Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Death by Hollywood

Death by Hollywood
Death by Hollywood
Author: Steven Bochco
From the acclaimed co-creator of Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, Death by Hollywood is a suspenseful, shocking, and darkly comic crime novel about a screenwriter, a billionaire’s wife, a murder, and, of course, a cop. — “There used to be a writer by the name of Merle Miller, who wrote that pe...  more »So begins this seductive and surprising novel by two-time Edgar Award-winning writer Steven Bochco, in which a down-on-his-luck screenwriter named Bobby Newman tries to turn a brutal murder into his next movie payday.

One day, while spying on his Hollywood Hills neighbors through his $4,000 Bushnell XR90 electronic telescope, Bobby sees a beautiful woman making love to a handsome Latin actor named Ramon. When their pillow talk takes a turn for the ugly, Bobby watches in horror as the woman bludgeons her lover to death with his own acting trophy. Deciding to write about it instead of reporting it to the cops, Bobby insinuates himself into Detective Dennis Farentino’s murder investigation, forging an unusual friendship with the cop that turns out to be more complex than either of them had bargained for. Before long, Bobby has dragged the detective, his estranged wife, his lover, and his agent into a Hollywood funhouse hall of mirrors, where only the most manipulative player will survive.

Savvy, funny, sexy, and streetwise, Death By Hollywood is the tale Steven Bochco couldn’t tell on television. It is the work of an ingenious storyteller, certain to enthrall readers from beginning to end.
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780345466877
ISBN-10: 034546687X
Publication Date: 3/2/2004
Pages: 256
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 12

3.3 stars, based on 12 ratings
Publisher: Fawcett
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Death by Hollywood on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Surprisingly funny, with a lot of twists. Not at all what I expected from Steven Bochco.
punkinema avatar reviewed Death by Hollywood on + 305 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I was very disapppointed in this book. With an author of Steve Bocho, I expected a police drama at least since he wrote Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, etc. I got through 3 chapters and tossed it aside in disgust. It is full of nasty, filthy language and graphic sexual imagery that was neither necessary or added a thing to his story. I don't recommend it but I am sure there are those who would enjoy it despite the language and sex.
Read All 11 Book Reviews of "Death by Hollywood"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

Readnmachine avatar reviewed Death by Hollywood on + 1443 more book reviews
When a Hollywood scriptwriter with a bad block witnesses a murder, he decides he will turn it into a million-dollar script, but he doesn't count on the number of sharks swimming around in the California sea.
reviewed Death by Hollywood on + 27 more book reviews
Very unusual writing angle in this book and the more I read, the more I liked it. Picked this book up just on a wim and glad I did. Very much enjoyed it..not like any of the books I normally read. I would select a book by this author again.
reviewed Death by Hollywood on + 191 more book reviews
"There used to be a writer by the name of Merle Miller, who wrote that people in HOllywood are always touching you--not because they like you, but because they want to see how soft you are before they eat you alive."

So begins this seductive and surprising novel by two-time Edgar Award-winning sriter Steven Bochco, in which a down-on-his-luck screenwriater named bobby Newman tries to turn a brutal murder into his next movie payday.

Surprising book . i liked it
reviewed Death by Hollywood on + 91 more book reviews
Suspenseful, interesting insight into the world of television and movies.


Genres: