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Sex and Violence in Hollywood
This breakout thriller by the master of horror will take its place on the shelf next to other Garton classics like Live Girls and The New Neighbor .
This blockbuster is a chilling combination of thrills, terror, black humor, plot reversals, and a climax so shocking it will leave you shaken.
Adam Julian, son of a Hollywood screenwriter, has a life many would kill for ... and some would kill to keep. He is tangled in a web of forced sex, coerced into robbery, and it is only a short step to killing as a choice.
At the center of the book is a sensational murder trial, which oddly resembles the O. J. Simpson case. The cast features an abrasive, starstruck female judge, blundering prosecuting attorneys, a nerdy defendant who reserves his right to silence, and Rona Horowitz, a pint‑size ball of fire of a defense lawyer. The defendant may be guilty, but energetic Rona tries one outrageous legal stunt after another in order to exonerate her client.
Drenched in the glamour and the sleaze of highline and lowlife Hollywood, this satirical and entertaining look at the criminal justice system, turned inside out and upside down by showbiz at its best and worst, is a panorama of crime, corruption, and violence delivered with grim authenticity and hilarious awfulness.
This blockbuster is a chilling combination of thrills, terror, black humor, plot reversals, and a climax so shocking it will leave you shaken.
Adam Julian, son of a Hollywood screenwriter, has a life many would kill for ... and some would kill to keep. He is tangled in a web of forced sex, coerced into robbery, and it is only a short step to killing as a choice.
At the center of the book is a sensational murder trial, which oddly resembles the O. J. Simpson case. The cast features an abrasive, starstruck female judge, blundering prosecuting attorneys, a nerdy defendant who reserves his right to silence, and Rona Horowitz, a pint‑size ball of fire of a defense lawyer. The defendant may be guilty, but energetic Rona tries one outrageous legal stunt after another in order to exonerate her client.
Drenched in the glamour and the sleaze of highline and lowlife Hollywood, this satirical and entertaining look at the criminal justice system, turned inside out and upside down by showbiz at its best and worst, is a panorama of crime, corruption, and violence delivered with grim authenticity and hilarious awfulness.
504 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2001
21 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Ray Garton
180 books563 followersRay Garton is the author of several books, including horror novels such as LIVE GIRLS (which has a movie in the works), CRUCIFAX, E4 AUTUMN, and THE FOLKS; thrillers like TRADE SECRETS and SHACKLED; and numerous short stories and novellas. He's also written a number of movie and television tie-ins for young readers. He lives with his wife, Dawn, in California.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 23, 2015
This was a fun read about a boy and his father, their misconceptions of each other, and what can happen when idle thoughts become reality.
Other lives get entangled in this love/hate relationship as this thriller plays it all out until the final act.
The ending went on a bit too much for me and I wish it had ended sooner on in a more "sane" way.
Other lives get entangled in this love/hate relationship as this thriller plays it all out until the final act.
The ending went on a bit too much for me and I wish it had ended sooner on in a more "sane" way.
July 3, 2012
I would have given this more stars if I could. My favourite Ray Garton book ever!!!!
August 20, 2012
A gloriously trashy satirical thriller. Frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious.
September 6, 2012
Garton definitely delivers on the title of his book. There is plenty of sex and violence.
The story follows Adam Julian who has lived his whole life in the midst of Hollywood stardom. His father is a screenwriter of bad but highly successful films. Adam believes that his father killed his mother and is half planning on killing him. His plans start to move forward as his dad's new wife enters the picture along with her sexually charged and out-of-control daughter. After much of the previously mentioned sex and more than a tad of violence from a physically damaged friend-of-a-friend who lives in the desert with his pornographer father and sadist mother, Adam finds himself in a legal battle for his life. Fortunately he has Rona Horowitz on his side and she refuses to accept defeat.
The characters might be too much at times but they are also fun to read about. You want to read about them and see what happens next. In all, the book is over the top, more than a little crazy and has some very strange events happening. I could easily say that this is only slight exaggeration of Hollywood itself and get away with the joke. Instead I will compare Garton to another favorite author: Joe Lansdale. If you've read any of the Hap and Leonard books by Lansdale, you will see the same degree of craziness and wide events happening. With Garton, we see it happening in Hollywood with movie stars rather than in the backwoods of east Texas. However you want to look at it though, this was an excellent book that I found very hard to put down. It's very highly recommended.
The story follows Adam Julian who has lived his whole life in the midst of Hollywood stardom. His father is a screenwriter of bad but highly successful films. Adam believes that his father killed his mother and is half planning on killing him. His plans start to move forward as his dad's new wife enters the picture along with her sexually charged and out-of-control daughter. After much of the previously mentioned sex and more than a tad of violence from a physically damaged friend-of-a-friend who lives in the desert with his pornographer father and sadist mother, Adam finds himself in a legal battle for his life. Fortunately he has Rona Horowitz on his side and she refuses to accept defeat.
The characters might be too much at times but they are also fun to read about. You want to read about them and see what happens next. In all, the book is over the top, more than a little crazy and has some very strange events happening. I could easily say that this is only slight exaggeration of Hollywood itself and get away with the joke. Instead I will compare Garton to another favorite author: Joe Lansdale. If you've read any of the Hap and Leonard books by Lansdale, you will see the same degree of craziness and wide events happening. With Garton, we see it happening in Hollywood with movie stars rather than in the backwoods of east Texas. However you want to look at it though, this was an excellent book that I found very hard to put down. It's very highly recommended.
