The Wicked and the Dead

By Robert Weibezahl

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0975857142
• ISBN13: 9780975857144
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Quiet Storm Pub Group
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Reviewed by Barb Radmore

Robert Weibezahl has taken us to the heart of Hollywood in his new book The Wicked and the Dead. And a cold black heart it is! It is an insider's look at the business of films and film makers. Since he himself worked seven years in film production for major studios he is able to show the reader this world fine detail. It is this setting that makes this book unique within the current market for crime fiction. Billy Winnetka is an script writer who has worked in Hollywood for a long time, maybe too long. He has survived in the business, knows a lot of people, but the times are changing. He still gets an occasional call for a "meeting" but they are getting farther apart. On the other hand, Billy still has money coming in, a place to live and a nice Saab. With Joanie Mitchell in the tape deck, a good used book store near by and an ex-wife who still speaks to him, life is not too bad. Maybe this is why the murder of Harold Clausen hits him the wrong way. Clausner a producer acquaintance of his, meets with an accident on the way to a meeting with Billy, but the accident is a bit suspicious. As other old acquaintances are also permanently edited out of life Billy gets to work to figure out who is the final editor. This book is just plain fun. Billy Winnetka is a character you hope to meet again. He is not the brightest crime solver ever introduced, but he tries and cares- what else can be asked for in the bad, bright world of Hollywood? This book is for anyone who just wants to spend a few hours lost in the fake glitter of Tinseltown, absorbed in a well constructed murder mystery. A throw back to the style of the 50s, it is a pleasant addition to the modern crime over easy novels.

Highly recommended

I picked up this book after seeing the author interviewed on television. Weibezahl's writing is as intriguing as his conversation; his book is one of the most accurate re-creations of 1990's Hollywood around, with a complex plot, a clever fusion of characters and a hero you actually care about. I found Billy Winnetka's transformation from clueless screenwriter to competent amateur detective as fascinating as the murder he solves. Equally impressive is the author's understanding of how much connections matter in Hollywood-whether you're trying to sell a script, get cast or solve a string of grisly murders. I highly recommend it.