Oscar Season

Mary McNamara has brilliantly crafted a spellbinding tale of intrigue and murder set during the glitzy spectacle known as Oscar Season. The hub of the frenzied preparations is the luxurious Pinnacle Hotel. PR director, Juliette Grayson, along with a cast of delightful, tabloid-based characters, suspect that someone may be sabotaging the Oscar planning. Ms McNamara, a L.A. Times reporter, vividly creates her story as only someone with an insider's view, can. This engaging novel is delightfully captivating from page 1. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this very, very entertaining murder mystery!!

great mystery, love story, and a peek at the "inside of all things hollywood," enjoyed a lot,

As always when the countdown to the Academy Awards gala begins, much of Los Angeles is caught up with the glitz, but many prepare for the event. For instance the ritzy Pinnacle Hotel Director of Public Relations Juliette Greyson knows how important the Oscar month is to her hotel and works accordingly expecting zaniness as the norm as she hosts the Oscar Season Summit and explains the Oscar Might Survivor Kit excludes cyanide to the employees. However, this season is different as the "Oscar Curse" seems to be haunting the participants. British actor David Fulbright is shot dead in the hotel's pool. A reporter covering the event, a starlet nominated for best actress, and a screenwriter also nominated were murdered. For Juliette the curse would be curious but no more than that except for Fulbright's death that seems connected to her outside the hotel; however the third victim is more linked to Juliette as he is her former husband Josh Singer. She and superstar Michael O'Connor investigate the "Oscar curse" although she worries how their amateur sleuthing will harm her beloved battling cancer. Jackie Collins's fans will enjoy this up front and personal look at the Oscar persona filled with egomaniacs who would do anything to get the edge including killing the competition. The investigation is fun but more so because it enables the audience to see deep into the lives of Hollywood much further than the Rivers' duet ever escorted fans. Not for murder mystery purists, OSCAR SEASON is a fun astute glimpse into Oscar Nation. Harriet Klausner

I was surprised at how quickly I was caught up in this book. Usually it takes many pages before I get really involved in a book's characters and plot, but that happened right away with Oscar Season. The plot moves along quickly and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out who did what and why - all the way up to the end. The book provides a detailed view of the inner workings of a major Hollywood hotel, which I found just as fascinating as the murder mystery plot. Lots of famous names are sprinkled throughout, which really added to the sense of not being sure where truth turns into fiction. It was a great read for a cold winter weekend (I don't live in Hollywood, where, as the heroine point out, violets bloom all year long!).