January 2, 2019
Not the author at his best. Boring law and order book. I am a big fan of garton work this not so much the characters referenced Milton Berle and don knitted. WTH? The story arc of everybody was sloppy amateur hour. Can’t believe ray wrote this.
April 22, 2020
A really good book this one. It kept me on my toes with its story. Most definitely worth a read. Not much you can say without ruining the book but it's well paced and has enough plot twists to keep you guessing. Great work Mr Garton.
April 10, 2022
An awesome thriller! Twists and turns abound! And what an ending!
August 24, 2024
Sex and violence in Hollywood
What a waste of my time! The final disgusting, violent scene seemed tacked on at the last minute to up the violence quotient.
What a waste of my time! The final disgusting, violent scene seemed tacked on at the last minute to up the violence quotient.
February 27, 2025
Another great book by Mr Garton. When I read the ending I thought shit I should have seen that coming. I love such endings. Great characters. Fantastic story and. pacing.
June 15, 2016
Had I not read the first installment of the Twilight saga a couple of years ago, this horror of a novel would probably be the worst book I've ever read.
Looking at the title, at least I cannot say that I wasn't forewarned, so I guess it's my own fault. This book really does come as advertised - it's about sex and violence. In Hollywood. More violence than sex, actually, although neither is lacking, with a pinch of legal drama in the style of the OJ trial thrown in.
A despicable young idiot that has everything in life, because he is a son of a successful, albeit major asshole of a screenwriter, decides to kill his family. Sure, they're assholes and some of them might even be scheming to take their money away and/or possibly kill him and the father, but hey, I guess one day he just wakes up and decides to blow them all away.
Everyone in this book is a depressed, violent, sex-obsessed, gore special effect-making psycho that wants to kill their parents, for mostly non-obvious reasons, like because they're hippies and treat their children nicely. There is not a single likable, non-deranged, normal character in this book.
I don't know what his parents did to Mr. Garton, but if I were them, I'd be in fear of my life. Only recommended if you like gore, violence, violent sex and idiotic, deranged, hateful and unrelatable characters.
Looking at the title, at least I cannot say that I wasn't forewarned, so I guess it's my own fault. This book really does come as advertised - it's about sex and violence. In Hollywood. More violence than sex, actually, although neither is lacking, with a pinch of legal drama in the style of the OJ trial thrown in.
A despicable young idiot that has everything in life, because he is a son of a successful, albeit major asshole of a screenwriter, decides to kill his family. Sure, they're assholes and some of them might even be scheming to take their money away and/or possibly kill him and the father, but hey, I guess one day he just wakes up and decides to blow them all away.
Everyone in this book is a depressed, violent, sex-obsessed, gore special effect-making psycho that wants to kill their parents, for mostly non-obvious reasons, like because they're hippies and treat their children nicely. There is not a single likable, non-deranged, normal character in this book.
I don't know what his parents did to Mr. Garton, but if I were them, I'd be in fear of my life. Only recommended if you like gore, violence, violent sex and idiotic, deranged, hateful and unrelatable characters.
April 3, 2013
This novel was about children's disaffection with their parents, and murder. The main characters mistaken impression of his father should have had more focus and a greater epiphany for this character. The main character and several other characters were uninteresting and unsympathetic. Some of the plot lines were inconsistent, and seemed to occur to fulfill a story line regardless of whether they fit the character. For example, the ending was not built sufficiently and did not fit the girlfriends character although it was a decent ending despite its deficits. The first 60% of the novel was tedious and difficult to get through. Some characters, such as Billy, were extraneous. The best character was the lawyer Rona Horowitz, and the book became more interesting when she showed up. Indeed, if the story were focused around her and her associates and the pre-story cut down significantly, the novel would have been more interesting. A series of stories about her and her cronies might be well received.
February 19, 2012
This is almost as good as Garton's other novels: TRADE SECRETS, LIVE GIRLS, LOT LIZARDS and THE NEW NEIGHBOR. This has nothing to do with a lack a ability. Its just that for me there is a large section of the book where it becomes a trial story with very little physical action, violence or horror. It is still excellent and at times quite hilarious in skewering law & order in Beverly Hills. The ending is a tad predictable but not unsatisfying.
May 15, 2012
I guess I'm a Ray Garton fan - at least that's what my home page tells me. This book really surprised me. It changed direction a few times and to me, they were very unexpected turns. I like it when a book makes you say "holy crap!".... often. I agree with a previous review regarding the trial - low on the action/horror but high on the tension. The ending was a bit disappointing. It wasn't what I was expecting but I guess that was the point.
May 7, 2015
Not Horror, but Killer
This was a slow starter, particularly because it's not a horror novel like Ray usually writes, but don't give up on it. The content herein will shock you, Ray's knowledge of Hollywood--and the parts he makes up--are surreal. The type of sanguine book only a Californian could write.
This was a slow starter, particularly because it's not a horror novel like Ray usually writes, but don't give up on it. The content herein will shock you, Ray's knowledge of Hollywood--and the parts he makes up--are surreal. The type of sanguine book only a Californian could write.
June 10, 2016
This delivers what the title promises as there's sex and violence and it's in Hollywood! The twist at the end is a little over the top, but I suppose since the main character is into horror movies it's kind of appropriate to have a horror movie ending. Otherwise it's an entertaining and competently-written book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews