The Pictures

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Shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2017.

Yet another British beginner with a tale set overseas, in this case in Hollywood in 1939 at the time The Wizard of Oz  was being filmed. Detective Jonathan Craine once worked as a fixer for the studios, looking after their stars and employees when excess spilled over into the sphere of illegality but has tried to avoid the murky scene since his wife, an actress, committed suicide. When a young woman is found murdered and, as a result, a well-known producer under a veil of suspicion hangs himself, he is brought in to cover the tracks and mute the scandal at the behest of the owner of MGM and is drawn into an inexorable nightmare, compounded by his own past familiarity with many of the film people involved and his undoubted attraction to the dead man's widow. Walking a straight line between duty and cover up, the story he uncovers is distateful but also a way for him to find redemption of sorts. A flawed hero and a fascinating background and times make for a great read, even if the Golden Age of the movies don't fascinate you as much as they do me. ~ Maxim Jakubowski

A Maxim Jakubowski selected title.

Maxim Jakubowski

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