High Noon in Hollywood by Warren Adler

High Noon in Hollywood by Warren Adler is a down and dirty look inside of Tinseltown. It is what is left after the glitz and glitter have been stripped away from the surface and you are left with the seedy under belly of the beast we call Hollywood.

Zane Galvin has made a movie, Drowned Rats, an apt name since it has left him drowning in $5M of debt. To him it seems like every debt collector in Hollywood is after him and he is facing bankruptcy. He will never make another movie again. In addition, Mim, his budding actress girlfriend, is depending on him to jump start her career.

In a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable, Zane hatches a plan to rob a bank. More specifically, to tunnel under a bank in Beverly Hills to reach the vault and steal the contents of the safe deposit boxes. He realizes he cannot do it alone; so, he enlists the help of the director and the editor of “Rats” as well as his illegal immigrant gardener.  He owes all three money and they are as desperate as he is. Not long into the plan, the betrayals begin to happen, starting with Mim.  Before it is all over, Zane will be lucky to escape prison.

The story is fast paced and includes an abundance of the sleazy things we associate with the darker side of Hollywood such as sex, greed, betrayal, and blackmail. All the characters are of questionable morals to say the least. Yet, I can’t help feel some sympathy for them. The story is abound with Hollywood speak and numerous references to movies, which leaves me to wonder if all Hollywood talks this way.  In addition, I felt the story was very original. However, the prose was just average, not that I was expecting anything different.

Overall, I enjoyed. The book was funny, in a dark sort of way, and imaginative. It left me feeling glad I do not live in that world.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.