L.A. Times

Credit must be given to the prolific Stuart Woods for pulling off a novel in which the entire cast is heinous and unlikeable. L.A. TIMES pulls it off beautifully. One can't help but get involved in Michael Vincent's rise to the top of Hollywood cream and his fall from grace too. Michael will stop at nothing to get what he wants and a lot of bodies pile up on his rise to the top. He's incapable of really loving anyone, only he loves his movies. Filled with glitz and a knowledge of both the Mafia and the mechanisms of Hollywood movie-making, LA TIMES is a quick read, and its ending, although somewhat unexpected leaves an impact. Would make a great movie!

In my opinion, LA Times is one of the best Stuart Woods books. I spent the night at a friend's house several years ago and the book was on the bedside table. I stayed up all night reading it. What a thrill! I guess it's not always the highest compliment in the literary world to say that a book would make a great movie, BUT...this book reads like a fantastic movie. It maintains a fast pace, surprising twists, and enjoyable character development via dialogue and actions as opposed narrative interpretation. It also focuses on the primary story line more than most thriller/mystery books, which is part of what keeps it moving so well. Sure, the book does have a few gimmicky twists, but you're supposed to enjoy the irony and surprise in a way that you do when you read Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiaasen. Stuart Woods is a masterful storyteller, although his books don't all sound like they're from the same storyteller. The Stone Barrington books (New York Dead, Dirt, Dead in the Water, Swimming to Catalina, Worst Fears Realized, LA Dead, Cold Paradise, The Short Forever, Dirty Work, and Reckless Abandon) are the most popular because of the memorable characters Stone and Dino. I admit that the Barrington novels are my favorites. The Will Lee books (Chiefs, Run Before the Wind, Grass Roots, The Run, Capital Crimes) are very different from the rest-more political and Southern. The Holly Barker books (Orchid Beach, Orchid Blues, Blood Orchid, Reckless Abandon), in my opinion, are the least compelling, until Reckless Abandon when Woods partners Barker with Stone Barrington. The remaining 11 books have different themes and characters (Deep Lie, Under the Lake, White Cargo, Palindrome, Santa Fe Rules, LA Times, Dead Eyes, Heat, Imperfect Strangers, Choke, The Prince of Beverly Hills). I wondered when I saw the Sopranos episodes where Christopher (the mob boss' cousin) wanted to be a screen writer if that might not be homage to Stuart Woods. Well, if you wanted to see what might have happened to Christopher if he had made it to Hollywood, read this book. If you like Stuart Woods because of the Stone Barrington novels and you like the style of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, I think you'll like the tone and storyline of LA Times. In my personal experience of encouraging my friends and family to read the book, because it's on my shelf of my 10 favorite books, I've noticed that males tend to like it more than females--but don't let that stop you from trying it out!

After reading L.A. Times by Stuart Woods I was reassured that a page turning novel can still be written. Woods portrayal of a young hood in New York who goes on to be a successful Hollywood producer does not have a single dull moment in it. As the lead character, Michael Vincent sees his troubled past start to catch up with him and threaten his prosperous lifestyle. This book portrays Hollywood in a way that makes one feel as if they have lived there their entire life. Filled with action and suspense, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read.

How refreshing it is to read a gem like LA Times, which contains not a single one of those ubiquitous literary pests: likeable characters. At first I thought Vinnie Callabrese was to be one, rising above an abusive and impoverished background to become a successful studio executive and moral exemplar. His efforts to get his first film made put my fears to rest. Reading on, I realized that there were no good guys or gals in LA Times, just a seething cesspool of villains. Now that I think of it, there was one character who was not corrupt: the interior decorator. But he had no part in the plot; he just decorated.Woods either did his homework on the Mafia and Hollywood, or he's involved in one or both of them. All the dialogue rang true, and the situations were realistic and believable (with the possible exceptions of Vinnie's rocket ride to the top of the heap and the immediate Oscar). I particularly admire Vinnie's friend Tommy's hamhanded approach to getting an option on a literary property. The irony was thick and deep, too, as when our hero takes a break from his frenzy of promiscuity to make a donation to an AIDS charity. I can see how women might not like Woods' writing on sexuality. What are the odds that Vinnie would meet three nymphomaniacs in a row? Then again, it must be kept in mind that Woods specializes in the male version of the romance novel.What I liked best about LA Times was the deromanticizing of both the Mafia and Hollywood. Woods builds up the Vinnie/Tommy relation as though in a buddy picture: young up-and-comers bonded together by their criminal past. Then it comes to light that Tommy 'made such a mess' of a prostitute that Vinnie got for him in L.A., that the woman is in the hospital and 'may never look the same again'. Really glamorous. Later, the initially lovable Tommy reveals an even more brutal nature, directed at Vinnie, and by this time our hero has shown him self to be fully deserving of what he receives at the hand of his buddy.All in all, a truly predatory story, sugar coated with money and status, if not likeability. Every time I read the word 'gentlemen', as in 'Gentlemen, this meeting will now come to order', I felt a guffaw rising in my throat. These people are about as close to gentlefolk as a hog is to a butterfly.

L.A. Times by Stuart Woods is amazing. This novel is written in a way that really does not let you put it down. The action and suspense is unrelenting. The ideas put into Michael (the main character) are what many readers aspire to. Truly brilliant writing.