Rating: 
Summary: Poorly drawn main character...
Review: ...limits quality of new mystery/thriller. Some good moments here, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of the secondary cop character, Doug Lockwood. The author falls into the all too common trap of making her heroine so tough as to be less than believable, and so violent as to be a caricature.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing and way too long
Review: Ann Whitehead is a movie critic for an entertainment weekly in L.A. She is the caretaker of a mansion and lives in the pool house. The morning after a party given by the owner of the house, Ann finds a body in her bathtub. It is the body of a woman Ann met the night before who had written a script she hoped would be made into a feminist movie. Ann works with LAPD Detective Douglas Lockwood to solve the crime. Their investigation takes us endlessly from one character to another.
This is the second mystery novel published by Harcourt that I have read in the last few months. (The other being NIGHT MUSIC by Harrison Gradwell Slater). The books are large attractive products but trying to read them will take a tremendous effort by the reader. In this case, one uninteresting character after another is introduced at a rate that will keep the reader's head spinning. Ann Whitehead is only a mildly sympathetic main protagonist but will grate on the reader's nerves after awhile. The plot gets increasingly confusing and is way too long. First time authors should stop trying to write the Great American Novel the first time out of the starting block. It is probably more than they could handle whether they realize it or not. They should live by the adage KISS- keep it simple stupid. In Helen Knode's case, her husband, James Ellroy, probably served as an example for writing the long pretentious Hollywood novel. This one is well worth skipping.
Rating: 
Summary: great book
Review: I suppose it depends what you like. Another reviewer criticized it for being too long, too complicated, and too demanding of the reader. Just the sort of review to send me directly to the book, if i hadn't already read it. So yes, if you like books that are short, have big print, and leave you feeling like you just ate cotton candy, this is not for you. I, however, love books that are long and complex. I loved the movie industry history, I loved the LA history, I enjoyed the main character. She needs to have a more fully-formed character, but the beginnings are there, I think. I did find the interaction of Ann with her father and sister to be a bit jarring; I 'm not sure whether it was because his full-blown awfulness didn't seem to fit with the rest of the characters or whether he seemed like an afterthought. But still, a great book.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: I suppose it depends what you like. Another reviewer criticized it for being too long, too complicated, and too demanding of the reader. Just the sort of review to send me directly to the book, if i hadn't already read it. So yes, if you like books that are short, have big print, and leave you feeling like you just ate cotton candy, this is not for you. I, however, love books that are long and complex. I loved the movie industry history, I loved the LA history, I enjoyed the main character. She needs to have a more fully-formed character, but the beginnings are there, I think. I did find the interaction of Ann with her father and sister to be a bit jarring; I 'm not sure whether it was because his full-blown awfulness didn't seem to fit with the rest of the characters or whether he seemed like an afterthought. But still, a great book.
Rating:
Summary: All over the place
Review: I'm going to review this book by "borrowing" from some of the other reviews that have been posted because I think that taken all together, they actually do paint a fairly accurate picture of the book.For starters, yes, Helen Knode shows some appreciation for her audience by not dumbing down the plot and requiring at least some kind of peripheral knowledge of Hollywood history to fully appreciate it, but at the same time it tends to take on too much of a "wink wink" subtley that I imagine the casual mystery reader would find annoying and confusing. On that note as well, the plot is complicated. I won't say it's convoluted because Knode deserves some credit for not taking any short cuts, but there's a lot of information to digest, a lot of it red herrings, and there are so many characters that it's very difficult for even the most involved reader to keep them straight, especially when they may disappear for forty or so pages and reappear, requiring some quick back referencing to remind oneself of who that person is. The ending is also very unsatisfying. After investing so much in the story and characters, the author does her readers a great disservice. I won't give it away - some other reviews mention this as well - but it bothered me a lot. I guess I can understand the desire to throw yet another curve and to not fall into cliche, but I think it was safe to say that there was very little danger of doing so anyway given what had come before. The other main flaw is that the protagonist is somewhat infuriating in her actions and choices. Again, there's no rule that says this can't be the case, but it certainly doesn't help. Interestingly, I was often reminded while reading The Ticket Out of another book that had many similarities - first time female novelists writing mysteries centered around a very specific location and time period with main characters that were not up to snuff. I don't think it means anything except to say that it serves to illustrate how the dissatisfaction of the first book stayed with me to be harkened back to from reading this one. I would recommend getting The Ticket Out from the library if you find the subject matter interesting rather than purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: All over the place
