I
can identify with the protagonist, Slater, a private investigator with a lot of
problems, like his drinking, his anger issues, and his sex addiction.
His
struggles often make me wince and sometimes make me happy when he figures out
some aspect of his stuff. In the book, Slater encounters a variety of
UFO believers from the past and the present day, and as he gets more familiar
with their arcane belief system, he starts to question his own beliefs.
The
book is engaging, a fast, breezy read with lots of cartoonish fisticuffs and
lots of gay sex.
I
found the detective at the center of the story, Truman, to be refreshing in his
naivete, despite being set in the grimy big city of Los Angeles. Just because
he’s not hardboiled doesn’t mean he’s stupid, however, and I had to laugh as
Truman cluelessly digs himself into a mystery in the city’s fashion industry.
His pal Celeste is more street-smart, and the ups and downs of her rocky
relationships with men are all too familiar. The pair of them work together to
take down a cryptocurrency scam, exacting a most satisfying revenge on the
mastermind of it all.
The tone of the book is light, and it makes a compelling
read.
When gallerist Celeste meets an old friend at an art show, the artist explains that someone has jacked one of her fashion designs, and soon Celeste’s bestie, Truman, is on the case, diving headlong into LA’s fashion industry to investigate. Truman and Celeste soon get entangled with a hinky company run by a trio of enigmatic lowlifes who produce a very unusual fashion line. Are they full-on grifters, or just not that competent? Truman goes undercover with an industry supplier, and Celeste agrees to work for the trashy fashion folks, digging deeper into their secrets and getting way too close…
I
quickly got sucked into the political intrigue of this story, as well as the
secrets of the main character, Kelsie.
Throughout the book, the tension mounts as
she plots revenge on her deadbeat father. I loved how she gradually started to
open up to a relationship with her coworker and then had to figure out how to
manage her feelings and balance it with work and her larger goals.
The author has
a lengthy pedigree, having written screenplays and best-selling thrillers, and
this novel shows the best of his skills in building tension, surprising me with
a couple of unexpected twists.
After quitting his dead-end job, Mason enacts his dream of becoming a psychic investigator, despite skepticism from his boyfriend.
Eluding sketchy Hollywood thugs, surviving his first lap dance, and paying close attention to his dreams, he manages to solve a few mysteries and surprise even himself with his psychic skills.
