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mbondlamberty's review against another edition
3.0
If you aren't crazy about the Guys and Dolls era, both for the despicable men and inane women, this isn't the book for you.
It is a hypothesis of what actually happened to real-life (well once) Jean Spangler back in the golden days of movie studios.
Most characters are not real, but the setting and Jean are/were.
Not a terribly likable narrator and the behavior of people is abhorrent, which is why I probably only gave it a 3, but it is a fast and otherwise enjoyable read.
It is a hypothesis of what actually happened to real-life (well once) Jean Spangler back in the golden days of movie studios.
Most characters are not real, but the setting and Jean are/were.
Not a terribly likable narrator and the behavior of people is abhorrent, which is why I probably only gave it a 3, but it is a fast and otherwise enjoyable read.
epubprincess's review against another edition
DNF at 52%
I really wanted to love this book. Megan Abbott is one of my favorite authors and I love the feel of Hollywood noir. This book is about the famous unsolved murder mystery of Hollywood starlet Jean Spangler. Her case is fascinating and I figured that if anyone's imagination could fill in the blanks and make a great novel, it would be Megan Abbott.
I was sadly disappointed.
The book follows a man named "Hop" who follows a trail to figure out this crime, but his journey was so boring that I stopped reading. He's a stereotypical antihero of that time period. The story is a rambling, meandering mess that never really gets where it's going. There were so many possibilities with this topic. Abbot could have explored Spangler's life and difficulties in Hollywood and how those play into that time period.
Megan Abbott is still a very talented writer, but I don't feel like this book was a true depiction of her talent.
I really wanted to love this book. Megan Abbott is one of my favorite authors and I love the feel of Hollywood noir. This book is about the famous unsolved murder mystery of Hollywood starlet Jean Spangler. Her case is fascinating and I figured that if anyone's imagination could fill in the blanks and make a great novel, it would be Megan Abbott.
I was sadly disappointed.
The book follows a man named "Hop" who follows a trail to figure out this crime, but his journey was so boring that I stopped reading. He's a stereotypical antihero of that time period. The story is a rambling, meandering mess that never really gets where it's going. There were so many possibilities with this topic. Abbot could have explored Spangler's life and difficulties in Hollywood and how those play into that time period.
Megan Abbott is still a very talented writer, but I don't feel like this book was a true depiction of her talent.
tscott907's review
4.0
Horrifically dark but enticingly so. I’ve said before that Megan Abbott is one of a blessed few authors from whom I can tolerate the “women are so dark and unknowable!” shtick, because she’s so good at it. Despite the fact that he’s objectively terrible, I found myself very charmed by Hop — although I would hate him if he were a real person — and rooting for him, in a way. This book has the darkest, most intriguing sheen of noir on it and the writing style to pull it off. Absolutely will not be for everyone and I’m not going to blithely recommend this! But good God damn, is it good.
hpuphd's review against another edition
3.0
A 1950s Hollywood publicist tries to solve the disappearance of a starlet. This is the least of the six books by Megan Abbott that I have read, but it is still smart and mostly enjoyable. The homage to hard-boiled fiction and film noir is the main appeal. The scenes too often blend together. It makes you wonder if a more clearly worked-out organization would also give the story more drama.
novelinsights's review against another edition
4.0
This was possibly the first noir novel I've ever read, and I enjoyed the setting. In particular, I was struck by the fast-paced and witty dialogue that I think is probably inherent to the genre, as I am a huge fan of both Gilmore Girls and Firefly for the same trait. I also enjoyed this story's unique perspective on the murder mystery. Usually, when reading a thriller, the main character is a detective or the victim's loved one, i.e. someone with motive to solve the case. Occasionally, of course, the story is instead told from the perspective of the criminal. This book, however, had the unique distinction of being told from the perspective of a Hollywood PR man, whose job it was to cover up incidents which might make the stars look bad. Because the missing girl was last seen with a couple of very big name actors, he did his part back in the day to cover up everything he knew about that night and keep the cops off the actors' tails. Now, about two years later, he's being pulled back in and wants to learn more about the case while keeping the rest of the world in the dark. I appreciated that chaotic neutral approach to crime-solving.
I only had a few minor complaints about this one, the first being that I wasn't able to follow the characters' conversations in a couple of places. Mainly this is due to the 50's slang combined with the incorporation of characters who were real people in Hollywood at the time. I didn't know who Mickey Cohen was, for one, and in another conversation, it was established that one character had syphilis without ever actually saying it outright, and I could tell I was a page or two behind where I was supposed to be in figuring out what they were trying to say. This might not be a problem for true aficionados of that era or culture, but as someone who doesn't read this stuff often, I felt like the author may have misjudged what common knowledge readers might be coming to the book with.
The other complaint I had was in regards to the protagonist, Hop. On a few occasions, he's described as acting uncharacteristically violent, and it's described as though he isn't in control of it but that it's simply happening. With that element put into a murder mystery, I assumed it would be important in the end, but it actually didn't really end up mattering at all, and I wasn't sure what the author was trying to get at by including it in the first place.
I only had a few minor complaints about this one, the first being that I wasn't able to follow the characters' conversations in a couple of places. Mainly this is due to the 50's slang combined with the incorporation of characters who were real people in Hollywood at the time. I didn't know who Mickey Cohen was, for one, and in another conversation, it was established that one character had syphilis without ever actually saying it outright, and I could tell I was a page or two behind where I was supposed to be in figuring out what they were trying to say. This might not be a problem for true aficionados of that era or culture, but as someone who doesn't read this stuff often, I felt like the author may have misjudged what common knowledge readers might be coming to the book with.
The other complaint I had was in regards to the protagonist, Hop. On a few occasions, he's described as acting uncharacteristically violent, and it's described as though he isn't in control of it but that it's simply happening. With that element put into a murder mystery, I assumed it would be important in the end, but it actually didn't really end up mattering at all, and I wasn't sure what the author was trying to get at by including it in the first place.
sarfow11's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite of Megan's, but still compelling!! Most of the book was just the main character running around and chatting. I like my plots to have a bit more meat, and the ending was relatively predictable. Still, the language and imagery were both stunning, as per Abbott usual. Solid 3 star read.
julieh46's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
radioactve_piano's review
2.0
Having read so many glowing reviews (and generally liking noir), I wanted to like this more than I did. I love the idea of a dead case being used as inspiration for a novel, but I felt like it didn't quite work with this book. I know I shouldn't judge a whole book based on the last ten pages, but Abbott was her own PR character with this true crime story -- put a wonderful Hollywood spin on an already-seedy Hollywood story that just didn't need the dressing up to be tantalizing. Cut the ending out and I would have been happier. Alas.
The writing was also a little less than what I was expecting. She channels the style well, but misses something. Perhaps it was the general gender-violence-as-a-metaphor-for-cynicism; there is so much more to noir than various violent permutations of male vs. female, but she failed to capture that. Overall, not as rich of a read as I was hoping for.
The writing was also a little less than what I was expecting. She channels the style well, but misses something. Perhaps it was the general gender-violence-as-a-metaphor-for-cynicism; there is so much more to noir than various violent permutations of male vs. female, but she failed to capture that. Overall, not as rich of a read as I was hoping for.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
3.0
A booze-soaked wannabe-noir mystery, this is based on a true story of a starlet who went missing in 1949. When a publicity dude who knows more than he should decides to find out what really happened after drunkenly spilling secrets to a girl reporter . . . it's a surprisingly boring story. There is absolutely zero dramatic tension and I almost didn't even finish it. The end was kind of ok, but really, totally a boring book. B-.