Blur

by Michelle Berry

Hollywood starlet Emma Fine drops out of sight after her lover Ted Weaver is found dead, floating in her swimming pool. Also missing is Ted’s wife, Bridget, who holds more than a passing resemblance to Emma. Ten years later, Bruce Dermott, a tabloid reporter with Pulitzer Prize pretensions, chances upon Emma Fine on a busy street. Determined to expose Emma to a celebrity-crazed public, Bruce sees in the mysterious woman his ticket to the journalistic big leagues.

In seeking to disentangle the myth of the vanished celebrity Bruce uncovers the trails of several lives, each trying to impose their own meaning on Emma’s story in a play of illusions, trickery and body doubles. Bruce must try to make sense of the layers of deception and depravity lurking behind a façade of glamour. But he is also forced to take a hard look at his own life by the sudden arrival of his troubled teenaged son and the ex-wife he still loves.

Michelle Berry’s cool and sparkling style belies a churning complexity of motive, in a novel written with deadpan humour and narrative verve. At times evoking Sunset Boulevard in theme and mood, Blur draws us into the warped Hollywood culture of fame, obsession, narcissism and self-destructiveness, where someone will go to desperate lengths to be a star -- or just look like one.

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2002

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unorthodox Mystery
Review of the Phoenix paperback edition (2003) of the Random House Canada hardcover (2002)

[Mansi Nikam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously WTF did I read, nothing was clarified by the end

[Ann Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are mysteries nestled within mysteries in this novel by Michelle Berry, which makes for a compelling read. The action kicks off with a body in a swimming pool. As new plot twists are added and additional characters are introduced, motivation and even identity come into question time and time again. This novel was intriguing enough to get me out of bed an hour earlier than I had to this morning, so I could finish the last 50 pages.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. Complex characters and lots of mystery. It was easy to transition back and forth between the two time periods (10 years apart). I found Bruce to be a very sympathetic character and I found myself rooting for him to find some happiness in his life. The murderer isn't exactly revealed at the end but I think there are enough clues for the reader to come to their own conclusion without feeling cheated.

[Joss Leg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hooked on this suspense novel but very dissapointed with the ending!!! Guess I'm not good with clues!! But seriously, it should of been cleared up at the end...

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was amazing, I found this book at local store and thought ill give it a go, amazing purchase so happy I picked it up , brilliance is all I can say x