by Stuart Woods
I must be having a mystery novel nostalgia attack. I reviewed a Parker sequel to a 1930’s Raymond Chandler story just a bit ago, and darned if I haven’t just finished another period piece by happen-stance. This one is by Stuart Woods; others by him have been reviewed by Nanc.
The locale for this one is Hollywood in the late 40’s with a movie studio as the setting. Two story elements were especially intriguing to me.
One was the shame of the blacklisting phenomenon in which political forces resulted in the ruination of careers of creative artists because of their early ties to communistic thought. I remember those days well, and, even in my immature days I lost all fondness for such figures as John Wayne, Robert Taylor, and Cecil DeMille (to say nothing of my distaste for Teller in his condemnation of Robert Oppenheimer).
Also at that time my interest in aviation peaked, and the author’s description of two of my very favorite aircraft, the Douglas DC3 and the Beech Staggerwing, was a delight. Woods is a pilot, and brings accurate aviation content into most of his stories.
I have read several of his other murder mysteries which feature Stone Barrington and Holly Barker as major protagonists. At least two of these also bring in a fascinating recurring evil genius/basically do-gooder assassin with a talent for disguise, technological expertise, and great survival skills. “Beverly Hills Dead” is evidently a prequel to another Barrington story; I haven’t read it yet, but I hope that CIA trained character plays a part in it.
In any event, the novel under review provides me, at least, with a nice insight into the milieu of movie making, the operations of a movie studio, and the functions of the people we see in the credits. It strains credibility, however, to read of the warm regard and genuine fondness all of the characters seem to have for one another -- actors, directors, producers, laborers, studio owners, and even agents. I can’t imagine that all Hollywood is made up of folks who never backstab, squabble, manipulate, or forswear greed. Even further, I found Woods’ characters, in this book, to be one-dimensional and bland.
On the other hand, his descriptions of processes and environments are rich, detailed, and apparently true to the time (e.g., the actions of the House Un-American Committee and the decision to make a location movie in a barren wilderness area no one has ever heard of, Jackson Hole Wyoming).
All in all, a good short read for a Spring evening with a spirits-laden drink by one’s side.
Reviewed by Ken West
The locale for this one is Hollywood in the late 40’s with a movie studio as the setting. Two story elements were especially intriguing to me.
One was the shame of the blacklisting phenomenon in which political forces resulted in the ruination of careers of creative artists because of their early ties to communistic thought. I remember those days well, and, even in my immature days I lost all fondness for such figures as John Wayne, Robert Taylor, and Cecil DeMille (to say nothing of my distaste for Teller in his condemnation of Robert Oppenheimer).
Also at that time my interest in aviation peaked, and the author’s description of two of my very favorite aircraft, the Douglas DC3 and the Beech Staggerwing, was a delight. Woods is a pilot, and brings accurate aviation content into most of his stories.
I have read several of his other murder mysteries which feature Stone Barrington and Holly Barker as major protagonists. At least two of these also bring in a fascinating recurring evil genius/basically do-gooder assassin with a talent for disguise, technological expertise, and great survival skills. “Beverly Hills Dead” is evidently a prequel to another Barrington story; I haven’t read it yet, but I hope that CIA trained character plays a part in it.
In any event, the novel under review provides me, at least, with a nice insight into the milieu of movie making, the operations of a movie studio, and the functions of the people we see in the credits. It strains credibility, however, to read of the warm regard and genuine fondness all of the characters seem to have for one another -- actors, directors, producers, laborers, studio owners, and even agents. I can’t imagine that all Hollywood is made up of folks who never backstab, squabble, manipulate, or forswear greed. Even further, I found Woods’ characters, in this book, to be one-dimensional and bland.
On the other hand, his descriptions of processes and environments are rich, detailed, and apparently true to the time (e.g., the actions of the House Un-American Committee and the decision to make a location movie in a barren wilderness area no one has ever heard of, Jackson Hole Wyoming).
All in all, a good short read for a Spring evening with a spirits-laden drink by one’s side.
Reviewed by Ken West
2 comments:
It is obvious that the author is not only aware of the modern readers short attention span, but purposely in avoidance of the great American novel syndrome.
The decency displayed by the main characters is not totally without relavance to the 'real' Hollywood. There was once a very strong 'family' ethic in the film capitol. From the outside looking in, those of us who worked on the lower rungs of the society, viewed those on the top rung treating each other very well indeed. The perks of success in Hollywood were boundless, the cold rejection of the "losers" and failures are well recorded by other writers. Stuart Woods makes no claim to being a critic in Beverly Hills Dead. Interesting use of the Blacklist Era to frame a fairly enjoyable story.
Ken, you were much more kind than I would have been with this novel. I found it boring and trite. Seriously not one of Woods' best efforts. Had the feeling it was a quicky for a few bucks and he was running on his reputation of the past to sell it. nanc
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