KotiRyhmätKeskusteluLisääAjan henki
Etsi sivustolta
Tämä sivusto käyttää evästeitä palvelujen toimittamiseen, toiminnan parantamiseen, analytiikkaan ja (jos et ole kirjautunut sisään) mainostamiseen. Käyttämällä LibraryThingiä ilmaiset, että olet lukenut ja ymmärtänyt käyttöehdot ja yksityisyydensuojakäytännöt. Sivujen ja palveluiden käytön tulee olla näiden ehtojen ja käytäntöjen mukaista.

Tulokset Google Booksista

Pikkukuvaa napsauttamalla pääset Google Booksiin.

North of Sunset
Ladataan...

North of Sunset

JäseniäKirja-arvostelujaSuosituimmuussijaKeskimääräinen arvioKeskustelut
253913,174 (3.75)-
If there’s an everyman, then Michael Sennet is every celebrity. Michael Sennet is a movie star. He should be happy, but he’s bored. What does he do after he’s achieved the best of everything: the best women, the best cars, the best homes, the best drugs? He doesn’t have an answer. Meanwhile, the Vanity Plate Killer is roaming the streets of Los Angeles looking for new victims and dreaming of fame of his own. When Michael Sennet uses the M.O. of the Vanity Plate Killer, they find something that eclipses any starring role.… (lisätietoja)
Jäsen:Pensbydon
Teoksen nimi:North of Sunset
Kirjailijat:
Info:Publisher Unknown
Kokoelmat:Oma kirjasto
Arvio (tähdet):
Avainsanoja:-

Teostiedot

North of Sunset (tekijä: Henry Baum)

-
Ladataan...

Kirjaudu LibraryThingiin nähdäksesi, pidätkö tästä kirjasta vai et.

Ei tämänhetkisiä Keskustelu-viestiketjuja tästä kirjasta.

näyttää 3/3
This was a very good mystery book that kept me on my toes till the last page. The only thing that might put people off the book was the amount of vulgar language used throughout. To me this was not a problem but I can see it being a problem for other readers.

All the characters were well-developed and everybody has a certain role to play within the novel. The scene was set with descriptions that made you feel like you were right in the middle of it. The style of writing is simple and honest, this I feel help make the novel great.

This is a wonderful novel by an independent author who deserves all the recognition that should come for such a brillant novel. I would highly recommend it.

A copy of this book was received for free and all opinions expressed are my own through reading it.

This review was first published on http://everybookhasasoul.wordpress.com ( )
  everybookhasasoul | Feb 28, 2012 |
Article first published as Book Review:North Of Sunset by Henry Baum on Blogcritics.

Hollywood is the place where dreams are made and occasionally nightmares find their way into the glitter and glamor of the stars.

In North Of Sunset by Harry Baum, we get a fictional glimpse into this world through the eyes of Michael Sennet and his beautiful actress wife Cheryl Leigh. Michael has become a big star, known throughout Hollywood; his face is a household phenomenon. Michael feels he has reached the pinnacle and is ready for the next step which he perceives as producing movies. The producer he works with, Martin Goldfarb is concerned that he is not ready for the big leagues on production and tries to keep his sights low. Michael is upset and having none of it.

At the same time in the city, there are a slew of murders happening. The only thing each victim has in common is their vanity license plates. Because at each crime scene the plate is taken, the serial killer has been coined by the name of the Vanity Plate Killer. Enter Curt Knudsen. He follows a group that talks about the ills of the world and his best friend is the leader. But he has tired of the continued rhetoric and has chosen to do something about those perceived ills. The murders make him feel powerful and he trolls the streets looking for those whose lives he feels makes others suffer. He has his own thought process, and determines the next victim based off his feelings.

Something is pulling these two bigger than life personalities inexorably together; the draw begins with just a bit madness for Michael, and a strange hint of pride from the killer. Michael too has vanity plates that came with his car which he received after one of his first gigs. As fate slowly brings these two together, bodies begin to pile up. Suddenly the murders change as well, is there now a copycat killer? Can California’s finest find this killer before he strikes again?

Henry Baum has written a view of Hollywood from the inside. His characters are much like you would expect both with their flaws and their grandeur. Boredom between work breeds contempt and trouble, and Michael finds himself up to his neck in both. The excitement of being well known comes with the downside of everyone knowing or wanting to know your most personal secrets. As with the real deal, we meet the Paparazzi, and are introduced to the Homicide Detective in charge of the case.

As each of the characters is introduced Baum creates a catalyst that twists them all together creating a situation where Michael feels he has no way to go but down. But even in this twisted scenario he feels a sort of power, even in his shame. The Hollywood Baum creates is very like what we expect, there is the glamor, but there is also the dark undertow waiting for the unwary.

