Death By Hollywood

Bobby Newman, Hollywood screenwriter, has writer's block--until he witnesses a gruesome murder. He knows a good story when he sees one, so he puts the event into a script. When the police get involved, the plot takes off. Dennis Franz reads in matter-of-fact tones, portraying the dog-eat-dog competition of the film industry and highlighting the underside of its glamour. As Newman, his agent, and the police converge, Franz shines a light on a heartless world. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

November 3, 2003
Some stories segue seamlessly into audio form while others are at their most compelling in book form. This gritty debut novel from Bochco, the co-creator of TV shows Hill Street Blues
, L.A. Law
and NYPD Blue
, lands squarely in the latter category. Bochco's tale of frustration, vanity and murder in Hollywood may be a slick, entertaining beach read, but unsuspecting readers who pop this audio adaptation into their cassette deck may feel slightly queasy by the end of the first tape. Franz's leering rendition of the book's countless obscenities and sex scenes transforms this material from raw to plain old raunchy. It can be difficult to distinguish one male voice from the next, but, worst of all, Franz's handling of Bochco's already two-dimensional women leaves them simpering and flat. At the very least, this is an audio book to listen to in complete privacy. The combination of off-color language and Franz's lascivious delivery would be better suited for a bachelor party than a family car trip. Simultaneous release with the Random hardcover (Forecasts, July 28).

July 28, 2003
This clever debut novel by the creator of Hill St. Blues, NYPD Blue
and other hit TV shows is as smooth and rich as the name-brand Chardonnays preferred by many of the book's fabulously conflicted Tinseltown characters. Narrator Eddie Jelko, an A-level agent, sets the stage by declaring, "It's a tough town and a tough business, and if you don't watch your step either one'll kill you, which I guess is what this story is actually about." Eddie's screenwriter client Bobby Newman's career is fading fast: he can't get a handle on a long-overdue screenplay, his drinking is out of control and his wife is having an affair with a sleazebag director. One drunken evening, Bobby sits down with his Bushnell telescope and spies on a couple making love in a nearby house. When they've finished, they begin to argue, and the woman, whom Bobby recognizes as a wealthy socialite, hauls off and kills her lover with an acting trophy. In any other town, Bobby would report the crime, but instead he sees it as both the solution to his writer's block and a vehicle to the top of the Hollywood heap. The story proceeds apace; the twists and turns are predictable but amusing, the agent jokes are funny and the O. Henry–style ending ties everything up with an attractive bow. A publisher's letter and star-treatment interview with Bochco attempt to add weight to this pleasing, slick-as-silk fiction, but there's no need for such addenda. The book is fast, fun, sexy and delivers plenty of inside dope on movie stars and their wacky lives. That's enough for millions of readers who aren't interested in slogging their way through War and Peace. Relax, guys, it's gonna be a hit. Agent, Mort Janklow. (Sept. 16)Forecast:Television watchers who have followed Bochco's career since
Columbo will relish the roman à clef elements as the author settles a few scores, and major promotional moves by Random House will get books moving fast and early.