Review: California nightmares
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 27, 2012
This book is gritty, sleazy, and entirely satisfying. The author demonstrates, sometimes graphically, sometimes eloquently, how the Hollywood fantasy insinuates itself into the psyches of all the characters, warping them, in one way or another.  These characters are all profoundly flawed, some lethally, and some terminally.  Some of them are motivated by greed.  Some of them are lost, and drift, ever downward into the tragedy of despair.  Many make bad choices rooted in that despair, and their actions lead, inevitably to more profound desperation.  Whatever motivates these people, they are all reaching for the illusive brass ring of fame and riches, only to find that it is a fantasy offering mostly empty promises.This book is so satisfying, though, because, in most cases, a vein of decency runts through most of these characters, and it is this innate decency which saves this book from being just another tale about reprehensible people doing terrible things to one another.True, there are a couple of characters who are so profoundly wounded that they have lost their humanity, and their psychopathy is terrifying, mostly because it is believable.The protagonist, however, flawed as he is, understands his flaws and the results of his own choices and actions, and it is his basic decency which ultimately saves him, and, ultimately, this book isn't about sleaze, but about decency, self knowledge and responsibility.The writing is extremely readable and proficient, and the author has an eye for those little details that can make a scene spring into vibrant life.  His characters are unique and interesting, and their dialog is so natural that, even reading it via the computer voice of the text to speech, I can hear their voices in my head.  The ending is completely impossible ...pure fantasy, in fact, and absolutely wonderful.  I didn't see the resolution of the mystery coming, yet, when it did, my immediate reaction was "of course!"  This is an excellent read, more thought provoking and disturbing than it seems on the surface, and I recommend it without reservation.