This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Human beings are creatures of habit. We can’t help it, we like the familiar, it’s comforting to us. We don’t like change and when someone forces us to try something we think we won’t like, we can be resistant to it, sometimes even throw a tantrum. Many of us are like this with books. For example, I have friends who wouldn’t entertain the possibility of reading anything other than literature’s finest classics. But sometimes you should step outside that comfort zone and dip into something new; something outrageous, something bordering on the lavish and indulgent, something teaming with sex, lies, betrayal and Hollywood’s finest. Ladies and possibly gentleman, I give you Taking Hollywood.
1993. Three young film-makers accept their oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Davie Johnston, Zander Leith and Mirren McLean, childhood friends from a rough housing estate in Glasgow, have taken Hollywood by storm.
But only they know what they did to get there …
The three male protagonists in this story all have a secret that could destroy their careers but, 20 years after winning their oscar, they are all successful and haven’t spoken to one another since that night. That could be about to change, however, as an ambitious Scottish journalist is traveling to LA in search of a story that could make her career, and she’s heading straight for them. As their lives begin to fall apart around them, the book steps back in time to reveal snippets of their pasts in Glasgow, which all lead us to the final revelation of the secret. You can’t trust anyone.
This book is heavily influenced by Jackie Collins; the authors (that’s right, two) even thank her for the inspiration in the acknowledgements. Having never read any Jackie Collins novels myself I didn’t really know what to expect. but I am a fan of Tasmina Perry and, like a lot of her novels, this book focuses on the sinister side of the glamorous Hollywood life. The big hook here is ‘The Secret’ – whatever happened between these three guys is big, and the desire to know what it is is overwhelming. I found myself thinking about it whilst washing up, getting dressed and trying to fall asleep at night.This book is scandalous and intriguing. The scandalous parts are heavily influenced by stories of outrageous celebrities that entertainment reporter and co-writer Ross King has brought to the table, mingled with the craft of an established writer who knows how to keep readers turning the pages. There are scenes that will grip you and not let go until the end of the chapter and so many twists and turns that to reveal them in a review would spoil the overall enjoyment of the novel.
Glamour. Mystery. Scandal. It’s good. Very good. King and Low writing together is an explosive mix that jumps off of the page. To reiterate my earlier point, be brave, lose yourself in the bitchy, media-driven, success-hungry world of Hollywood where anything is possible and you never know who might be out to take you down.
9/10