If you enjoy suspense and murder mysteries you will enjoy this work. The world of the stars is so different and yet somewhat like that of our own, and it is interesting to get such a vivacious and fresh description. Baum has found a way to bring his characters to a maddening low, and then executed an ending that pulls them out of the abyss. It is one I did not see coming.
This book was received as a free copy from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material. ( )
  wrighton-time | Sep 3, 2011 |
I need to start off by saying that the language in this book really held me up for some time. During the first few pages I think I read the F-word used in every part of speech. Seriously... noun, verb, adjective. The whole bit. For me, it was a bit much, even though I know people talk like this often. I managed to keep reading because I knew the story line would be good, I just had to make myself read through the language. Usually my intuitions are right, and they did not disappoint me this time.

Michael Sennet is an A-list celebrity. Actually, more like an A+ list celebrity. He thinks he's a god, but that does not keep him from being bored with his life. Everything is given to him, which makes his ego almost unbearable. However, the one thing he wants the most he can't have.

Cur Knudsen is a kool-aid drinking lunatic. As I read through his description and role in the American Purity Church, I just couldn't help but thinking about some of the various cults you hear about in the news. He would be grade-A material for such a news segment. In case you don't figure it out early on, Curt has some issues. He is the Vanity Plate Killer.

As a general rule, I try not to read the back covers of books. I tend to read the first chapter and the last page. I can tell whether or not I'll like a book from the first 20 pages or so. Going into this book, I had no idea about the twists in events that I would encounter fairly early on. Needless to say, I was surprised. Given Michael's arrogant nature, I thought he would be a target and that would be the story. I really didn't anticipate his role in the copy cat murder. It made complete sense though, since his selfishness has created this unobtainable view of perfection that no one can live up to. Not even Michael Sennet himself. When all the loose ends start to wrap up, I got my Pulp Fiction tingles. At least that is the mood I contribute to the ending. (By the way, Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies--even with the language.)

The characters in this book are phenomenal. The are well written, flaws and all. I liked how the story was told from one character's view at a time. You really had an opportunity to get into their heads. The hubris of each of the "celebrity" characters (mainly, Michael Sennet) was real. All of the characters were flawed but believable. Surprisingly, the traits that made Michael vain and arrogant can also be found in many of the other characters. Personally, when I think of Hollywood, these are the types of people I imagine.

Overall, I can't give the book a four (4) because of the over-abundant use of the F-bomb. Seriously. It really did hamper my reading. I found myself only being able to read three or four pages at a time because of it. I eventually conditioned myself to it and made it through the remainder of the story fairly quickly. (Michael's slip into crazy land made it easy to become engrossed.) I give it a solid three (3) for my tastes. If language doesn't bother you, I'm sure you'll rate it higher. The basis of the story is original and well written/ developed. And, the characters--as screwed up as they were-- were actually likable (to some extent). North of Sunset is marketed as a satire, and I fully agree. It's a well-written Hollywood satire. ( )
  flashlight_reader | Jun 18, 2011 |
näyttää 3/3
ei arvosteluja | lisää arvostelu
Sinun täytyy kirjautua sisään voidaksesi muokata Yhteistä tietoa
Katso lisäohjeita Common Knowledge -sivuilta (englanniksi).
Teoksen kanoninen nimi
Alkuteoksen nimi
Teoksen muut nimet
Alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi
Henkilöt/hahmot
Tärkeät paikat
Tärkeät tapahtumat
Kirjaan liittyvät elokuvat
Epigrafi (motto tai mietelause kirjan alussa)
Omistuskirjoitus
Ensimmäiset sanat
Sitaatit
Viimeiset sanat
Erotteluhuomautus
Julkaisutoimittajat
Kirjan kehujat
Alkuteoksen kieli
Kanoninen DDC/MDS
Kanoninen LCC

Viittaukset tähän teokseen muissa lähteissä.

Englanninkielinen Wikipedia

-

If there’s an everyman, then Michael Sennet is every celebrity. Michael Sennet is a movie star. He should be happy, but he’s bored. What does he do after he’s achieved the best of everything: the best women, the best cars, the best homes, the best drugs? He doesn’t have an answer. Meanwhile, the Vanity Plate Killer is roaming the streets of Los Angeles looking for new victims and dreaming of fame of his own. When Michael Sennet uses the M.O. of the Vanity Plate Killer, they find something that eclipses any starring role.

Kirjastojen kuvailuja ei löytynyt.

Kirjan kuvailu
Yhteenveto haiku-muodossa

Current Discussions

-

Suosituimmat kansikuvat

Pikalinkit

Arvio (tähdet)

Keskiarvo: (3.75)
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3 1
3.5
4 3
4.5
5

Oletko sinä tämä henkilö?

Tule LibraryThing-kirjailijaksi.

 

Lisätietoja | Ota yhteyttä | LibraryThing.com | Yksityisyyden suoja / Käyttöehdot | Apua/FAQ | Blogi | Kauppa | APIs | TinyCat | Perintökirjastot | Varhaiset kirja-arvostelijat | Yleistieto | 203,192,199 kirjaa! | Yläpalkki: Aina näkyvissä