Rating: 
Summary: Suspense plus humor = A Great Read!
Review: "A fine mess you've got me in", the chief of LAPD might have said to Shane Scully, who has been authorized to set up a phony film production company, at LAPD expense, as an elaborate sting to bring down a Mafia wiseguy who's trying to take over the Hollywood craft unions. As the budget on the film spins wildly out of control, and Shane is confronted with the insane egos of Hollywood agents, actors, writers, directors and studio executives, the book gets very funny as well as suspenseful and full of surprises. Hollywood Tough is a must read for all crime novel addicts!
Rating: 
Summary: A Man's Work Is Never Done!
Review: Back for a third time, Shane Scully just can't just settle into his work at LAPD. Things keep getting in the way. He overhears the fiancee of a family friend joke about have poisoned his first two wives. He decides to check the guy out and not only is it not a joke, the guy is a protected government witness. Then his son, after being released from on of the LA gangs at a younger age, gets involved with the sister of one of the leaders of one of the gangs that is at war in LA. And, wouldn't you know it Shane's wife is head of the LAPD Task force trying to stop the gang warfare. She is not amused by this or several other things going on between Shane, his son and the gang leader. And then, just to further occupy his time, Shane gets involved in a sting operation which involves producing a movie. Doesn't leave much time for detective work, but it does keep things jumping throughout the book. Cannell is a good story teller and he does manage to weave the various threads of the story into an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, silly, and engaging
Review: Cannell manages in his Shane Scully novels to combine interesting and almost plausible plots with three-dimensional characters who talk and behave like real people. The dialogue is often brilliant, with terrific one liners and sarcasm to keep the reader's interest. My favorite characters with Cannell are the antagonists, in this case the contradictory Dennis Valentine and the squirmy, hilarious Nicky Marcela. The plot is entertaining enough, but I love the book for the interactions between the characters. Yes, everyone is uniformly handsome/gorgeous. Yes, there are shallow LA stereotypes on every page. The two main complaints I had were with the extraneous gang plot and the incredibly annoying character of Chooch, Shane's obnoxious and stupid son. I think Cannell writes the kind of books Stuart Woods attempts (but SW seems to lack the creativity and lively dialogue to be mentioned in the same breath).
Rating:
Summary: Cannell's best Scully novel
Review: Having read all four Scully novels (of which "Hollywood Tough" is the third), I would say this is clearly the best one. Cannell does a good job of making sure you can enjoy this novel without reading the first two, the plot is fast and ingenious, and the ending easily justifies the time invested. I almost never read novels more than once, I'm on my third read of this one.If you've read the first two Scully novels and liked them both, you'll be interested to know that both are humbled in comparison to this. Even if you haven't, if you like crime novels, this one should be on the top of your list. Aside from everything else, just the things you learn about how Hollywood works makes the book fantastic, especially if the author's credibility regarding the subject matter is important to you. Most of us have read at least one political novel written by a "Washington insider"; this is a cop novel about Hollywood written by a crime novelist who's responsible for dozens of television series over 35 years, which makes it unique. Don't pass this one by.
Rating:
Summary: YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES
Review: Hollywood-wise Stephen J. Cannell uses his vast knowledge of the entertainment industry to fuel this latest Shane Scully effort. While not as quickly paced or tightly plotted as the other entries, HOLLYWOOD TOUGH is an enjoyable read. Cannell may have too much going on, and the heroic efforts of Chooch manage to be more annoying than inspirational, but Shane and Alexa banter well, and it's interesting to see how the honchoes behind film-making operate.
A nice, if uneven, entry in this good series, though.
Rating:
Summary: YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES
Review: Hollywood-wise Stephen J. Cannell uses his vast knowledge of the entertainment industry to fuel this latest Shane Scully effort. While not as quickly paced or tightly plotted as the other entries, HOLLYWOOD TOUGH is an enjoyable read. Cannell may have too much going on, and the heroic efforts of Chooch manage to be more annoying than inspirational, but Shane and Alexa banter well, and it's interesting to see how the honchoes behind film-making operate.
A nice, if uneven, entry in this good series, though.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I have always enjoyed Stephen Cannell's books...but this one was truly disappointing. I think the storyline bordered on stupid; there was nothing to keep my interest. Perhaps I am just sick of the Hollywood hype.......they can keep their ideas and filmmaking to themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Fast!
Review: I recognized the name Stephen Cannell as a producer but did not know he also wrote books. This was the first of Mr. Cannell's books I've read and I very quickly became a fan. I love his sense of humor and fast-paced style. Shane Scully is great and the interplay in this book between Scully and the major players of Hollywood is hilarious. I loved all the zany charaters Cannell introduces in this book, especially Nicky, the grifter who claims to have found Jesus. I like that Scully seems to be reevaluating his life and mellowing. His wife Alexa is one of the best female characters out there. She's strong, intelligent, and warm but can stand her ground with anyone. The fact that she is Scully's boss and he isn't threatened in the least by this shows his strength of character. Now, onto the other works by Mr. Cannell. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner
Review: I've just finished a terrifically entertaining read by Stephen Cannell, HOLLYWOOD TOUGH. It's the fourth in a series featuring LAPD Detective, Shane Scully. This one centers around a world that Cannel knows well as an insider. Hollywood, as seen through Cannell's eyes, is peopled with characters that can be both hilarious and poignant and the yarn he spins takes the reader on an adventure ride where nothing and nobody, is really what they seem. Well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Shane Scully is back in a change-of-pace adventure
Review: In many ways, Stephen J Cannell defined action-adventure series television in the 80s, so it's surprising that it took him so long to create a series character in prose. In Shane Scully, though, he's created a winner. Hollywood Tough, the third installment in the series, represents something of a departure for the series. In it, we see Scully, preparing to return to duty after the events of The Viking Funeral, caught up in a couple of separate investigations. His wife's close friend's fiance has Shane suspicious. And former snitch Nicky Marcella, now running a small-time movie studio, has asked Shane to track down a former small-town New Jersy beauty queen to appear in a movie. This being a Stephen J Cannell story, nothing is what it seems. As usual, watching a bunch of ordinary joes stumble up against the bigger picture is half the fun. What sets this apart from the typical Shane Scully tale is the Hollywood film setting. Cannell is clearly drawing on his years of filmmaking experience in his portrayal of--and possibly frustration with--the complex egos and power structures within the industry. With the skill only an insider could possess, he manages to make the whole thing seem both logical and absurd, and we understand how the system could come to exist in its present state, without accepting it as necessary. Unfortunately, while very enjoyable, Hollywood Tough pales in comparison to previous Scully novels. Shane isn't as personally connected to the crimes as in Tin Collectors or Viking Funeral, and reduces the sense of urgency found in the earlier books. A subplot involving his son Chooch, his former gang ties, and his girlfriend is involving, but didn't seem well-enough set up in earlier books to seem like a natural development. (However, it will be interesting to see how events in this book play out in later installments.) Alexa Scully, fairly well-developed and strong-willed in earlier volumes, didn't have much to do this time around, either. Admittedly, this isn't her series; it's Shane's. Still, it's disappointing to see her get short shrift this time around. Having said that, a comparatively weak entry for the series doesn't mean the book isn't worth reading. Part of my dissatisfaction with this story may be that it felt different than the previous two books, but I also applaud Cannell for not writing the exact same book three times. I still liked the story, I still like the characters, and I still want to see what happens next.
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