Bad Boy Beat

When a rookie reporter is convinced a series of street crimes are connected, she is willing to go the extra mile to chase down the big story.

Boston Standard journalist Emily - Em - Kelton is desperate for a big story. As a new reporter Em covers the police beat, which has her responding to every crime that comes across the newsroom scanner. Despite the drudgery and the largely nocturnal hours, it's a beat that suits her - especially with her affinity for the low-level criminals she regularly interacts with and what she considers a healthy scepticism for the rules.

But she's sick of filing short news briefs about random street murders that barely merit a byline, and when she sets out to cover yet another shooting of a low-level dealer, she begins to wonder if these crimes are somehow connected.

With not much to go on but her instincts, Em sets out to uncover the truth behind these sordid crimes. But the more she investigates and uncovers a pattern, the more she digs herself into a hole from which she might not come out of alive...

Clea Simon draws on her career as a journalist and delivers a fast-paced and intricate plot and intriguing characters with the city of Boston coming to life. This mystery will appeal to fans who love a strong female protagonist, unexpected twists and turns and a mind-blowing ending!

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About

    
 
 
       Ted Drozdowski 
 
 
  A Perfect Balance of Classic Mystery and Original Storytelling! The classic elements of great mystery novels are the fabric of Clea Simon’s engrossing new thriller. Are people who they claim? What are their true motivations? And there’s the real suspense of what might happens next. And to whom. The Butterfly Trap is fodder for a great unmade Hitchcock film. Nonetheless, while embracing all of what makes great mysteries great, this book also has a life of its own and a truly refreshing—and timeless—balance to its storytelling. Readers will be spellbound!this book also breathes new and original life into all of that.
  
 
      wmwalsh 
 
 
  Buuterly expresses both love and entrapment Clea Simon is a Boston author on the lines of Dennis Lehane and that guy that wrote Spenser for hire, and she has lived deep within Boston/Cambridge's most important cultural scenes: Harvard, the rock scene, the Museum of Fine Arts School and art scene, the publishing world, the high tech and science industry. When reading her books I can picture places and faces now gone by, such as the Arsenic and Old Lace store. She creates compelling characters and vivid imagery and build suspense, it's hard to put this book down!In this book, she creates two characters who are both passionate about their very separate worlds. Greg is a doctor, Anya is an artist. The title, The Butterfly Trap, refers to a bright blue butterfly in a frame that Greg purchases at an arts market. Greg sees it as an inspiring specimen and a loving symbol of Anya. Anya sees it as a one-living creature that is now in a cage.This central conflict between these characters represents their differing views of the world, which one can see and feel played out in Boston/Cambridge at large. The urge to create and to experience life versus the urge to classify, codify and profit from life and its creations.
  
 
      A. Trumbore 
 
 
  A Haunting, Twisting Masterpiece of Psychological Suspense A a darkly elegant and addictive page-turner that hooked me from the very first chapter. A fine sense of dread permeates the fairy tale romance at the heart of this book until you realize these two characters are on completely different pages , and the truth lies somewhere in-between. Told in a riveting “he said/she said” structure, the story keeps you questioning every motive and memory, building a slow-burning tension that explodes in the most unexpected way. Beautifully written, deeply unsettling, and impossible to put down!
  
 
      Anthony Tommasini 
 
 
  Clea Simon's engrossing new novel An excellent, compelling and richly subtle story of a complex relationship between a gifted and intense artist and a decent and needy doctor, told from both perspectives. Terrific writing. Vivid characters. Highly recommended.
  
 
      James Rutenbeck 
 
 
  Engrossing Engrossing--I couldn't put it down.
  
 
      Amazon Customer 
 
 
  Toxic self-delusion and self-justification, portrayed with scary clarity What a brilliant, evocative, and haunting book! I thought I had it all figured out by the second chapter, as it was creepily reminiscent both of Clea Simon's earlier "Bad Boy Beat" and "World Enough" and (going farther back in time) of "Lolita," and the 1960 novel/film "The Collector." My guesses were way off, and the ending was a horrific surprise. Simon's use of the "unreliable narrator" technique is masterful in characterizing both protagonists.
  
 
      Laurie H. 
 
 
  A taut thriller. Excellent book! I was pulled in from the very beginning. I love the different perspectives that make you wonder who to believe. Well written, a page turner that doesn't disappoint.
  
 
      M Ferris 
 
 
  Good bleak fun Magnificently dark and highly recommended. This is the most cynical take on a male-female relationship I've read since "Gone Girl."
  
 
      Chris M. 
 
 
  Deep and Dark The best Simon mystery yet, A page turner with a surprise ending.
  
 
      Ashley Campbell 
 
 
  Slow burn domestic thriller! The Butterfly Trap by Clea Simon is a dual perspective thriller that explores the perceptions we have in relationships. A real slow burn domestic thriller.It's a story of opposites attract with Greg and Anya. Greg is a serious doctor who is completely devoted to Anya. Anya is an alluring free spirit artist. Over time their marriage begins to fall apart but the question is who is really to blame?This book was definitely a slow burn but absolutely stick with it. I did really like the dual perspective, it was very intriguing hearing the same story played out but with two different viewpoints. I didn't particularly like either of the characters but they are definitely toxic and that made them interesting. Definitely recommend!Thank you to NetGalley, Clea Simon, and Severn House for this ARC. Publication day is March 4th 2025.