I prefer to think that police officers are neither callous nor stupid; they perform such an important public service after all. Similarly, I would like to think that most reporters are searching for the truth and not to sell a story; they play such a big role when it comes to us understanding our reality and the societal forces acting on us.

But were a baby to be kidnapped and a fifteen year-old be caught in a situation where bad cops and terrible journalists are trying to implicate her, then Catherine A. Winn’s Beyond Scandal would be something that could quite likely come to life, at least in the opinion of a non-cop, non-journalist like myself.

Winn’s book is a quick and easy read. It is a well-written book as well, although there are some parts that could do with ironing to ensure a smoother reading experience. The characters could have made for some more development that would have helped understand and appreciate the story more. The change in the quality of the relationship between the main protagonist and her stepfather, for example, came as a surprise. Either the protagonist admits that she was wrong about him and offers theories as to why, or the story should have delved more into the premise of their relationship so that even if the protagonist doesn’t quite understand what happened, the reader has a good idea why.

I would still recommend this book as an easy, quick, and very engaging read and look forward to reading more from this author.