<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Please, No Sequel
Review: "The James Dean Affair" is awful -- truly awful. Let me count the ways:1) The plot is contrived. Its premise that James Dean is apparently alive and well and psychotic with a family of demented and murderous offspring home-based in Fairmount, Indiana is too preposterous to cause even dimwit readers to suspend their collective belief. Mr. Levinson tries to spice this tepid mess with frequent red herring climaxes and idiotic sidebars, such as a robery-rape attempt and a subsequent chase scene which have little bearing on anything, though the scene does give Stevie, the female protagonist, an opportunity to talk a bit slutty and titillate the reader. 2) In general, the prose is flat and repetitive. Mr. Levinson attempts to drape his deadwood in tinsel with frequent figures of speech which are supposed to convey showbiz glitz and glitter. For example, there is, "My heart was doing a rumba," and two or three pages later, "...my heart and head pounding like a drum duet by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich." Oh please! 3)The stars of the show, Stevie and Neil, who are, of course, supposed to recall Nick and Nora Charles, are totally unappealing, as they hash and rehash the terms of their long-term dysfunctional relationship. Their IQs seem to be somewhere in the vicinity of 85 or 90, and they banter and coo in the most annoying ways. Their exchanges are filled with non-sequiturs and imbecilic illogic. In real life, I'd hate to do lunch with them. 4)The female lead, Stevie, is particularly loathsome. She's supposed to be a smart, independent woman, but throughout most of the novel she continually shows herself as totally vain, utterly stupid, and desperately clinging. In short, she's a real bimbo. Her quick wit is demonstrated early in the novel when, in a stoke of true Hollywood genius, she whips out her knockers in order to prevent further mayhem at a murder scene. Good thinking! One of her most annoying habits is her frequent mewing of the word "Daddy" to her paramour Neil. It appears that his bleating is supposed to indicate her need to be protected by her guy -- a very subtle psychological touch. 5) And, finally there is the obviously irritating intent of the novel to produce a sequel -- whether there is a demand or not. Maybe, Dennis Hopper will surface in the next one. He was conspicuously absent from the Dean clan's "A" list of film cronies-in-need-of-killing. Please spare Mr. Hopper the indignity.
Rating: 
Summary: A deligtful Nick and Nora type mystery
Review: Every Hollywood insider including columnist Neil Gulliver and soap opera queen Stevie Mariner knew that the Rebel without a Cause teen idol was destined to be Elvis before Elvis. However, the giant screen star died in a fiery crash in 1955. Stevie is going to perform at the Hollywood Post Office branch as part of the James Dean commemorative stamp celebration. During the gala event, a Dean look alike interrupts the proceedings by killing an actor who worked with Dean. Unable to resist their curiosity, the formerly married to one another, but still friendly couple, Neil and Stevie investigate the mysterious stranger. However, instead of a simple case, the evidence they find points to Dean not dying in the car crash and a conspiracy in progress for years that kills several of his film co-stars. Now the assailants target Neil and Stevie. Robert S. Levinson uses his droll wit to provide readers with a humorous look at the seemingly surreal world of Hollywood. Stevie and Neil provide a charming and bickering duet that easily could have starred Lucy and Desi. Their relationship is cleverly intertwined to support the exciting story line of THE JAMES DEAN AFFAIR. The fast-paced plot makes filmdom seem darker and seedier than usual, but handled with a classy touch that enthralls the audience with the sub-culture and the mystery. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: not worth the time
Review: I thought the book was truley horrible. Although the summery seems exiting the book is terribly dull and makes James Dean out as a phsyco murderer.
Save your money, I wish i had
Rating:
Summary: Please, No Sequel
Review: Never have I been more tempted to contact an author directly to ask for my money back! If only it were possible to award a negative number of stars! I read -- on average -- four mystery paperbacks per week, everything from classic hardboiled to neo-cozies to regionals, and I have yet to slog my way through a muddier or more pointless story. Levinson's method for plugging a gaping plot hole or perking up a sagging storyline is to insert a burst of absurd and senseless violence. This novel would be a short story if all the characters weren't complete morons. The so-called "Tinseltown" nostalgia amounts to being cornered at a party by a boring drunk. Perhaps most annoying is the implication that Gulliver and Marriner are a latter day Nick and Nora Charles. Hardly! Gulliver and Marriner's dialog and their relationship have all the snap, sparkle and wit of a sack of wet sand. Presumably the ending is supposed to leave the reader concerned about the future of these two charmless amateurs and hungry to learn more about them. The only justification for their being a series of Gulliver and Marriner books is that someone at Tor wants Levinson's help getting a screenplay produced.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: While reading this novel, I found it intensifying. It had few flaws (such as the fact that the story would have been better off if it was based on a fictional Hollywood star rather than James Dean). However, it is funny, witty, and most of all thrilling. Everyones entitled to there own opinion however. But to me it is a pretty great book.
<< 1 >>
| 
