Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully Crafted Pieces of Mystery, Comedy and Drama
Review: In Rupert Holmes' debut novel WHERE THE TRUTH LIES K. O'Connor, a 26 year old female journalist who specializes in penetrating celebrity interviews, is working on an as-told-to autobiographical book on the lives of one of the most famous comedy teams of the 40s and 50s Vince Collins & Lanny Morris. Soon O'Connor becomes involved -- maybe a little too involved for her own good -- with both members of the legendary comedy team, one of whom may be a murderer. Much of the book takes place in the 70s with some flashbacks to the 50s as the comics look back on their careers and lives. In this one book Holmes takes you from LA to New York to Miami. With stops along the way at the Warner Brothers studio back lot, the hidden 'Club 33' at Disneyland, backstage at a Mets game, and so many great restaurants your mouth is likely to be watering throughout much of the ride. Holmes describes his settings so well it is hard not to imagine yourself right there along with 'K' throughout the whole novel. There are many splendid twists and turns as the story unfolds in a lively narrative and I don't want to ruin it for anyone out there by giving away too much more of the story line. Readers of Holmes' WHERE THE TRUTH LIES will enjoy his clever wordplay, wry observational narrative, sparklingly realistic dialogue, and his remarkable attention to detail throughout the book. Two or three times in the novel Holmes gets more explicit, sexually, than I expected him to (based on his many other works which I am familiar with). Whenever Holmes does this it is part of the plot of the book, what drives the characters and what moves the story line along and not just thrown in to make the novel sensational (remember much of the story takes place in the world of showbiz during the over-the-top decadent 70s). (I mention the sex only because this book is not appropriate for everyone -- i.e.: I wouldn't give it as a gift to say my Grandmother or a 14 year old relative -- you can use your own judgement in each case as to who the book is right for and who it is wrong for). After reading Rupert Holmes' debut novel from cover to cover I must say that although Holmes may not have set out to write a comedy... the TRUTH is you will definitely find yourself enjoying many a silent smirk of humorous recognition and quite a few hearty laughs as you journey through the pages of WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. But don't try to fit Rupert Holmes into any ONE genre with this book. For it is pieces of mystery, pieces of comedy and pieces of drama. Just like real life Holmes takes parts of all these things and rolls them into one -- the GREAT news is Holmes is brilliant at writing ALL THREE -- mystery, comedy and drama!
Rating: 
Summary: powerful look back through a 1970s filter to the 1960s
Review: Journalist K. O'Connor looks back to her scribbles in the seventies when she was hired to write a book about the renowned sixties music-comedy team of singer Vince Collins and comedian Lanny Morris. When they were the kings, their career abruptly collapsed when a dead girl was found in their hotel room; both men had airtight alibis, but the public saw it differently. The act broke up and they have not seen each other since their fall from grace. O'Connor investigates Collins and obtains pages from a book Morris is writing. She begins to make further inquiries into the death that killed their career. As she comes closer to the truth, O'Connor wonders if she will K.O. one of her subjects, or will she be a victim too perhaps by a third party. WHERE THE TRUTH LIES is a powerful historiographical look back through a 1970s past filter to the 1960s Hollywood who-done-it that is at its best when O'Connor Remembers Wenn in the seventies via her notes of information for the biography she was writing. When the tale turns into a straight who-done-it it loses the entertainment industry glitter that lifts its out of the typical amateur sleuth tale though the investigation remains fun. O'Connor is a delightful individual filled with energy even when she just looks back to her notes. Fans will enjoy the escape into the past that this fine novel provides. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Compelling debut novel
Review: O'Connor is a journalist who has written exposes on Hollywood stars. Her current assignment is to work on a book about a famous comedy team duo the handsome singer Vince Collins and the comedian Lanny Morris. (Think Martin and Lewis) There are secrets in their past that O'Connor must uncover including a murder. The way to the truth lies in her multiple series of interviews she will have with Vince Collins who for one million dollars will tell all. A problem develops, however, when she meets Lanny strictly by coincidence on a trip to New York. He is writing his own autobiography so he is not interested in O'Connor's project. Under an assumed name she develops a relationship with him but is always under the threat that either Vince or Lanny is a murderer. The question is who?
Rupert Holmes has written a delightful first novel. One cannot help but think of Martin and Lewis when reading about this comedy team that broke up many years ago. Richly detailed characterizations and settings make this novel stand out. This is, however, a problem with the book in that details can be so painstakingly described (such as a trip to Disneyland by Vince and O' Connor), that pacing and plot progression suffer as the pages add up. The book, however, is quite compelling and the mystery puzzling enough to keep the pages turning. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, suspenseful, finely-crafted mystery
Review: Okay, the guy who wrote this excellent debut novel also happens to be the same guy who did the deliciously cheesy "Pina Colada Song." Get over it. Rupert Holmes is an impressive writer and apparently one of those supremely talented Renaissance types who can do everything well -- write, compose, sing, etc. The book is clever, suspenseful, laugh out loud funny, and the kind of book that sucks you in from the beginning and makes you want to neglect everything else in your life until you finish every page. What more could you want in a mystery novel?
