Burying the Lede

Tony Harrington #1

by Joseph LeValley

A horrific double murder in small town Iowa leads to the arrest and trial of the young man who owned the murder weapon. Tony Harrington, a reporter for the local daily paper, doesn't believe the man is guilty. His search for the truth sparks a chain of events with tragic consequences. Undaunted, Tony pushes on, risking everything to uncover the most important facts - the story's true "lede." But even Tony can't imagine the magnitude of the evil he's facing or the true purpose behind the crimes that have besieged this quiet Iowa town. A first novel from author Joseph LeValley, Burying the Lede has it mystery, courtroom drama, romance, action, tragedy, villains, and heroes. Throughout the book, LeValley draws on his real-life experiences as a newspaper reporter to create a narrative with compelling details about the worlds of newspapers and the criminal justice system. The novel is as entertaining as it is shocking. Once you start reading Burying the Lede, you won't want to put it down. And each time Tony Harrington gets called out in the middle of the night, you will find yourself looking forward to going along for the ride.

Genres: Thriller

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2018

About the author

Joseph "Joe" LeValley credits his love of writing for every success in his life. He was a reporter-photographer for daily newspapers for seven years, covering crime/ criminal justice as his primary beat. Subsequently, he served for more than 30 years as a healthcare executive. During that time, he and his team won four national awards for communications excellence.

He began his latest career, as an author and public speaker, in 2018. He has published six mystery/thriller novels, and has written two more that are waiting on agents and editors.

As a musician, Joe plays drums and guitar. He has performed with a number of groups and has written more than 40 songs. In 2016, he was inducted with the Mourning Glory Rock Band into the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

A lifelong Iowan, Joe has a degree in journalism from Drake University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa. He and his wife Jane have six children and live in Dallas County, Iowa.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. No James Patterson, this. If I'm going to read a mystery, I'd at least like it to be somewhat within the realm of possibility. I didn't feel that here.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Levalley, a first-time novelist, has produced a terrific novel worthy of any veteran mystery writer. From the get-go, I was held ransom until I could finish this wonderful novel. The characters are authentic, and the dialog is reminiscent of Bruce DeSilva (The Dread Line and others) another excellent writer of journalist/investigators mystery novels.
The book kept me guessing and wondering who did it and more importantly, why it was done. This has politics, murder, and backstabbing all of which combine to make for an enthralling and rapidly-paced novel.
Readers will anxiously anticipate the arrival of the next installment of this new and intriguing series.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a breath of fresh air. Not your typical murder mystery. Mr. LeValley writes with a clever insider's view & takes you on a roller coaster ride you don't want to end. I'm looking forward to reading more about Tony Harrington.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, good characters, and moves at a nice pace. However, I'm from Iowa and even to me it seems a bit heavy-handed in the way this author tries too hard to tell the reader "I'm from Iowa and I know all these places and all these names of all these businesses and I want to make certain you know that I know them." I understand wanting to give the reader a sense of place and the names of most these places are made up, but gets a little distracting after a while.
For instance, one character makes a book suggestion and insists on going to "Walker's Books on the square to buy a copy", instead of simply saying "Let's go buy a copy at the bookstore downtown". The latter is much less fussy.
That level of detail is not needed here and I've noticed it is an issue with other Iowa authors who write books set in Iowa. They try too hard to name-drop, even when the names are fictional.
Maybe it's that famous Iowa insecurity these authors seem to all share coming to the surface but it does take one star away from my review.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very strong debut novel. It has all the pieces of a good mystery including a very relatable protagonist and a cast of characters that we get to know in very interesting plot lines. I knocked this out in less than four days-it kept me wanting to come back for more each time I set it down. I like that this is book 1 because I am picking up the second one to start tomorrow!

I am a big fan of William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner series…it’s set where I grew up; this is set in Iowa where I live now, and similarly, I love that the details bring you here, down the street from my house at Terrace Hill, or someplace rural.

I’m going to be a big fan of LaValley’s work!

[Marcia Kirke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good mystery by a first time author, Joseph LaValley. Good characters. Loved the court room scene and the defense lawyer’s final speech - it was like that of the one of Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mocking Bird - very inspiring. Also loved the reference to the Des Moines, Iowa area and Terrace Hill, our governor’s mansion. Mr. LaValley should keep going with the main character, Tony Harrington - a young reporter for the local paper. He has some growing up to do and is a delightful character.

