Book Review | Caustic P.I. is back in another Hollywood whodunit
David Hiltbrand is a well-known name in Philadelphia circles, as his movie reviews, entertainment reporting and weekly column, "Dave on Demand," have appeared regularly in The Inquirer. But he has also branched out into writing novels that make good use of his entertainment background.
By David Hiltbrand
HarperPaperbacks, 212 pp. $6.99
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Reviewed by Sarah Weinman
David Hiltbrand is a well-known name in Philadelphia circles, as his movie reviews, entertainment reporting and weekly column, "Dave on Demand," have appeared regularly in The Inquirer. But he has also branched out into writing novels that make good use of his entertainment background.
The latest, Dying to Be Famous, brings back likable private investigator Jim McNamara (after Deader Than Disco and Killer Solo), whose opinionated, caustic ruminations about the underbelly of the music and television industries elevates a fairly standard mystery novel into a certified guilty pleasure.
McNamara is a refugee of the music world, where constant drugging and drinking destroyed his marriage and forced him to mend his wayward ways. But unlike other recovered alcoholic P.I.s, McNamara makes no bones about how his wiseacre personality is still very much in place. "Left to my own devices, I'm still inherently dishonest, restless, angry and self-centered." All of these fine qualities come into play when McNamara gets a phone call from Mitch Reynolds, producer of the hit TV show Star Maker (a thinly disguised version of American Idol) that "the mothership has sprung a leak" in the form of a dead body.
Matt Hanes, the perceived front-runner for the current edition of Star Maker, has been found murdered in the house he shared with his fellow contestants, all of whom instantly become suspects in McNamara's book. How could they not, with such high tensions and skyrocketing ambitions over the competition? Add an executive producer who can't get through the morning - let alone the day - sober, an ex-junkie parent of one of the contestants whose family reunion seems more than a little shady, and the whiff of scandal in the form of competition-fixing rumors. McNamara has more than enough to handle and dodge in order to solve the mystery of who killed Matt.
That very mystery is somewhat thin; it's hard to believe that the LAPD, even if Hollywood is a "company town," would step aside and let McNamara have free rein questioning potential suspects and building leads.
He also gets a lot of help from Whitey, a fellow AA member who seems to have access to all sorts of inside information that is doled out just when it's time for another plot twist. Though McNamara is a private investigator, his demeanor and Hiltbrand's narrative structure bear more resemblance to an amateur-sleuth story.
At a shade over 200 pages, Dying to Be Famous, while fast-paced, is also rushed. The story is spiced up with "spot the celebrity" references to American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson (with enough changes to circumvent any prospective lawsuits). The interactions McNamara has with them and with contestants are certainly entertaining, but a little more depth in the form of character development and motivation would have been helpful.
The only supporting player who merits any hint of realism is Roxie, one of Star Maker's assistants and McNamara's love interest. Their relationship, while sudden, is at least grounded in mutual liking and companionship, and the sparks - if somewhat infrequent - are at least present.
But if pure entertainment was what Hiltbrand aimed for, he has succeeded in a big way. Dying to Be Famous is lighthearted and fun, filled with plenty of catfights, dirty dealings and name-dropping to catch even the most clueless celebrity consumer up on a still-popular sector of Hollywood. It's clear he knows this beat well, and the knowledge shows through in this entertaining mixture of froth and edge.