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Sex.Lies.Murder.Fame.
In sex.lies.murder.fame., Lolita Files delivers a sizzling satire set against the affluence and sensuality of the literary and music worlds that explores the outrageous lengths to which three devout fame-chasers will go to seek their fortune.
Fame is a b*#%$. And when boy meets b*#%$, nothing can keep the two of them apart. Penn Hamilton is young, brilliant, beautiful, and ready to take on the world and claim his rightful place in the midst of celebrity. As a Writer. Rapper. Model. God. Unfortunately, the world is not quite ready for him. When Penn writes what he believes to be the "Great American Literary Blockbuster," he's rebuffed at every turn. Faced with ridicule, rejection, and mounting resentment, he decides to fight back using his assets -- rock-star looks, genius IQ, and killer charm.
Beryl Unger is a rising star in the publishing world, editor to literati and glitterati alike. Single, plain, obsessive, a bit on the dreamy side, she's a train wreck waiting to happen, and easy prey for a beautiful man with a seductive plan. When Penn meets Beryl, sparks fly. And sparks fly even higher when he meets the breathtaking superstar romance author Sharlyn Tate.
Two women, one man. A man with no boundaries, who will stop short at nothing -- even brutal, vicious murder -- to fulfill his desperate ambition. Lolita Files is the author of the bestselling Child of God, which has been optioned as a feature film by Kanye West. Files has a degree in broadcast journalism and lives outside of Los Angeles, where she is currently developing projects for television and film.
Fame is a b*#%$. And when boy meets b*#%$, nothing can keep the two of them apart. Penn Hamilton is young, brilliant, beautiful, and ready to take on the world and claim his rightful place in the midst of celebrity. As a Writer. Rapper. Model. God. Unfortunately, the world is not quite ready for him. When Penn writes what he believes to be the "Great American Literary Blockbuster," he's rebuffed at every turn. Faced with ridicule, rejection, and mounting resentment, he decides to fight back using his assets -- rock-star looks, genius IQ, and killer charm.
Beryl Unger is a rising star in the publishing world, editor to literati and glitterati alike. Single, plain, obsessive, a bit on the dreamy side, she's a train wreck waiting to happen, and easy prey for a beautiful man with a seductive plan. When Penn meets Beryl, sparks fly. And sparks fly even higher when he meets the breathtaking superstar romance author Sharlyn Tate.
Two women, one man. A man with no boundaries, who will stop short at nothing -- even brutal, vicious murder -- to fulfill his desperate ambition. Lolita Files is the author of the bestselling Child of God, which has been optioned as a feature film by Kanye West. Files has a degree in broadcast journalism and lives outside of Los Angeles, where she is currently developing projects for television and film.
- GenresFiction
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
5 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Lolita Files
12 books133 followersLolita Files is an American author, screenwriter, and producer whose work spans fiction, nonfiction, and television. She is the author of six bestselling novels, including the popular book club titles Scenes from a Sistah and Child of God. Her novel sex.lies.murder.fame was optioned for film, with Files adapting the screenplay. She also coauthored Once Upon a Time in Compton with former Compton Gang Unit detectives Timothy M. Brennan and Robert Ladd, a nonfiction account of their years navigating gang wars, the rise of Gangsta rap, and the investigations into the murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Files earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Florida and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Before turning to writing full time, she worked in corporate communications, marketing, and property management, experiences that influenced her early novels. Her path to publication began when she submitted short fiction and pages from Child of God to a major literary agency, resulting in immediate representation and her first book deal.
Based in Los Angeles, Files continues to write novels and nonfiction while developing and producing film, television, and new media projects.
Files earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Florida and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Before turning to writing full time, she worked in corporate communications, marketing, and property management, experiences that influenced her early novels. Her path to publication began when she submitted short fiction and pages from Child of God to a major literary agency, resulting in immediate representation and her first book deal.