Review: I'm going to review this book by "borrowing" from some of the other reviews that have been posted because I think that taken all together, they actually do paint a fairly accurate picture of the book. For starters, yes, Helen Knode shows some appreciation for her audience by not dumbing down the plot and requiring at least some kind of peripheral knowledge of Hollywood history to fully appreciate it, but at the same time it tends to take on too much of a "wink wink" subtley that I imagine the casual mystery reader would find annoying and confusing. On that note as well, the plot is complicated. I won't say it's convoluted because Knode deserves some credit for not taking any short cuts, but there's a lot of information to digest, a lot of it red herrings, and there are so many characters that it's very difficult for even the most involved reader to keep them straight, especially when they may disappear for forty or so pages and reappear, requiring some quick back referencing to remind oneself of who that person is. The ending is also very unsatisfying. After investing so much in the story and characters, the author does her readers a great disservice. I won't give it away - some other reviews mention this as well - but it bothered me a lot. I guess I can understand the desire to throw yet another curve and to not fall into cliche, but I think it was safe to say that there was very little danger of doing so anyway given what had come before. The other main flaw is that the protagonist is somewhat infuriating in her actions and choices. Again, there's no rule that says this can't be the case, but it certainly doesn't help. Interestingly, I was often reminded while reading The Ticket Out of another book that had many similarities - first time female novelists writing mysteries centered around a very specific location and time period with main characters that were not up to snuff. I don't think it means anything except to say that it serves to illustrate how the dissatisfaction of the first book stayed with me to be harkened back to from reading this one. I would recommend getting The Ticket Out from the library if you find the subject matter interesting rather than purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: Your right, the ending was weak.....
Review: It was an excellent mind candy book. It did not take to much to get through and held enough of my interest. The first piece started out strong but then it turned into a syrup sweet novel the last 100 pages.
What was that last chapter about? Probably, the hope for a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: HOLLYWOOD NOIR - WITH A DIFFERENCE
Review: Meet Ann Whitehead. A Hollywood movie critic with a problem or two. She hates all modern Hollywood movies. And there's a voluptuous corpse in her bathtub. That's just for openers. It gets better. Hollywood noir updated to the new millenium. A female protagonist with attitude, and an astonishing new voice. To all the actresses moaning that no one ever writes good parts for women these days, read this book. To anyone wondering what it's like inside the head of the woman who tamed James Ellroy, read this book. To every fan of LA crime stories, read this book. Helen Knode's first novel is a gem. Dig it!
Rating: 
Summary: Get this from your local library
Review: This book started out with lots of action and excellent character development of main charaters, Ann Whitehead and Doug Lockwood, however, it fell flat in the middle to end. I could not believe the ending and kept turning pages - albeit blank ones to see if some fool had torn out the ending. This author's first attempt is to be commended, but the ending is not even quite subtle, but blatantly disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: So much promise, but was with the ending?
Review: This book succeeds on a lot of levels. It is rich in Hollywood lore and names (yes, you need a knowledge of Hollywood history at some parts--but that is nice to see--an author who rewards her readers and doesn't dumb down her book). The book is loaded with red herrings and odd characters. I liked all of it and knocked out in two days. The story was original and very film noir. Still, the ending puzzled the heck out of me. Happy? Sad? What in the world? A sequel? Got me. I think I sort of figured something out, but frankly even with the "leave ya hanging" end, the book is much better than the average genre junk out there. Finally, I did read on interview with Knode where she promises a sequel. She also discusses how much of a feminist book this was. I missed that, but still liked the book a great deal.
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