When Holden Burnside, a respected journalist and one of Alex Vane’s mentors, commits suicide, everyone is shocked. Especially since he and Alex had dinner the night before, and Holden was gathering notes for a new book. This doesn’t sound like a man who’s planning to end his life. Another journalist, Shannon Brass, feels the same way, so they investigate. But, before they find any definite answers, another journalist is killed, then another. This book, the end of a series, is full of twists and turns as a deranged killer targets investigative journalists—reminding us how risky their job can be. I like how the author hinted that today’s news is sometimes delivered with more opinions than facts. Certainly, online headlines are often posted as clickbait to generate views rather than inform the public. I’m glad Alex has decided to leave his Media Company, The Barker, and dive back into hard reporting in the future. Good luck, Alex. ( )

Renowned journalist Holden Burnside is dead, apparently at his own hand in a leap from the balcony of a seventeenth story apartment. Journalist Alex Vane, once a student of Burnside’s, had met with the man for dinner the evening before, and has trouble believing the professor actually killed himself. Teaming up with a journalist from an internet site dedicated to investigative journalism, he sets out in search of the truth. But with the death of two other journalists, he has reason to believe that Holden Burnside’s death might also have come at the hands of a murderer. Can Alex find the answers he seeks before he becomes the target of a deranged killer?

This book, fifth and final one in the Alex Vane Media Thriller series, contains brief references to events in earlier books in the series, but mostly stands on its own. Character development is minimal in this quick-read tale; readers who enjoy investigative journalism may find it interesting, particularly in light of its timeliness and relevancy. However, readers may be disappointed that some major plot points, particularly involving the information in the journalist’s notebook, are left unresolved. ( )