Based in Los Angeles, Files continues to write novels and nonfiction while developing and producing film, television, and new media projects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 14, 2011
The book was only 361 pages long and it took her 100+ pages to develop the two main characters. I was really wondering when the plot was going to begin, and by the time it did, I was already busy searching for things to like about the book rather than being immersed in it. I suppose I went into the story expecting more, especially in the comedy department, but I just couldn't get passed how slow it started. Though it compelled me to finish the book, and it was written well.
October 12, 2009
Set amid the backdrop of New York City's impervious and highly competitive literary world, a disinherited, struggling writer, Penn Hamilton, plots his course to stardom. Born with dastardly good looks and a genius I.Q., Penn seduces the top editor in the business, Beryl Unger. Beryl is a homely, narcoleptic, obsessive-compulsive workaholic who instantly falls for Penn's charms and his manuscript. The spin-doctors are engaged and Penn, as much as his novel, is an overnight sensation. The money, power, respect, and women ensue. When Beryl discovers that Penn has another lover and threatens to expose him and ruin his budding career, Penn ends the charade by committing a heinous crime.
This novel is a dark comedy, filled with cynicism and wit, and a touch of satire surrounding literary figures (editors, agents, etc.) and concepts (Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk). Files offers a credible plot behind the evolution of Penn's ascent as an artist and embodiment of himself as a "brand" spanning all genres - music, fashion, literature, cinema, even legal scandals - the total package. He becomes an infamous, opportunistic, conniving, heartless protagonist - and yet, he is still fairly likeable. Files keeps the novel fresh and hip. Through Penn, the reader hangs with the "in crowd" and meets modern icons in today's entertainment arena.
If readers are adventurous enough to veer away from the "Reesy and Misty" novels and are patient enough to appreciate the rather lengthy passages dedicated to character development, the underlying ripples of black humor, and the clever infusion of actual literary works and personalities, I think File's fans may appreciate this book as an enriched departure from her traditional `girlfriend' type of novels
This novel is a dark comedy, filled with cynicism and wit, and a touch of satire surrounding literary figures (editors, agents, etc.) and concepts (Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk). Files offers a credible plot behind the evolution of Penn's ascent as an artist and embodiment of himself as a "brand" spanning all genres - music, fashion, literature, cinema, even legal scandals - the total package. He becomes an infamous, opportunistic, conniving, heartless protagonist - and yet, he is still fairly likeable. Files keeps the novel fresh and hip. Through Penn, the reader hangs with the "in crowd" and meets modern icons in today's entertainment arena.
If readers are adventurous enough to veer away from the "Reesy and Misty" novels and are patient enough to appreciate the rather lengthy passages dedicated to character development, the underlying ripples of black humor, and the clever infusion of actual literary works and personalities, I think File's fans may appreciate this book as an enriched departure from her traditional `girlfriend' type of novels
February 17, 2018
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years!!! Seriously, what took me so long to read it!! I love Lolita Files....she does no wrong in my eyes!!!
July 9, 2024
The Meta-ness of it was pretty fun. And the rest of it, well, it moved fast, had enough action and was overall pretty enjoyable. It was silly in some parts, ridiculous in others, but still fun overall. Dont expect Donna Tartt and you won't be let down. Just have a good time.
Read
September 29, 2010The story of a megalomaniacal gorgeous genius who can’t do anything wrong (except that whole homicidal sociopathy thing, that is) and his narcoleptic, OCD’d editor, with all kinds of literary gracenotes and self-conscious name-dropping that is possibly really clever and also possibly really overdone. I liked parts of it, disliked others, found it quirky, finished it quickly. Now I’m not sure if I should have started it at all. Oh, well, c’est la vie, n’est-ce pas? Or in this case, c’est la lecture.
June 23, 2011
Not my favorite of Lolita Files' books. She didn't have a single character that you could root for. Maybe it was her goal to portray the characters in a glossy surface, tabloid kind of way. I only stuck with the book because I have so much respect for Files I believed it would get better.
I did like the way she used the concepts and literary techniques as the headings for the upcoming chapters i.e. nihilism, deus ex machina.
I did like the way she used the concepts and literary techniques as the headings for the upcoming chapters i.e. nihilism, deus ex machina.
September 27, 2018
Interesting read..... I enjoyed until the ending....... It was NOT good! UGH!