Rating:
Summary: Another Terrific Story from Holmes
Review: Rupert Holmes is a storyteller at heart. He's told stories through popular songs (love it or hate it, but "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" is a 3-minute story), television (the lovely "Remember WENN"), stage (the funny and suspenseful "Accomplice," as well as "The Mystery of Edwin Drood") and now tackles the novel. "Where the Truth Lies" is a satisfying page-turner with terrific period detail and well-drawn characters. The main character, a young woman named O'Connor (she never shares her first name), is smart and competent, and if she's a little devious sometimes, it's well justified by the behavior of everyone around her. It's hard to say much about the plot without giving away too much. Rupert Holmes is a master of sneaky plot twists, and it would be criminal to leak them to someone who hasn't read the book. ("Accomplice," his Edgar award-winning play, was similarly twisty.) But in a nutshell, O'Connor is investigating Lanny Morris and Vince Collins, a former comedy duo (think Martin and Lewis) with a shared skeleton in the closet: twenty years earlier, a young woman was found dead in their hotel suite. The crime was never solved, and now O'Connor is writing a book about Collins with the promise that the truth will finally be exposed. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the entertainment world in the 1970s, a rich environment that Holmes, as a young singer-songwriter, probably experienced for himself in much the same way as his heroine. O'Connor is the outsider, the guest, taken to wondrous places she could never go on her own. Holmes' writing is funny and well-paced, and completely entertaining. He describes his settings so well, it feels as if we're there (especially the scenes that take place in Disneyland ... and could I be more jealous of O'Connor in those scenes?) Songs, plays, TV shows, novels ... regardless of the form, I hope we'll see many more stories from Rupert Holmes.
Rating:
Summary: It's Great!
Review: Take a Roman a' Clef about Martin and Lewis, add in a a murder mystery with numerous plot twists and complete with a dose of sex and drugs and you have Where The Truth Lies. This is a real page turner which gets better as it goes along. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Sophisticated and Intelligent Romp of a Whodunit
Review: The multi-talented Holmes first entered the scene with the notoriously famous "story" songs "Escape", "Him" and "Answering Machine." While he sustained this cleverness in a three or four minute song, I found it hard to swallow in this lengthy novel.
First off, there is no doubt Holmes has talent, as evidenced by his overwhelming success in "Edwin Drood" and "Accomplice." There is also no denying that this book has a lot of funny scenes and dialogue. The plotting is sharp, if a little muddled near the end; there are lots of twists and turns. He evokes a real feel for the seventies, a decade in which his stardom shot to the top and left him somewhere in the middle by the time it was over.
So why only three stars? I just didn't LIKE the book and it's self-serving, egotistical, devious, sexually depraved characters. While K. O'Connor certainly is an interesting character, her sexual lusts and her ease in being duplicitous hardly makes her likeable. In fact, there's no really likeable characters in this book, and who O'Connor ends up with is a real downer for me.
A case of brilliant writing, but a vacuous and empty feeling was all I was left with.
Rating: 
Summary: A PINA COLADA KIND OF BOOK
Review: The multi-talented Holmes first entered the scene with the notoriously famous "story" songs "Escape", "Him" and "Answering Machine." While he sustained this cleverness in a three or four minute song, I found it hard to swallow in this lengthy novel.
First off, there is no doubt Holmes has talent, as evidenced by his overwhelming success in "Edwin Drood" and "Accomplice." There is also no denying that this book has a lot of funny scenes and dialogue. The plotting is sharp, if a little muddled near the end; there are lots of twists and turns. He evokes a real feel for the seventies, a decade in which his stardom shot to the top and left him somewhere in the middle by the time it was over.
So why only three stars? I just didn't LIKE the book and it's self-serving, egotistical, devious, sexually depraved characters. While K. O'Connor certainly is an interesting character, her sexual lusts and her ease in being duplicitous hardly makes her likeable. In fact, there's no really likeable characters in this book, and who O'Connor ends up with is a real downer for me.
A case of brilliant writing, but a vacuous and empty feeling was all I was left with.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't stop reading!!!
Review: This book by Rupert Holmes may very well be the best book I have ever read. It has everything you could ever ask for in a book and more!!! Holmes creates the settings so well. I felt as if I had actually travelled with the main character. All his characters are so fully and realistically developed. I missed the people in the book when I was done reading it. They had become a part of my life. I hope that Holmes has more books out soon or I'll just go nuts!!!
Rating:
Summary: couldn't stop reading!!!
Review: This book by Rupert Holmes may very well be the best book I have ever read. It has everything you could ever ask for in a book and more!!! Holmes creates the settings so well. I felt as if I had actually travelled with the main character. All his characters are so fully and realistically developed. I missed the people in the book when I was done reading it. They had become a part of my life. I hope that Holmes has more books out soon or I'll just go nuts!!!
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