The Wicked and the Dead
by Robert Weibezahl
Quiet Storm
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Jill Stovall
Hollywood scriptwriter Billy Winnetka inadvertently finds himself cast in a real-life crime drama featuring murder, mayhem, and vice. Producer Harold Clausen sets up a meeting regarding a project that Billy has developed. But, when Clausen fails to show up for the appointment and is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Billy decides to investigate. His first duty is to comfort the luscious widow Mitzi, a not so typical "Hollywood wife." She and Clausen were more than just acquaintances to Billy.
Is it chauvinism or curiosity that motivates him to take on the role of gumshoe in this increasingly complicated investigation?
Enter the ever-suspicious Sgt. Goold who hates the movie business and warns Billy away. Outsmarting Goold becomes a mission for Billy when he discovers that there are other sudden and mysterious deaths of people who had worked with Harold Clausen. This leads him straight into the danger zone. And as Sgt. Goold so aptly states, "Bad stuff coming down, Mr. Winnetka. Amateur sleuth meets up with not-so-amateur criminal. I told you not to get involved."
With Los Angeles as the movie world setting, the scenes are reminiscent of a classic film noir that would appeal to fans of Robert Parker and Sidney Sheldon. Tony, the intrepid assistant to the murdered producer, is cast as the perfect foil to Billy Winnetka. Young, earnest and deeply involved in the Hollywood gay scene, Tony careens his way through the story in a 1969 magenta-colored Pontiac Catalina that "seemed to be held together by equal parts of body putty and goodwill." He manages to elude death and helps to uncover the pieces that will eventually solve this puzzling chain of crime.
Armchair Interviews says: Robert Weibezahl succeeds in writing an intriguing story--in spite of distracting text riddled with editorial mistakes.