June 11, 2022
Finally finished Lolita File's Sex Lies Murder Fame - which is a satire of the chick-lit modern romance novel, with heavy Patricia Highsmith & Bret Easton Ellis/noir underpinnings. The main character reminds me a great deal of the characters Highsmith liked to write about or rather Patrick Batman from Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho. This book is easier to read than that one was, while it's graphic in places, it's no where near as graphic as American Psycho.
If you've never heard of the writer, Lolita Files is a contemporary African American writer, best known for Child of God and both that novel and this one have been optioned for film rights.
It took a while to plow my way through the novel for a couple of reasons: 1) you don't like anyone in this book - which isn't an issue for everyone but I need someone to root for, they don't have to be a nice person, I just have to want to root for them and 2)I read it for twenty minute stretchs on the train to and from work, on the days I didn't feel the need to take a twenty minute snooze.
The plot of the novel is fairly simple - Penn Hamilton, a sexy, incredibly attractive, blond greek god of a man, with an IQ of 210 and no conscience or morals to speak of, after much fuss and bother, decides to seduce a homely yet high ranking editor named Beryl Unger - in order to get published and cross-marketed and become a STAR. He also seduces her top-ranking romance novelist. Hi-jinks ensue.
Each section is split with little introductory definitions of literary/philosophical movements such as Romanticism, Realism, Existentialism (ex: "A literary and philosophical movement emphasizing the belief that an individual is isolated and totally free in an indifferent universe - not controlled by fate, higher forces, or pre-ordained events - and is therefore completely responsible for what happens to him and what he makes of life" - this is coupled with a literary quote by some famous writer, in this case Soren Kierkegaard: "It belongs to the imperfection of everything human that man can only attain his desire by passing through its opposite". My favorite of these little quotes is one by Blake Edwards regarding the section on Realism : "You have to make every moment count. It's not easy to do, you know. I don't think that a day goes by when I don't turn my back on some small thing or some issue somewhere." )...also includes sections called "Deux Ex Machina" defined as "a device used in Greek and Roman theater where a crane made of wooden beams and elaborate pulleys lowered a god or what appeared to be the hand of a god onto the stage to physically remove the hero from the midst of an impossible difficulty" or " A literary device where the author uses the surprise intervention of an improbably person or event to get a character out of a difficult situation or to bring a story to a convenient conclusion." (In short what the majority of science fiction television writers seem to do on an annual basis.) And Metafiction - "A work of fiction that self-consciously examines itself while telling a story, blurring the lines between reality and fiction within the levels of narative. Fiction about fiction. Also known as surfiction."
The book is actually quite humorous in places and very snarky or tongue firmly in cheek, deftly satirizing the publishing, advertising, music, and film industries, as well as the idea of branding and best-sellerdom or celebrity. It's also a bit bitter, or angry, and dated - Katie Couric is still on The Today Show in the Alternate Universe for example. But it does do a good job of making fun of the hype machine and how people reacte a bit like lemmings towards it.
Where the novel fell short is the ending. The writer goes on a bit long, commenting on the novel, when it would have worked better if she'd just stopped five pages earlier. I've seen this a lot in novels lately - making me wonder about the publishing industry and whether anyone edits anything any more. Makes me wonder about the film industry as well.
Granted it is satire and satire in order to work, does need to be a bit over the top. A prime example is Tropic Thunder and Borat - which both work because they go over the top, often way way way over the top, only to suddenly and effortlessly swing back just in the nick of time. You can't be too subtle or you risk merely being offensive - ie. The infamous Barack Obama New Yorker cartoon. On the other hand - if you go too far, you risk losing the reader to a fit of eye-rolling - You Don't Mess with The Yohan. Satire is not an easy thing to pull off well. Files, to her credit, does stay within the bounds, but her last chapter did feel a bit like over-kill, as if she didn't trust the reader - resulting in the before-mentioned eye-rolling.
My other difficulty with the novel is File's protagonist or anti-hero, who is a bit on the whiny side, considering the fact that he looks like a greek god with a 210 IQ, this doesn't quite work. Actually everyone is a little whiny. The three characters who succeed in the novel? You dislike the most and sort of wish would pay, so it leaves one with a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. Highsmith did this better I think with the Talented Mr. Ripley.
