The Hollywood Networking Murder Case

by Barry Kohl, Sam Veta

A Brentwood detective who aspires to become a screenwriter, gets a break. It's a murder in his jurisdiction. Almost everyone he has to interview as potential witnesses is connected to the film industry.Donald Morehead had been a Hollywood success story career wise, but he had been married and divorced 6 times. Maybe in Hollywood that was also considered a success if an accumulation of trophy wives was considered a desired goal by a celebrity.Having made substantial sums of money during the youthful period of his career, Donald Morehead was very generous in agreeing to divorce settlements, since he had more than enough to cover them, and still live well. However, as the years passed, and the parts became both smaller, and fewer, his income diminished substantially making the payment schedule impossible.His long-time agent, Glitz, knew how desperate his client's plight was, and made it a mission to look to get him work, any work. Because of his client's small physical statue, which also limited the parts that were offered to his client, Glitz had to look that much harder. When a part came up for Donald to play Peter Pan for a television series, Glitz pushed it on his client, even though it only had a guarantee of 4 weeks. While not wanting to take the part, Donald Morehead agreed knowing that he needed the money. The show becomes an overwhelming success, and Donald ends up back on the Hollywood social circuit.Donald attends a Hollywood party where a murder occurs. The victim is a twenty-one-year-old college student who is shot when he works as a valet at the party. Nobody can Donald Morehead had been a Hollywood success story career wise, but he had been married and divorced 6 times. Maybe in Hollywood that was also considered a success if an accumulation of trophy wives was considered a desired goal by a celebrity.Having made substantial sums of money during the youthful period of his career, Donald Morehead was very generous in agreeing to divorce settlements, since he had more than enough to cover them, and still live well. However, as the years passed, and the parts became both smaller, and fewer, his income diminished substantially making the payment schedule impossible.His long-time agent, Glitz, knew how desperate his client's plight was, and made it a mission to look to get him work, any work. Because of his client's small physical statue, which also limited the parts that were offered to his client, Glitz had to look that much harder. When a part came up for Donald to play Peter Pan for a television series, Glitz pushed it on his client, even though it only had a guarantee of 4 weeks. While not wanting to take the part, Donald Morehead agreed knowing that he needed the money. The show becomes an overwhelming success, and Donald ends up back on the Hollywood social circuit.Donald attends a Hollywood party where a murder occurs. The victim is a twenty-one-year-old college student who is shot when he works as a valet at the party. Nobody can figure a motive for the crime. However, when there is another attempt at another party, the lead detective begins to believe the youth was not the intended victim.When exiting one of the soirees along with two other well-known people, one a plastic surgeon that is only invited to the parties to identify the guests, a shot is fired. The detective assigned to the case finds himself in an idyllic situation, since he is an aspiring screenwriter, and between the intended victims, and the attendees at the party that he will need to interview, he finds his new social networking situation better than anything that Facebook could offer.After a while Donald becomes frustrated with the detective sensing that he is more concerned with selling his screenplays than finding the would-be killer. The detective reminds Donald that he was the one that married all those suspects, not the detective.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2025

Reviews

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hollywood Networking Murder Case follows Detective Cartier, an aspiring screenwriter. Detective Cartier is assigned to investigate the murder of a young valet; however, the intended victim is a mystery all its own. As a hopeful screenwriter, this case serves as a great way for Detective Cartier to network his career in screenwriting. One of the intended victims, Donald Morehead, is an out-of-work actor facing bankruptcy due to his alimony payments to six ex-wives. Donald agreed to give each wife a generous alimony settlement in each of his divorces, something he has come to regret as his career has taken a little knock, with the acting parts becoming very rare his income has become diminished. At a networking party, Donald happens to witness the murder of a young Valet. However, further investigation (and further murder attempts) prove that Donald was indeed a possible intended victim.

What I really enjoyed was how the author delved into each of Donald's ex-wives and how his financial struggles affected each of them. I particularly enjoyed Shannon as a character. The rekindling of Donald's love for his fourth wife, Marla, and how each wife reacted was particularly entertaining. It shows how intricate and complicated female relationships can be. For example, Shannon and Marla found a way to be friendly, allowing Donald to continue a relationship with both women on different levels, because once you deeply love someone, that love never fades; just changes shape. The author does a great job of showing relationships in all forms.

A few things I personally did not enjoy:
The investigation of the murders and attempted murder took quite a back seat to Donald's story; I personally would have liked a little more of the investigation process. However, Detective Cartier was possibly not the best person for this investigation as his motives were more personal than professional at times, resulting in the investigation taking longer than expected.
Two of Donald's wives were hard to relate to. Lilli taking Donald to court to increase alimony that she should not have been receiving was both entertaining and elicited a few eye rolls simultaneously. Jean's jealousy, while based in reality at times, was not enjoyable.

I have rated The Hollywood Networking Murder Case by Barry Kohl and Samuel Veta a 4 out of 5 purely based on personal preference. I personally would have enjoyed the investigation more than the networking aspect of the story. The writing is very good, and the editing was great; I only spotted three spelling or grammatical errors. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Hollywood "Show Biz" and the intricacies of the entertainment industry

[Kathy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hollywood Networking Murder Case combines murder mystery, Hollywood satire, and entertainment industry intrigue into a fast-moving and highly entertaining read.

The premise of a detective using a murder investigation to navigate Hollywood’s social circles adds humor and personality to the story, while the glamorous setting and eccentric cast of suspects keep the mystery engaging throughout.

Barry Kohl and Sam Veta create a story that blends crime, ambition, celebrity culture, and dark comedy in a way that feels both playful and suspenseful.