[Larry Fane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole package

What does one require in good mystery writing? All are in this novel-good character development, good prose about the setting, great intrigue, well described action, and a very satisfying conclusion all of which were in this book. Of course I have seen most of the places (albeit fictional) from Iowa City to Terrace Hill and many years ago lived in a farmhouse almost exactly as accurately described in the opening chapters of the book. It fully deserves the five stars!

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A double homicide in a small Iowa town leads to an arrest and a wrongful conviction. After a third, then a fourth death appearing as suicides, a small-town newspaper reporter, Tony Harrington, gets caught in the middle. He finds clues that lead to an interesting political connection and his own life is threatened.

I seldom read novels, and even more rarely read murder mysteries, but I met the author recently and purchased this suspense-filled page-turner. This book is so professionally written, I'll buy and read more of his books.

[Tim Renshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good job, Joe

Being a former radio colleague and knowing you personally I was very interested in reading your work again but in a different format. You have come a long way from the days when you used to write an article every weekend in the Globe about your exploits and loaded with personal pronouns. And this murder-mystery is sure more riveting than some old book filled with baseball stats. Congratulations!

[Nick Stika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love when a debut novel reads like it's the 10th. Joe has created a universe that I would love to be apart of there in rural Orney, Iowa. As a native Iowan, I really enjoyed this book, and I am positive that those readers from outside the state will find this little slice of Iowa fiction refreshing. I'm looking forward to Tony Harrington's next adventure!

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars The author is an Iowan, & his writing shows his familiarity/knowledge of the State & it's topography/setting, good descriptions of the mannerisms of it's population. This reader is from a small town in IA, & his setting/description feels very familiar! His 'Afterword' was good too.... I'll definitely read more of this series.

[Elgin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, enough to keep reading it later than I should have. I also enjoyed it for the Iowa setting. My only disappointment is that the book seemed very similar to Greg Iles "Natchez Burning" series: a framed man, an newspaperman uncovering corruption, newsman's girl friend is killed, police involved in shady dealings... Still I did find the story compelling reading.

[Penny Foy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Joseph Levalley came to talk at our rotary club - very interesting conversation on his experience/background and how he became a writer. He has several more books- I'll definitely check them out!

[MaryAnn Lockey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not much into reading a series but had a chance to hear the author speak. I understand his books although a series are still very much different. It also helps I live in Iowa. This book held its own with other mysteries I’ve read without getting distractingly gruesome. I’m in.

[Dan Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Burying the Lede after meeting Joe LeValley yesterday. It's a great read! Joe has created terrific characters and a murder plot with some very interesting twists. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

[James Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book especially the details of Iowa. Living in Iowa it’s true we have amazing kind hearted people and great scenery that was so well written into this book. Awesome plot and made for a quick read. Hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I did.

[LeeAnn Hynden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not my typical genre of reading. However, I loved it! It took me less than 48 hours to finish. So many times I found myself thinking “I need to know what happens next!” I highly recommend!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Goodies4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good mystery. My criticisms are all nit-picky, so I’ll just say, “Read and enjoy.”

[Meg Lein Witt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book could have been edited down quite a bit (many unnecessary details) though I was quickly intrigued in the plot. Plus I quite enjoyed all the Iowa details!

[Mande Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoy and kept your attention til the end.

[Nate Didier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating read set in small town Iowa. Very fast paced with some twists and turns that make you ask “who done it?”

[Vickie Oddino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun crime book. I'll probably read the next in the series.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page-turner….looking forward to reading another book by this author.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

double murder mystery set in Iowa by local author

[Jan Stenzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. A political thriller - quite timely! I was surprised by the outcome. Took me a while to read - I’ve been busy. 😊

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being from central Iowa, I enjoyed all the Iowa references. It was an easy read.

[Amber Siever · Rating 3 out of 5]

A premise that stretches disbelief just a little too much. But loved the local references and drops and found the story an easy, quick read that I wanted to find out what happened.

[Rochelle Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all the twists and turns in this mystery. I'm looking forward to reading what Tony gets involved in the next book.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a small Iowa town, a new reporter moves to this small town and right away Ned’s to report a double murder. Will definitely read rest of books by this author!