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Loonies #2
Loonies in Hollywood
While trying to unmask the killer of silent film director William Desmond Taylor, Hollywood writer Chet Koski is targeted by a blackmailer, accused of murdering his wife’s former boyfriend, discovered his wife was kidnapped, gives a 22-year old flapper a gin bath, and has his new radio stolen. And when he discovers the killer, the truth will be hard to swallow.
Was the killer teenage actress Mary Miles Minter who threw herself at the middle-aged Taylor? Or was it Mary's over protective mother, Charlotte Shelby, who threatened men, including Taylor, who came too close to her money making daughter? Could it have been the last person to see Taylor alive, actress Mabel Normand. Then there is a blackmailer who knew of Taylor's secret past and present day secrets. What about Taylor's former valet, a thief, who has stolen from Taylor on more than one occasion-and he is missing.
Was the killer teenage actress Mary Miles Minter who threw herself at the middle-aged Taylor? Or was it Mary's over protective mother, Charlotte Shelby, who threatened men, including Taylor, who came too close to her money making daughter? Could it have been the last person to see Taylor alive, actress Mabel Normand. Then there is a blackmailer who knew of Taylor's secret past and present day secrets. What about Taylor's former valet, a thief, who has stolen from Taylor on more than one occasion-and he is missing.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
12 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Terry Nelson
25 books1 followerA loony writer viewing the looniness of the human race-with humor and love.
The boring stuff: I have a degree in English Literature from Western Washington University. Wrote film reviews for ten years for a small town newspaper, doing some freelance news stories as well. I live in the Pacific Northwest with a cat who insists she is a zombie.
Now the fun stuff: Since I was born the following has happened to me; my mother and I saw a UFO; my voice was recorded at the Washington State Performing Arts Center and used as a radio DJ in a play; I was a volunteer legislative aide for one year in the Washington State House of Representatives; I managed theatres; owned a bookstore; a brief memoir of mine was published in "Christmas Spirit" by St. Martins Press; I visited the homes of John Keats and Charles Dickens when I was in London (they weren't home); I stayed in the same hotel in London-though I did not know it at the time-where Jimi Hendrix died; I nearly severed a large vein or artery (how do you tell) on the back of my hand with a broken dish I was washing at a friend's apartment in Goteborg, Sweden; while house sitting at Ocean Shores, Washington, a butcher knife fell out of a cupboard nearly slicing my finger off; I may have met the Manson Family one month before the Tate-La Bianca murders; I was stranded in Esbjerg, Denmark, without money; I am descended from two Danish Squires; I am a Strat-o-matic fanatic; I learned when living on North Cherokee in Hollywood, that across the street on the next block was one of the places where "The Black Dahlia" lived; I owe Rick Barry, NBA Hall of Famer, an apology; I heard Anthony Burgess, author of "Clockwork Orange" tell a lie-and I was reasonably disheartened; I could go on, but I have to stop sometime.
The boring stuff: I have a degree in English Literature from Western Washington University. Wrote film reviews for ten years for a small town newspaper, doing some freelance news stories as well. I live in the Pacific Northwest with a cat who insists she is a zombie.
Now the fun stuff: Since I was born the following has happened to me; my mother and I saw a UFO; my voice was recorded at the Washington State Performing Arts Center and used as a radio DJ in a play; I was a volunteer legislative aide for one year in the Washington State House of Representatives; I managed theatres; owned a bookstore; a brief memoir of mine was published in "Christmas Spirit" by St. Martins Press; I visited the homes of John Keats and Charles Dickens when I was in London (they weren't home); I stayed in the same hotel in London-though I did not know it at the time-where Jimi Hendrix died; I nearly severed a large vein or artery (how do you tell) on the back of my hand with a broken dish I was washing at a friend's apartment in Goteborg, Sweden; while house sitting at Ocean Shores, Washington, a butcher knife fell out of a cupboard nearly slicing my finger off; I may have met the Manson Family one month before the Tate-La Bianca murders; I was stranded in Esbjerg, Denmark, without money; I am descended from two Danish Squires; I am a Strat-o-matic fanatic; I learned when living on North Cherokee in Hollywood, that across the street on the next block was one of the places where "The Black Dahlia" lived; I owe Rick Barry, NBA Hall of Famer, an apology; I heard Anthony Burgess, author of "Clockwork Orange" tell a lie-and I was reasonably disheartened; I could go on, but I have to stop sometime.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 25, 2013
Written in a classic noir style, Loonies in Hollywood is a fun romp through an era of Prohibition and the early years of film. Chester Koski, a writer for Famous-Players Lasky, is told by a studio executive to find out what happened at the bungalow of murdered silent film director William Desmond Taylor. Chet, who is a straightforward character simply had this to say in response:
I did as I was told for I am a company man in a company town.