It's an amusing light read - and a great antidote for anyone who has read one too many chick-lit novels. Also it's a treat to have an African American Female Writer jump into Easton Ellis territory.
Not an easy book to find, though. I had to get my copy at the Strand. My friend got hers through the public library, which is your best bet.
If you've never heard of the writer, Lolita Files is a contemporary African American writer, best known for Child of God and both that novel and this one have been optioned for film rights.
It took a while to plow my way through the novel for a couple of reasons: 1) you don't like anyone in this book - which isn't an issue for everyone but I need someone to root for, they don't have to be a nice person, I just have to want to root for them and 2)I read it for twenty minute stretchs on the train to and from work, on the days I didn't feel the need to take a twenty minute snooze.
The plot of the novel is fairly simple - Penn Hamilton, a sexy, incredibly attractive, blond greek god of a man, with an IQ of 210 and no conscience or morals to speak of, after much fuss and bother, decides to seduce a homely yet high ranking editor named Beryl Unger - in order to get published and cross-marketed and become a STAR. He also seduces her top-ranking romance novelist. Hi-jinks ensue.
Each section is split with little introductory definitions of literary/philosophical movements such as Romanticism, Realism, Existentialism (ex: "A literary and philosophical movement emphasizing the belief that an individual is isolated and totally free in an indifferent universe - not controlled by fate, higher forces, or pre-ordained events - and is therefore completely responsible for what happens to him and what he makes of life" - this is coupled with a literary quote by some famous writer, in this case Soren Kierkegaard: "It belongs to the imperfection of everything human that man can only attain his desire by passing through its opposite". My favorite of these little quotes is one by Blake Edwards regarding the section on Realism : "You have to make every moment count. It's not easy to do, you know. I don't think that a day goes by when I don't turn my back on some small thing or some issue somewhere." )...also includes sections called "Deux Ex Machina" defined as "a device used in Greek and Roman theater where a crane made of wooden beams and elaborate pulleys lowered a god or what appeared to be the hand of a god onto the stage to physically remove the hero from the midst of an impossible difficulty" or " A literary device where the author uses the surprise intervention of an improbably person or event to get a character out of a difficult situation or to bring a story to a convenient conclusion." (In short what the majority of science fiction television writers seem to do on an annual basis.) And Metafiction - "A work of fiction that self-consciously examines itself while telling a story, blurring the lines between reality and fiction within the levels of narative. Fiction about fiction. Also known as surfiction."
The book is actually quite humorous in places and very snarky or tongue firmly in cheek, deftly satirizing the publishing, advertising, music, and film industries, as well as the idea of branding and best-sellerdom or celebrity. It's also a bit bitter, or angry, and dated - Katie Couric is still on The Today Show in the Alternate Universe for example. But it does do a good job of making fun of the hype machine and how people reacte a bit like lemmings towards it.
Where the novel fell short is the ending. The writer goes on a bit long, commenting on the novel, when it would have worked better if she'd just stopped five pages earlier. I've seen this a lot in novels lately - making me wonder about the publishing industry and whether anyone edits anything any more. Makes me wonder about the film industry as well.
Granted it is satire and satire in order to work, does need to be a bit over the top. A prime example is Tropic Thunder and Borat - which both work because they go over the top, often way way way over the top, only to suddenly and effortlessly swing back just in the nick of time. You can't be too subtle or you risk merely being offensive - ie. The infamous Barack Obama New Yorker cartoon. On the other hand - if you go too far, you risk losing the reader to a fit of eye-rolling - You Don't Mess with The Yohan. Satire is not an easy thing to pull off well. Files, to her credit, does stay within the bounds, but her last chapter did feel a bit like over-kill, as if she didn't trust the reader - resulting in the before-mentioned eye-rolling.
