First published 1991
Simeon Grist takes what seems like easy money. His job is simple: watch over Toby Vane, television's biggest leading man, and make sure the actor stays away from scandal. Grist figures he can handle one pampered celebrity without breaking a sweat. Then someone kills a nude dancer, and the evidence points straight at Vane. The actor swears he's innocent, but the cops aren't buying it. Neither is the media, which circles like vultures around the fallen star. Grist finds himself caught between a client who may be lying and a murder case that grows more complicated by the hour. The deeper he digs into the dancer's death, the more secrets he uncovers about Hollywood's glittering facade. What started as a babysitting job becomes a race to clear Vane's name before the justice system destroys him. Grist must navigate the treacherous world of fame and find the real killer.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-detective, race-against-time, uncovering-secrets
Setting: Hollywood
Period: Contemporary
336 pages · Hardcover · Dutton
Content warnings: murder, violence