"Engaging amateur sleuth"
True Hollywood Insider freelance writer Kenny Rubin
suffers from Bi-polar disorder in which faces morph into
famous sometimes-dead celebrities. Currently she is doing
a story on the upcoming TV movie about the life and death
of Melinda Rivers. Someone strangled the actress with her
own panty hose five years ago, but no one was charged with
the crime. Several suspects will "incestuously" work on
the film as Hollywood exploits the tragedy. During an interview of Melinda's former husband actor
Terence Marcuso, Kenny turns manic. The writer and
Melinda's former roommate Jocelyn Sumner takes Kenny home
with her to play a tape she just found of what sounds like
blackmail between the victim and perhaps her killer.
While Jocelyn is on the phone, a mania driven Kenny leaves
the house. When she returns, she finds Jocelyn dead and
the tape gone. Terence arrives at that moment and calls
the police. A few days later, a "normal" Kenny blames herself for
Jocelyn's death, as she left the door open for the killer
to enter. She wonders if Terence, who conveniently
arrived in time to enter the crime scene to call the cops,
is the culprit. Though Detective Micklin insists she stay
out of it, Kenny feels she owes a debt that can only be
paid by bringing a killer to justice. This engaging amateur sleuth works because of the unique
heroine whose disorder will seem strange to readers who
have not witnessed the impact of a mania-depressed
person. The story line is fast-paced though the twin
murders take a back seat to Kenny's Bi-polar disorder.
Jackie Diamond Hyman dexterously and with heart
interweaves Kenny's condition throughout a wonderful
Hollywood mystery. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted June 5, 2004
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