Editorial Content for A Murder in Hollywood

When author and filmmaker Michael Crichton passed away in 2008, an enormous hole was left in the world. In recent years, a series of novels that he originally penned as John Lange have been re-released, allowing his longtime readers to dive into work that was markedly different from what he wrote under his own name but was still full of his clever storytelling.

One of these John Lange novels, A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD, has never before been published until now. What starts out as a soap opera with characters from a movie set in the 1970s quickly becomes a stylish murder mystery featuring a great lead character and narrator, as well as the individual tasked with investigating the crime. From the very first line, we are drawn into the life of film publicist Harvey Jason. He is working on a western, Bloodrock, which is moving along smoothly until a screenwriter turns up dead in his motel bathtub.

"This nerve-wracking read builds chapter by chapter towards an ending that only could have been made in Hollywood itself."

There are a myriad of characters, and keeping a scoresheet may be necessary for readers to stay on top of who is who and the roles they play in the film and the potential murder case of Arthur McDougall. Initially, Harvey --- who also serves as the story’s narrator --- reaches out to one of the executive producers to make him aware of the finding. At first glance, it appears that McDougall simply had too much to drink and fell down, striking his head against the edge of the sink and fell into the bathtub.

Harvey is told to pick up a man named Harlow Perkins at the airport who is flying in to investigate this matter. Perkins is a no-nonsense type with a stern reputation that precedes him and works as an auditor for the film company.

Harvey accompanies Perkins throughout his investigation and is often tasked with setting up each meeting while also providing assistance as a sounding board and information gatherer for him. Two of the first meetings Perkins has are with the stars of the film, Clete Williams and Brenda Conrad. The well-respected Clete was said to have had words with McDougall in the bar, as well as at the motel the night he died. Brenda, meanwhile, was rumored to have been having an unlikely affair with McDougall, who was not seen as a ladies’ man.

If you listened to the gossip on the set, everyone is leaning towards Clete being behind McDougall’s death. They know there was no love lost between the two, and Clete also might have been jealous of the relationship McDougall had with his female lead. Perkins is not so quick to buy into this gossip and continues to notice things pertaining to the film and the set that Harvey is unaware of --- from camera shots to daily editing clips. This also keeps the reader from having a handle on the murder mystery as it is always difficult to understand Perkins’ thought process with his investigation.

Everything eventually will make sense when the big reveal comes along. Even though he is not an actual member of law enforcement, Perkins is like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot in both his behavior and his ability to see things that no one else notices. Just prior to the reveal, Perkins orchestrates a setup of certain characters, as well as a reshooting. This is all done with Harvey’s assistance, and the results are more than a little eye-opening and completely stunning.

Michael Crichton has created a murder mystery novel that his fans probably never thought he was capable of pulling off. This nerve-wracking read builds chapter by chapter towards an ending that only could have been made in Hollywood itself.