My other difficulty with the novel is File's protagonist or anti-hero, who is a bit on the whiny side, considering the fact that he looks like a greek god with a 210 IQ, this doesn't quite work. Actually everyone is a little whiny. The three characters who succeed in the novel? You dislike the most and sort of wish would pay, so it leaves one with a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. Highsmith did this better I think with the Talented Mr. Ripley.
It's an amusing light read - and a great antidote for anyone who has read one too many chick-lit novels. Also it's a treat to have an African American Female Writer jump into Easton Ellis territory.
Not an easy book to find, though. I had to get my copy at the Strand. My friend got hers through the public library, which is your best bet.
July 18, 2024
This was a good book. I'm not sure if the reviews of the book gave me low expectations, but I thought it was an engaging book. There was a lot of character development as someone else stated, but I think it worked. It captivated me. I wanted to know how their stories would end and the trials they would go through along the way.
I like that she told us Penn's thoughts because there are so many women who get so caught up in the fantasy like Beryl did that they neglect or overlook reality. These were not stupid women, but they were being played like so many women are. I may be wrong but sometimes a writer inputs things like this not only because of the story but to call attention to readers. It's sort of like a slap on the hand, pay attention to these men out here type of thing.
I like the use of fame in the title, but I saw an obsession with money. Many characters "overlooked" Penn's sociopath qualities because they were financially invested or lustfully hoping they could fuck him. They even used the murder investigation and trial as a way to get money. They completely neglected that this was a person who died, and there were no other suspects.
All in all, this book was definitely interesting, and I enjoyed every bit of it. :-)
I like that she told us Penn's thoughts because there are so many women who get so caught up in the fantasy like Beryl did that they neglect or overlook reality. These were not stupid women, but they were being played like so many women are. I may be wrong but sometimes a writer inputs things like this not only because of the story but to call attention to readers. It's sort of like a slap on the hand, pay attention to these men out here type of thing.
I like the use of fame in the title, but I saw an obsession with money. Many characters "overlooked" Penn's sociopath qualities because they were financially invested or lustfully hoping they could fuck him. They even used the murder investigation and trial as a way to get money. They completely neglected that this was a person who died, and there were no other suspects.
All in all, this book was definitely interesting, and I enjoyed every bit of it. :-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2013
Read October 2006
Was this supposed to be funny??? If so then it deserves 5 stars and all the praise some of the other reviewers gave it. If not then I can only, in good conscience give it 2 stars...and maybe that is being generous. It said on the back flap that this was supposed to be a satire, a satire of what I am not sure though. I enjoyed this book up until about half way through when it just became so preposterous that I kept finding myself laying it down to have a good laugh. Everything about the second half of this book was utterly ridiculous and had the feel as though it was written by someone who does not live in the real world. Also the ending, in my opinion, left a lot to be desired. There were many questions left unanswered and no real feeling of closure.
`SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME' is the first book by Lolita Files that I have read but despite my particular distaste for this book I do plan to pick up some of her previous works as I hear they are supposed to be very good. The one saving grace for `SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME' was the prose, Lolita Files is obviously a talented writer who should stick with story lines based somewhat in reality.
Was this supposed to be funny??? If so then it deserves 5 stars and all the praise some of the other reviewers gave it. If not then I can only, in good conscience give it 2 stars...and maybe that is being generous. It said on the back flap that this was supposed to be a satire, a satire of what I am not sure though. I enjoyed this book up until about half way through when it just became so preposterous that I kept finding myself laying it down to have a good laugh. Everything about the second half of this book was utterly ridiculous and had the feel as though it was written by someone who does not live in the real world. Also the ending, in my opinion, left a lot to be desired. There were many questions left unanswered and no real feeling of closure.
`SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME' is the first book by Lolita Files that I have read but despite my particular distaste for this book I do plan to pick up some of her previous works as I hear they are supposed to be very good. The one saving grace for `SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME' was the prose, Lolita Files is obviously a talented writer who should stick with story lines based somewhat in reality.
November 13, 2015
Sex.Lies.Murder.Fame. It's not your regular chicklit novel. It's far from it. It's a women's fiction book. It's a thriller. It's a psychological insider's perspective on celebrity life. It's a comment on the publishing industry. It's about ugly people and pretty people and drugs and drinking and gettin it on with anything that moves. It's by Lolita Files. (That's not a pen name!)
