The Ticket Out

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: 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!