Book Review and Giveaway: John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

on August 26, 2010

** THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **

Another book with a teen protagonist! Lots of them this month in books I'm reviewing! I have to admit the title and the pink hair on the cover caught my attention, but the synopsis grabbed me and made me curious, so I asked to review the book!

Synopsis: Pink-haired Hilda and oddball loner Benji, both high school seniors, have an obsessive and unusual hobby: they frequent the places where Hollywood celebrities have died. Bound by their interest in the macabre, Hilda and Benji neglect their schoolwork and social lives in favor of prowling the most notorious crime scenes in Los Angeles. Hilda knows her own interest has more than a little to do with her parents’ recent death in a car accident, but doesn’t understand why Benji shares her fascination so deeply.

In rundown Echo Park, a seedy suburb of Los Angeles, they find the squalid apartment where a second-rate silent movie star stabbed himself to death. Its current tenant is Hank, an old man with a mysterious past. Hilda finds herself drawn to Hank in a way she can’t explain, and soon the two strike up an unlikely friendship. But when Hank’s aspiring screenwriter neighbor Jake tries to insert himself into the equation, Hilda’s life becomes more complicated than she ever could have imagined. And who is the real threat to her precarious balancing act? Is it Jake or Benji?

Author Info:At the age of ten she dreamt of being the female equivalent of Steven Spielberg, barking into a megaphone while a crew of hundreds rushed around a sound stage doing her bidding. When she discovered being a director meant getting up early, she turned her attention to writing, where you can keep your own hours and there is no chance of going over budget.

Kathy's favorite dead celebrities are James Dean and John Belushi.Her favorite author is Bret Easton Ellis, and her top three films of all time are Mulholland Drive, L.A. Story and Annie Hall.

In addition to writing, Kathy works in the film industry in

Australia

where she lives with her husband, cat and pug dog. She starts work at 8:30am which isn't too bad.

Review: This book should come with a cover warning- page turner you'll love but be prepared for gory details of famous/infamous murders and suicides in Hollywood! Now I'm not saying it's a BAD thing- those details really made the book interesting and made it a 'tourist novel' one one hand, and a positive little fiction novel on the other!

The teen protagonist is extremely likable and the storyline keeps rolling along and keeps the reader wondering what will happen. This may be a MTV book, but adults will find it interesting. And maybe feel the urge to dye their hair pink...or paint their toes electric blue...HA HA

GIVEAWAY:

One reader will win this review copy of John Belushi is Dead!

ENTRIES:

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so I can contact you,if you win!
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USA only (no PO Boxes, Doubleday rules)

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Contest will end on September 9th at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on September 10th, and emailed. As soon as winner's info is received, I will mail their book to them during the following week.

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I was offered this book, free of charge,from Gallery Book Blogs, thru Book Blogs Ning, for review on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to review the book.