I friggin could not wait to finish this book so I read it everywhere. I read it at work a lot while my classes wrote their essays. Which was fine until I got to the very graphic sex scenes that sent me into a palpitating chaotic whirlwind that I had to hide under the circumstances.
Yes, it's that kind of read.
I friggin could not wait to finish this book so I read it everywhere. I read it at work a lot while my classes wrote their essays. Which was fine until I got to the very graphic sex scenes that sent me into a palpitating chaotic whirlwind that I had to hide under the circumstances.
Yes, it's that kind of read.
Read
September 6, 2007Ha! I loved the main character, Penn. I was rooting for him the whole time. He takes what he wants. Small points are hilarious: like the way he hates his IKEA bed, and that it has a name and inspires him to greatness. I think this book is genius and really funny. (Though I sense an intended irony that is not lost, but certainly wasted on me. Penn is supposed to be a "bad symbol"? But things were so comical by the time he gets nasty that it did not matter.)
March 20, 2012
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist Penn was the "antihero" so to speak. He was so different- not the normal main character. Despite his characteristics he is such a moving character. The book's plot is different and moving. There was nary a moment of boredom. It turned a normally cliched idea (going to NYC to try to strike it big) into a completely original peace. Very nice. Glad I stumbled upon it.
February 14, 2016
Definitely a book true to its title. It was my first time reading Lolita Files but I will read her again. Her writing style is incredibly thoughtful and well laid out. I really enjoyed the character development and would actually have liked to see more. I felt like there was no resolution to the characters Miles, Brookie or Rex. It have been nice for a more concrete ending rather than an imagine it yourself. Overall I did really enjoy the book.
July 6, 2007
i chose this book because one of the main characters is an editor, but i kept reading it because it was awesome. the book explores all of the things mentioned in the title, coldly delineating each one. definitely parts that made me gasp out loud. this book explores what people will do to reach fame, and makes you wonder where you'd stop if you wanted it badly enough.
August 17, 2008
This book was definitely racy...not a typical book I would choose but a fun/quick summer read, nonetheless. The author (female) should get props for writing from the perspective of an (egomaniacal) angry male...I honestly thought the author must have been a man based on the way things were phrased, written, etc.
May 16, 2010
Lolita Files' "A Child of God" was just excellent so when my daughter purchased "Sex. Lies, Murder. Fame" in 2006 I said I wanted to read it. However, there were just so many other books & issues that kept allowing me to push it to the side, but I now have the opportunity to read it (while reading 2 others) and I'm going to do so.
December 2, 2008
Maybe it just wasn't my taste, but I did not really like this book. I feel like the author has man issues or something becuase every male character was protrayed as a heartless, self centered jerk. I would not recommend it.
September 29, 2022
This was an interesting read. It confused me in the end though. I didn't get it. It got way out of hand when he killed his married lover and threw her in the lake. That was a bit far fetched. It just was... weird.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2014
lolita files wasted no time with unraveling characters and laying out the plot....I love How easy it was to become invested in certain characters....It was impossible to look away from ....GREAT WORK Cool Story!
April 16, 2007
This book was very slow to start. The ending was interesting, and not what I was expecting. Interesting read.
my-amazon-cart
February 23, 2008With a title like that, can you really go wrong? Ha!
May 5, 2014
Dark satire set against the vivid lifestyle of three memorable characters, to be a scalding critique of society’s obsession with fame and celebrity.
March 22, 2010
This story lived up to the title to a "T". I got so involved with the characters and even played the movie in my head. Great book.
August 11, 2010
I love this book. I almost am sure this would make a great film with the right casting and director. There's sex, love, suspense, murder what more could you want.
September 21, 2011
Very deceiving....good book though.
November 6, 2011
First time reading a book by Lolita. Not a disappointment at all. Looking foward to reading more from her.
Read
August 20, 2012this was an interesting read
January 6, 2018
Loved this book
June 15, 2009
I really wanted this book to be good, but I just couldn't get into it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews