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The Studio Kill
It's 1947 in Los Angeles. Mickey Cohen's men are taking over Bugsy Siegel's rackets. A Red-baiting Congressman is in town looking for Commies in the movie biz. And studio cop John McClellan, head of security for Continental Pictures, has his hands full-with a murdered mogul, the faked suicide of a former flame, a gossip columnist with a nose for studio dirt, and the promise of something like love with a beautiful young screenwriter. Nobody does Hollywood hard-boiled like Charles Fleming. "Beautifully written with all the period details dead-on, dialogue so breezy it'll make your hair stand on end, and a twisty, dangerous plot that keeps you guessing, THE STUDIO KILL is the Real McCoy. Buy it and do like I did-stay up all night and take one long wild ride." -Robert Ward, author of Red Baker and Four Kinds of Rain Charles Fleming is a veteran journalist who has worked for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Variety, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of "High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess" and the novels "The Ivory Coast" and "After Havana." He is also co-author of the New York Times bestsellers "Three Weeks in October" and "My Lobotomy."
262 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2014
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47 people want to read
About the author
Charles Fleming
61 books12 followersCharles Fleming teaches entertainment reporting at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He has written for numerous magazines, including LA Weekly, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, the New York Times, and Vanity Fair. He is the author of High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess and the coauthor of The Goomba Diet: Living Large, The Goombas Book of Love, A Goombas Guide to Life, My Lobotomy, Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper. He lives in Los Angeles."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 6, 2018
Hollywood of the 1940's produced the film noir, so it's not surprising that a novel by a Hollywood insider set in that era and featuring a most unusual hardboiled detective would also have some distinct noirish overtones. Charles Fleming's The Studio Kill has all that and more, all wrapped up in a not-so-pretty package that's a whole lot of fun for film buffs and detective fans alike.
The detective in The Studio Kill isn't exactly a PI; he's John McClellan, the house detective for the fictional Continental Pictures in 1947 (the book begins the day after Bugsy Siegel was killed). In reality, McClellan is more of a studio fixer than a detective, cleaning up the messes that the different actors, directors, and writers have gotten themselves into while helping the studio maintain the façade of a clean image. That task proves exceptionally difficult when the drug addict wife of a well-known director dies under mysterious circumstances, a death that eventually leads to several others and some personal involvement for McClellan in the case, since his nephew becomes the prime suspect in the last group of killings. Not only that, but a Red-hunting Congressman looking to make headlines is launching a probe of the Communist influence in Hollywood, and McClellan hass to make sure the Congressman leaves Continental alone.
Author Fleming is a veteran entertainment writer for various newspapers and magazines, so he knows the subject matter, and, by telling the story largely from McClellan’s point of view, the author is able to breezily impart some often fascinating history lessons to readers. As McClellan makes the rounds, greasing palms and making threats when needed, he travels to a wide cross-section of Hollywood’s in places of the day, and the author freely drops names of legendary hangouts like Chasen’s and the Trocadero. The big names also pop up frequently as well: Gable, Bogart, and the rest. In addition, the author also tells parts of the story from the points of view of two other characters, a screenwriter who eventually gets friendly with McClellan, and a gossip columnist who’s not so friendly. There’s an art to dropping names in a book like this, and Fleming has mastered it. His descriptions don’t just sound like he’s just dumping the fruits of his research into the book. Instead, readers feel like they’re right in these places, seeing these celebrities.
While Fleming captures the vibe of 1940’s Hollywood quite well, including giving readers a not-so-flattering view of how nearly anyone’s silence could be bought fairly easily and the ins and outs of cutthroat studio politics, he’s also telling a pretty decent story. As a mystery, The Studio Kill isn’t the world’s greatest. Fleming waits until late in the book for most of the killings to take place, and the identity of the killer isn’t too tough to figure out. But as a character study, the book is more interesting, with McClellan a most unusual and interesting sort of protagonist, a man who maintains his own moral code (he refuses to take the readily available under-the-table graft) while being very willing to hand out the studio’s money to those with fewer scruples.
Certainly, as far as mystery stories go, readers can find more complex and clever ones than The Studio Kill. But there aren’t many period pieces that give readers the feel for the era and repeatedly make them feel part of the scene. Fleming’s writing is quite descriptive, and he knows how to turn a phrase, such as, when referring to would-be extras standing in line at the studio: “They were the misfits, the ones who couldn’t function in normal society, or thought they were too good for that. They were the losers, the lame and the halt, the gin-jockeys, the hopheads and the hypes, the mashers and the mama’s boys—all the drifters and dreamers who didn’t belong anywhere else.” It’s a bygone era, for better and worse, which Charles Fleming effortlessly recalls and puts the readers on the front row to watch it unfold. Thumbs up for The Studio Kill.
The detective in The Studio Kill isn't exactly a PI; he's John McClellan, the house detective for the fictional Continental Pictures in 1947 (the book begins the day after Bugsy Siegel was killed). In reality, McClellan is more of a studio fixer than a detective, cleaning up the messes that the different actors, directors, and writers have gotten themselves into while helping the studio maintain the façade of a clean image. That task proves exceptionally difficult when the drug addict wife of a well-known director dies under mysterious circumstances, a death that eventually leads to several others and some personal involvement for McClellan in the case, since his nephew becomes the prime suspect in the last group of killings. Not only that, but a Red-hunting Congressman looking to make headlines is launching a probe of the Communist influence in Hollywood, and McClellan hass to make sure the Congressman leaves Continental alone.
Author Fleming is a veteran entertainment writer for various newspapers and magazines, so he knows the subject matter, and, by telling the story largely from McClellan’s point of view, the author is able to breezily impart some often fascinating history lessons to readers. As McClellan makes the rounds, greasing palms and making threats when needed, he travels to a wide cross-section of Hollywood’s in places of the day, and the author freely drops names of legendary hangouts like Chasen’s and the Trocadero. The big names also pop up frequently as well: Gable, Bogart, and the rest. In addition, the author also tells parts of the story from the points of view of two other characters, a screenwriter who eventually gets friendly with McClellan, and a gossip columnist who’s not so friendly. There’s an art to dropping names in a book like this, and Fleming has mastered it. His descriptions don’t just sound like he’s just dumping the fruits of his research into the book. Instead, readers feel like they’re right in these places, seeing these celebrities.
While Fleming captures the vibe of 1940’s Hollywood quite well, including giving readers a not-so-flattering view of how nearly anyone’s silence could be bought fairly easily and the ins and outs of cutthroat studio politics, he’s also telling a pretty decent story. As a mystery, The Studio Kill isn’t the world’s greatest. Fleming waits until late in the book for most of the killings to take place, and the identity of the killer isn’t too tough to figure out. But as a character study, the book is more interesting, with McClellan a most unusual and interesting sort of protagonist, a man who maintains his own moral code (he refuses to take the readily available under-the-table graft) while being very willing to hand out the studio’s money to those with fewer scruples.
Certainly, as far as mystery stories go, readers can find more complex and clever ones than The Studio Kill. But there aren’t many period pieces that give readers the feel for the era and repeatedly make them feel part of the scene. Fleming’s writing is quite descriptive, and he knows how to turn a phrase, such as, when referring to would-be extras standing in line at the studio: “They were the misfits, the ones who couldn’t function in normal society, or thought they were too good for that. They were the losers, the lame and the halt, the gin-jockeys, the hopheads and the hypes, the mashers and the mama’s boys—all the drifters and dreamers who didn’t belong anywhere else.” It’s a bygone era, for better and worse, which Charles Fleming effortlessly recalls and puts the readers on the front row to watch it unfold. Thumbs up for The Studio Kill.
August 1, 2014
Well-written and so true to traditional hardboiled noir you’ll feel like you are watching a black and white movie.
Hollywood 1947: John McClellan is a former cop turned security chief for Continental Pictures, paid to avert scandal. So when former love interest and wife of one of one of Continental’s directors is found dead, it’s his job to support the company line of suicide. But McClellan is his own man. He refuses to let the truth of Claire’s death go undiscovered, even when the trail leads back to the studio and a conspiracy that goes deeper than even he could imagine. Quick with his fists and no stranger to a gun, McClellan soon finds himself in a fight to save his cousin and his new love from the men behind The Studio Kill.
The Studio Kill is so evocative of old noir movies there was a sense of Déjà vu. I could almost hear the dramatic film score and see actors from that golden era in each of the roles. Set in a time when the casting couch was well-used and undisguised, and the marginalisation and exploitation of women by the studio bosses was accepted by all, Fleming offsets this with the character of Frances Anderson, whose sassy quips are reminiscent of the great lines Ginger Rogers delivered in her early movies. McClellan himself is the stereotypical tough guy: a slab of granite without sentimentality but an ethical code at his core, very reminiscent of Hammett’s Sam Spade in both form and tone. Fleming is a veteran journalist and his experience shines through in the character of Danny Vine, the show-business columnist who is a thorn in the side of McClellan. For me, Frances and Danny Vine are the standout characters and save this novel from what could, in the hands of another author, have become a very wooden cast. Fans of noir and the golden era of Hollywood will enjoy the references to real film stars and their peccadilloes, and may have fun identifying other historical figures thinly disguised as fictional characters.
There is much to enjoy in this quality novel. Fleming keeps us guessing about the reasons for Claire’s death, and the twists and turns of the central mystery are captivating.
With thanks to Netgalley and Asahina & Wallace Publishing for my review copy.
Hollywood 1947: John McClellan is a former cop turned security chief for Continental Pictures, paid to avert scandal. So when former love interest and wife of one of one of Continental’s directors is found dead, it’s his job to support the company line of suicide. But McClellan is his own man. He refuses to let the truth of Claire’s death go undiscovered, even when the trail leads back to the studio and a conspiracy that goes deeper than even he could imagine. Quick with his fists and no stranger to a gun, McClellan soon finds himself in a fight to save his cousin and his new love from the men behind The Studio Kill.
The Studio Kill is so evocative of old noir movies there was a sense of Déjà vu. I could almost hear the dramatic film score and see actors from that golden era in each of the roles. Set in a time when the casting couch was well-used and undisguised, and the marginalisation and exploitation of women by the studio bosses was accepted by all, Fleming offsets this with the character of Frances Anderson, whose sassy quips are reminiscent of the great lines Ginger Rogers delivered in her early movies. McClellan himself is the stereotypical tough guy: a slab of granite without sentimentality but an ethical code at his core, very reminiscent of Hammett’s Sam Spade in both form and tone. Fleming is a veteran journalist and his experience shines through in the character of Danny Vine, the show-business columnist who is a thorn in the side of McClellan. For me, Frances and Danny Vine are the standout characters and save this novel from what could, in the hands of another author, have become a very wooden cast. Fans of noir and the golden era of Hollywood will enjoy the references to real film stars and their peccadilloes, and may have fun identifying other historical figures thinly disguised as fictional characters.
There is much to enjoy in this quality novel. Fleming keeps us guessing about the reasons for Claire’s death, and the twists and turns of the central mystery are captivating.
With thanks to Netgalley and Asahina & Wallace Publishing for my review copy.
February 7, 2015
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This book is a step back in time to the golden age of Hollywood, a time where political correctness was an unheard of concept. This book is full of the prejudice and discrimination of the time but it is essential to draw the reader into the Noir world of the 1940's. This is an atmospheric, realistic thriller with characters who mirror the players in Hollywood and Washington at the time.
The character of John McClellan, the head of studio security is easy to identify with as he calmly fixes the various scandals the film stars' embroil themselves in. The story has plenty of twists with vivid dialogue and characters to hold your interest. The secondary characters are well written and believable, notably the ambitious journalist and the ruthless moving moguls. There is even a sprinkle of romance, an essential ingredient of a 1940's film.
There is an unpleasant scene in a slaughter house which upset me; I understand why it was included but it was too graphic for me.
If you fancy something different, with a definite air of authenticity then this is for you.
I received a copy of this book from Asahina & Wallace Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Charles Fleming
September 13, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Want to take a trip back to the 1940s, when Tinseltown was glamorous, decadent, sexy, and violent?
An ex-cop for the LAPD, he spends his days and nights hushing up the sexual peccadilloes of actors and studio honchos, not to mention their rampant use of drugs and booze. Now our hero has his hands full with a Red-baiting Congressman who wants to bring the studio down, the murder of a famous director's wife, a columnist who will do anything for his next big story, and a sexy girl screenwriter who might be the love of his life—or the death of him.
I am a sucker for historical mysteries - especially ones set in that golden period from the 1920's-50's. Some very good books have been written using that time period as the backdrop to the story...
And this one was pretty good, too. It has most of the elements that I love about that time: beautiful women, political derring-do, a murder/mystery, and an ex-cop with his hands full dealing with them all. That all made me quite happy and the way all the pieces fit together really made me happy. Putting mysteries together and making them fit precisely isn't an easy task but it is on the author is well up to. At times, this felt like I was reading a pulp novel from the 1940's - that's how good the story was.
If you are looking for something different in the mystery-noir genre, you could do much worse than grabbing this little gem.
Paul
ARH
Want to take a trip back to the 1940s, when Tinseltown was glamorous, decadent, sexy, and violent?
An ex-cop for the LAPD, he spends his days and nights hushing up the sexual peccadilloes of actors and studio honchos, not to mention their rampant use of drugs and booze. Now our hero has his hands full with a Red-baiting Congressman who wants to bring the studio down, the murder of a famous director's wife, a columnist who will do anything for his next big story, and a sexy girl screenwriter who might be the love of his life—or the death of him.
I am a sucker for historical mysteries - especially ones set in that golden period from the 1920's-50's. Some very good books have been written using that time period as the backdrop to the story...
And this one was pretty good, too. It has most of the elements that I love about that time: beautiful women, political derring-do, a murder/mystery, and an ex-cop with his hands full dealing with them all. That all made me quite happy and the way all the pieces fit together really made me happy. Putting mysteries together and making them fit precisely isn't an easy task but it is on the author is well up to. At times, this felt like I was reading a pulp novel from the 1940's - that's how good the story was.
If you are looking for something different in the mystery-noir genre, you could do much worse than grabbing this little gem.
Paul
ARH
September 9, 2014
The Studio Kill by Charles Fleming was stellar!!! Quite frankly, five stars was not enough, in my opinion; I could have easily given it ten.
This old school Hollywood-style murder mystery was phenomenal in every way. The characters and plotting were rich with dark shadows and tones, as well as with good guy justice. The historical references were peppered in precisely. The scenes and descriptives were so detailed that I could easily imagine myself there looking in on the scenes as they happened. I loved the language, the intrigue and the connections. Each aspect and angle of this story was perfectly scripted.
This book will likely appeal to those who love a good mystery, to those who love old style glitz, glam, and guns, and to those who prefer intrigue and suspense with all of the sordid details that go with it. It's an easy read that will keep you glued to your seat from start to finish. If I had to liken it to anything, I would suggest that it is akin to Hollywoodland (Ben Affleck) and Black Dahlia (Josh Hartnett).
If all of Charles Fleming's books read like this one, then sign me up right now. I loved this book!
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Content: Mature
Audience: Adult
An e-copy of this title was made available for review via NetGalley in exchange for an honest critique. I was not required to write a positive review. The words I have shared are indeed my own. I encourage you to read this title and share your own thoughts.
This old school Hollywood-style murder mystery was phenomenal in every way. The characters and plotting were rich with dark shadows and tones, as well as with good guy justice. The historical references were peppered in precisely. The scenes and descriptives were so detailed that I could easily imagine myself there looking in on the scenes as they happened. I loved the language, the intrigue and the connections. Each aspect and angle of this story was perfectly scripted.
This book will likely appeal to those who love a good mystery, to those who love old style glitz, glam, and guns, and to those who prefer intrigue and suspense with all of the sordid details that go with it. It's an easy read that will keep you glued to your seat from start to finish. If I had to liken it to anything, I would suggest that it is akin to Hollywoodland (Ben Affleck) and Black Dahlia (Josh Hartnett).
If all of Charles Fleming's books read like this one, then sign me up right now. I loved this book!
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Content: Mature
Audience: Adult
An e-copy of this title was made available for review via NetGalley in exchange for an honest critique. I was not required to write a positive review. The words I have shared are indeed my own. I encourage you to read this title and share your own thoughts.
May 27, 2014
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest opinion.
My first thought was I love this book, I love the era and everything about it. I loved the mystery and the romance, this book was awesome, I read this book really fast compared to others. Very easy to read and understand.
Here is what is says about it on Amazon:
Book Description
Publication Date: May 4, 2014
Want to take a trip back to the 1940s, when Tinseltown was glamorous, decadent, sexy, and violent? Then don't miss THE STUDIO KILL, Charles Fleming's great new noir novel about John McClellan, head of security for Continental Pictures. An ex-cop for the LAPD, he spends his days and nights hushing up the sexual peccadilloes of actors and studio honchos, not to mention their rampant use of drugs and booze. Now our hero has his hands full with a Red-baiting Congressman who want to bring the studio down, the murder of a famous director's wife, a columnist who will do anything for his next big story, and a sexy girl screenwriter who might be the love of his life—or the death of him. THE STUDIO KILL is beautifully written, with all the period details dead-on, dialogue so breezy it'll make your hair stand on end, and a twisty, dangerous plot that will keep you guessing, Nobody does Hollywood hardboiled like Charles Fleming.
August 6, 2015
The Studio Kill by Charles Fleming I received a free kindle copy of The Studio Kill by Charles Fleming, published by Asahina & Wallace from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
I gave this book about Hollywood in the late 1940's four stars. There was something wrong with the kindle formatting & it made it difficult at times to read. However, the writing is stellar along with all the star's names which were freely dropped.
It's about the underbelly of the movie industry & all the greed & abuse that went with it.
McClellan is an ex-cop who is now a 'fixer' for Continental pictures. He does it all, whether he agrees with the policy or not. Wolfberg who runs Continental has the annoying signature phrase of "Yes, or no?" which was overworked & annoying, although perhaps that was the intention. I suspect it was a valid characterization.
The characters are well drawn, the dialogue snappy & the murder mystery intriguing. I highly recommend this book.
Here is a song that is mentioned a few times in the book that helps set the time frame. https://youtu.be/IiSrKbj_pHQ
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Studio-Kill-Cha...
I gave this book about Hollywood in the late 1940's four stars. There was something wrong with the kindle formatting & it made it difficult at times to read. However, the writing is stellar along with all the star's names which were freely dropped.
It's about the underbelly of the movie industry & all the greed & abuse that went with it.
McClellan is an ex-cop who is now a 'fixer' for Continental pictures. He does it all, whether he agrees with the policy or not. Wolfberg who runs Continental has the annoying signature phrase of "Yes, or no?" which was overworked & annoying, although perhaps that was the intention. I suspect it was a valid characterization.
The characters are well drawn, the dialogue snappy & the murder mystery intriguing. I highly recommend this book.
Here is a song that is mentioned a few times in the book that helps set the time frame. https://youtu.be/IiSrKbj_pHQ
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Studio-Kill-Cha...
May 25, 2014
Like movies? Into old time Hollywood tales? Then jump on this page turner mystery set in Hollywood in the years just after World War II;
Ex-LAPD, now Head of Security Continental Films, John McClellan
is faced with a storm of disasters – the wife of a film executive is found supposedly a suicide – but was it? – and the killings begin to add up as McClellan tries to keep all of these out of the press and at the same time discover the killer or killers.
Meanwhile we also follow Frances, a beauty and a talented screenwriter, beginning to get involved with McClellan as she deals the a crazy director and the dictates of her bosses.
And we also follow the a successful gossip columnist, always looking for hot items for his daily column.
Amidst murders, the insanity of Hollywood, enter one of those glory hound congressmen, trying to accuse everyone and his brother of being Communists, in order to become something bigger in politics –
one of these years later became a senator, Vice-President and then President, until he, Richard Nixon, was forced to resign.
This is one great book and one terrific read – you deserve this – why not grab it for yourself?
Ex-LAPD, now Head of Security Continental Films, John McClellan
is faced with a storm of disasters – the wife of a film executive is found supposedly a suicide – but was it? – and the killings begin to add up as McClellan tries to keep all of these out of the press and at the same time discover the killer or killers.
Meanwhile we also follow Frances, a beauty and a talented screenwriter, beginning to get involved with McClellan as she deals the a crazy director and the dictates of her bosses.
And we also follow the a successful gossip columnist, always looking for hot items for his daily column.
Amidst murders, the insanity of Hollywood, enter one of those glory hound congressmen, trying to accuse everyone and his brother of being Communists, in order to become something bigger in politics –
one of these years later became a senator, Vice-President and then President, until he, Richard Nixon, was forced to resign.
This is one great book and one terrific read – you deserve this – why not grab it for yourself?
July 29, 2016
Our hero, John McClellan, is head of security for a big Hollywood studio in 1947. In cleaning up after the various stars, directors and contract players, he finds a staged suicide. Bodies start piling up, he meets a dame, lets down some people, helps some others. Good story. Lots of name dropping in believable situations. Very noir. Spare language. Good descriptions. Vivid characters. Received free copy for review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews