MADreads

Dying for it to be over?

May 18th, 2007 Katharine - Sequoya

David Hiltbrand’s latest installment in his Jim McNamara detective series is Dying to Be Famous.  This short paperback story brings McNamara to the set of “Star Makers” (a fictional American Idol) after one of their top finalist is murdered in his hotel room.  Somehow the producers of the show keep the LAPD out of it and McNamara is in charge of finding out “whodunit.”  McNamara, with the help of his assistant Roxie and his ex-alcoholic friend Whitey, interrogate the other contestants and judges to find Matt Hane’s killer.  Finding out “whodunit” was the only reason to finish this book and I almost did the cardinal sin of skipping ahead to find out.

Dying to be Famous had all the components of a good mystery; hip detective, cool setting, lots of potential murderers to keep you guessing.  The writing was good, fast-paced and full of music references.  Hiltbrandt used to write for People and TV Guide magazine so he knows his pop culture.  The only thing that bugged me was that all of these references were real and the show “Star Makers” was the only fictional component, probably due to the legalities of using the name “American Idol.”  The author certainly didn’t hide how he felt about the cultural institution that AI has become, almost every chapter had McNamara knocking the premise and success of the show. True fans of AI will be left disappointed with this one, but if you just want a quick “whodunit” with some pop culture added to the mix then it’s your match.

Entry Filed under: Mystery