Before long nearly everyone in Hollywood is aware Chet is trying to solve the murder. He is targeted by a blackmailer, his wife is kidnapped, he is accused of killing his wife's former boyfriend, gives a 22 year old flapper a gin bath, and his new radio is stolen.
The relationship between Chet and his wife, Eveleen had a bit of a Nick and Nora feel to it, and the banter between the two characters was natural and engaging. When the reader first meets Eveleen, Chet has this to say about her:
She deserved an answer, always does, and I always give her one and it is always the truth.
I thought that said a lot about the characters and the relationship. Plus, I really like a woman who says, "piffle wiffle" instead of some other expletive when faced with a drunken husband. My kids always teased me about saying "piffle" and I never knew where that word came from. Perhaps Eveleen visited me in a dream.
Of course the studio execs would like this all to go away as quickly as possible, with no backlash on them, so Chet starts investigating and turns up a number of suspects. Actress Mabel Normand who was the last to see Taylor alive is high on the list, but there are also several more: Mary Miles Minter, a young actress enamored of Taylor; Minter's overprotective mother Charlotte Shelby; Tom Dixon, wealthy pencil heir and jealous suitor of Minter; and Edward Sands, Taylor's former valet and known thief who has disappeared.
Following Chet through the labyrinth of Hollywood connections was both engaging and informative. The details of the time and place were so well done, the reader is there meeting the people and visiting the gin joints, the homes of the powerful and not so powerful in the business, and all the places that the pretentious like to be seen.
The ending was a surprise, and while it is not meant as a serious solution to the murder of Taylor, Chet's solution is plausible. Chet is a bit of a philosopher throughout the story and the rationale for some of the choices he made that closes the book is well worth reading to get to.
I did as I was told for I am a company man in a company town.
Before long nearly everyone in Hollywood is aware Chet is trying to solve the murder. He is targeted by a blackmailer, his wife is kidnapped, he is accused of killing his wife's former boyfriend, gives a 22 year old flapper a gin bath, and his new radio is stolen.
The relationship between Chet and his wife, Eveleen had a bit of a Nick and Nora feel to it, and the banter between the two characters was natural and engaging. When the reader first meets Eveleen, Chet has this to say about her:
She deserved an answer, always does, and I always give her one and it is always the truth.
I thought that said a lot about the characters and the relationship. Plus, I really like a woman who says, "piffle wiffle" instead of some other expletive when faced with a drunken husband. My kids always teased me about saying "piffle" and I never knew where that word came from. Perhaps Eveleen visited me in a dream.
Of course the studio execs would like this all to go away as quickly as possible, with no backlash on them, so Chet starts investigating and turns up a number of suspects. Actress Mabel Normand who was the last to see Taylor alive is high on the list, but there are also several more: Mary Miles Minter, a young actress enamored of Taylor; Minter's overprotective mother Charlotte Shelby; Tom Dixon, wealthy pencil heir and jealous suitor of Minter; and Edward Sands, Taylor's former valet and known thief who has disappeared.
Following Chet through the labyrinth of Hollywood connections was both engaging and informative. The details of the time and place were so well done, the reader is there meeting the people and visiting the gin joints, the homes of the powerful and not so powerful in the business, and all the places that the pretentious like to be seen.
The ending was a surprise, and while it is not meant as a serious solution to the murder of Taylor, Chet's solution is plausible. Chet is a bit of a philosopher throughout the story and the rationale for some of the choices he made that closes the book is well worth reading to get to.
October 7, 2013
Loonies in Hollywood is an epic mystery told in the first person. The narrator makes the story more about the mystery around him than himself. It is done very well. It has a great deal of detail so you can really feel like you are in the era. I knew nothing about William Desmond Taylor or his murder before his book, so I can’t say how factual it all is, but it seems pretty credible. It was certainly entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews