confusing is that there were events that were mentioned but seemed to serve little purpose. Why, for example, are we told about Mrs. Fast and Mrs. Noble, two women who live in Nicole’s building? Why is there repeated reference to Nicole’s looking for a “good boob shot” for each social event she attends? Nicole’s visit to her mother also seems unnecessary since their conversation focuses on a woman’s trying to set Nicole up on a date?Some potential conflicts are introduced, but then they fizzle out. That is the case with both Erica West and Brent Hartigan. Why suggest conflicts if they are not going to be developed.There are events which do not seem realistic. Would a journalist who wants to be taken seriously focus on “boob shots”? Would that journalist risk being charged with break and enter? Would a newspaper editor permit plagiarism? Would a police investigator provide key evidence to a reporter and then ask that it not be revealed to the public for three days? This book is supposedly the first of a series of Nicole Charles mysteries. Perhaps some of the possible conflicts will be further developed in subsequent books. As the first in the series, this book does provide enough interest to entice readers to read the second.