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The Hollywood Detective #1
The Hollywood Detective: A Classic Detective Novel
Lights! Camera! Murder?Hollywood, 1939. Promising starlet Clara Lockhart disappears from a Beverly Hills party the night before a big audition. Spencer McCoy – L.A.’s finest private detective – is hired to track her down. But what starts as a simple missing persons case unexpectedly escalates into something far more sinister.
Like classic detectives Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Spencer McCoy is a decent man in a corrupt city, trying to make Los Angeles a better place, one case at a time. When he clashes with MGM’s notorious publicity boss – a shady executive who wants Clara to be permanently silenced – McCoy becomes a hunted man.
Can he track down Clara before the studio gets to him? Find out in this first instalment of a smart and stylish mystery series featuring the whip-smart McCoy and his wise-cracking associate Rose. If you like Dashiell Hammett’s Thin Man novels, or the kind of screwball comedies where Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn fight like cat and dog, you’ll enjoy watching the sparks fly when these two get to work.
Featuring real movie stars of the silver screen, The Hollywood Detective will transport you to the Golden Age of movie-making. A perfect summer read.
Buy the paperback and get the ebook FREE with Matchbook!
THE HOLLYWOOD DETECTIVE SERIESSet during the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Hollywood Detective is a fun detective series featuring Spencer McCoy, a handsome private investigator with a reputation for getting to the truth. In a city ruled by powerful studio bosses and corrupt cops, it takes a decent man like Spencer to deliver justice.In this first book in the series, Spencer hires a new secretary who turns his agency – and his thoughts – upside down. Rose Randall is smart, peppy and streetwise and is not the kind of girl to settle for telephone and filing duties.
Also
Book 2: Lost and FoundlingBook 3: Dangerous By Design
Like classic detectives Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Spencer McCoy is a decent man in a corrupt city, trying to make Los Angeles a better place, one case at a time. When he clashes with MGM’s notorious publicity boss – a shady executive who wants Clara to be permanently silenced – McCoy becomes a hunted man.
Can he track down Clara before the studio gets to him? Find out in this first instalment of a smart and stylish mystery series featuring the whip-smart McCoy and his wise-cracking associate Rose. If you like Dashiell Hammett’s Thin Man novels, or the kind of screwball comedies where Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn fight like cat and dog, you’ll enjoy watching the sparks fly when these two get to work.
Featuring real movie stars of the silver screen, The Hollywood Detective will transport you to the Golden Age of movie-making. A perfect summer read.
Buy the paperback and get the ebook FREE with Matchbook!
THE HOLLYWOOD DETECTIVE SERIESSet during the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Hollywood Detective is a fun detective series featuring Spencer McCoy, a handsome private investigator with a reputation for getting to the truth. In a city ruled by powerful studio bosses and corrupt cops, it takes a decent man like Spencer to deliver justice.In this first book in the series, Spencer hires a new secretary who turns his agency – and his thoughts – upside down. Rose Randall is smart, peppy and streetwise and is not the kind of girl to settle for telephone and filing duties.
Also
Book 2: Lost and FoundlingBook 3: Dangerous By Design
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2013
27 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 23, 2018
E-Reader. Cozy Mystery (book 1)
This story is about Hollywood in 1939. Clara Lokhart, an MGM actress disappeared after being at a very large party.
A good friend to Clara who was also her roommate visits L. A. Private Detective Spencer McCoy, who gave him enough cash to try and find her missing friend.
Spencer had made Howard Strickling of MGM a big boss his enemy. As he snuck into to where they were filming a movie. He also was trying to look at a weird colored Cadillac convertible parked by that studio, which caused more trouble.
Spencer doesn't currently have a secretary. A young woman Rose Randall applies for the job. His nickname for her is Red.
Once he starts the investigation he realizes Red more of an associate and starts taking her with him to find more clues for this case.
At one point when Spencer was trying to follow weird colored Cadillac convertible, up very steep & winding road. He goes around the next bend he has hit the brakes very hard, as the Cadillac is blocking the road. The big guy gets out to try & kill Spencer with a car jack. But Spencer was able to win the fight. And stole the Cadillac as the car he was driving ran out of gas.
There is so much more to this story you need to read it! There are actual movie stars who you will be able to remember from old movies made back then. And there is a lot of danger in this story also. Like a loose tiger, panther in L. A.. And dogs who are very dangerous to!
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
This story is about Hollywood in 1939. Clara Lokhart, an MGM actress disappeared after being at a very large party.
A good friend to Clara who was also her roommate visits L. A. Private Detective Spencer McCoy, who gave him enough cash to try and find her missing friend.
Spencer had made Howard Strickling of MGM a big boss his enemy. As he snuck into to where they were filming a movie. He also was trying to look at a weird colored Cadillac convertible parked by that studio, which caused more trouble.
Spencer doesn't currently have a secretary. A young woman Rose Randall applies for the job. His nickname for her is Red.
Once he starts the investigation he realizes Red more of an associate and starts taking her with him to find more clues for this case.
At one point when Spencer was trying to follow weird colored Cadillac convertible, up very steep & winding road. He goes around the next bend he has hit the brakes very hard, as the Cadillac is blocking the road. The big guy gets out to try & kill Spencer with a car jack. But Spencer was able to win the fight. And stole the Cadillac as the car he was driving ran out of gas.
There is so much more to this story you need to read it! There are actual movie stars who you will be able to remember from old movies made back then. And there is a lot of danger in this story also. Like a loose tiger, panther in L. A.. And dogs who are very dangerous to!
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
March 21, 2023
There is a good amount of suspense in this novel, but I found the main character, Spencer McCoy, Private Investigator, to be a little strange. He is impulsive and reckless, and his personality does not suit a professional. I found him quick-tempered and judgmental. He kept getting himself into tight situations, and did not always have steady nerves when needed. He is, however, persistent.
The story centers on a missing girl when her best friend hires McCoy to find her. The girl is a hopeful actress in Hollywood. There are many references to real-life actors and actresses and multiple places of interest, which helps to make the story seem realistic and believable. And the more things we learn about these Hollywood-types, the less likeable they and the whole industry become, which surprised me. I expected the atmosphere to be more glamorous instead of dangerous.
The book was a quick and easy read, but left things hanging at the end, obviously to get the reader interested in reading the follow-up novel.
The story centers on a missing girl when her best friend hires McCoy to find her. The girl is a hopeful actress in Hollywood. There are many references to real-life actors and actresses and multiple places of interest, which helps to make the story seem realistic and believable. And the more things we learn about these Hollywood-types, the less likeable they and the whole industry become, which surprised me. I expected the atmosphere to be more glamorous instead of dangerous.
The book was a quick and easy read, but left things hanging at the end, obviously to get the reader interested in reading the follow-up novel.
June 10, 2025
Spencer McCoy is your typical hard boiled detective in 1930s Hollywood. His latest case involves a missing actress and he soon finds himself working with a former cocktail waitress, Red. He needs a secretary; she wants the excitement of solving cases. What follows is a tale of many (false) leads, misbehaving zoo animals, and typical 30s banter. While the story is mostly wrapped up, it seems like some answers lie in the sequel, but I can’t be sure. The resolution left something to be desired but I did enjoy it. It was a fun, light read.
July 7, 2019
Fun and entertaining!
April 12, 2014
I liked this book for the most part. The fact that it takes place in Hollywood during the 40s was intriguing, reminding me of all those black and white detective movies. I love those. But there were a few things that bothered me. For instance, I don't understand what was going on with the panther and the tiger. They didn't seem to fit into the story at all. Did they escape from the party? And what happened to the tiger? We only know that the panther was killed, but the tiger is never mentioned again after the main character spots it. Also, I wasn't to thrilled with the ending or, I should say, the lack of one. I hate when an author leaves you with a cliff hanger, which forces you to read the next book to find out what happens. It's so aggravating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2014
Quirky and entertaining take on the '40s-type detective stories
Kind of a cheeky, fun version of the old '40s-type detective stories. Certainly not noir, but it has its moments. This detective with the messy office finds that the secretary he thinks he has hired is much better at being an associate investigator. More than a match for our 'hero'. A missing girl is the focus, but what happens to her is not only a mystery but with a wild rampage going on in the city it becomes very difficult to get close enough to solve the case. The book has unique moments and I quite enjoyed it as such. A fast, lighter read but the ending is definitely scary and surprising. I'm quite interested to find out what these two get up to in the next installment.
Kind of a cheeky, fun version of the old '40s-type detective stories. Certainly not noir, but it has its moments. This detective with the messy office finds that the secretary he thinks he has hired is much better at being an associate investigator. More than a match for our 'hero'. A missing girl is the focus, but what happens to her is not only a mystery but with a wild rampage going on in the city it becomes very difficult to get close enough to solve the case. The book has unique moments and I quite enjoyed it as such. A fast, lighter read but the ending is definitely scary and surprising. I'm quite interested to find out what these two get up to in the next installment.
January 17, 2015
This was good. It's a little self-conscious about its setting and characters. The author knows who William Powell was. Do you? But I suspect there will be sequels and that's the kind of thing that gets smoothed out with time. The premise is fun, the writing is good. I'm not sure all the loose ends got tied up. What was the deal with the tiger? I guess there are places where you find out information from sources and it's not clear at the time whether or not the source is telling the truth. But since you never find out anything different, I guess he must have been. I enjoyed the setting, but them I'm from southern California, so I would.
March 29, 2014
A light, easy read. I didn't really get the sense it was set in the late 30's other than the occasional mention of the names of a few actors who were popular at the time. I also didn't understand the roles of the tiger and the panther. Seemed like those "characters" were kind of thrown in the story haphazardly, and I didn't really see the point. But, it's simple entertainment, so check it out if you're looking for something like that.
May 9, 2014
I'm a big fan of old Hollywood movies, not a huge fan of detective fiction, but this came highly recommended. It's a simple tale of a good guy in a corrupt town and the plot rips along mixing humour, action and a hint of romance. The leading pair reminded me of Tracy and Hepburn, or Grant and Russell in His Girl Friday. A perfect escapist treat.
April 12, 2014
If you miss the mystique of old Hollywood, this will have you smiling. Add in a detective who enjoys surfing in Santa Monica and it makes for a good read. Highly recommended.
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May 15, 2014meh
September 23, 2016
I enjoyed it and am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series.
March 9, 2019
Run of the mill
Not a rivetting read unfortunately. Read it quickly.
Expected better from author bearing in mind usual books.
Good to have experienced
Not a rivetting read unfortunately. Read it quickly.
Expected better from author bearing in mind usual books.
Good to have experienced
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews