The Doom List - you'd rather be dead than be on it: the intriguing new 1920s mystery featuring Irish-born cop turned private investigator Tom Collins.
July, 1922. Newly-appointed 'movie czar' William H. Hays is about to arrive in town on a single-minded mission to clean up Hollywood. He is said to be compiling a list of 'undesirables' whom he plans to bar from screen work. They call it the Doom List.
With the industry in the grip of fear and paranoia, Hollywood's hottest young director Rex Ingram is determined that no hint of scandal should mar the premiere of his new movie, The Prisoner of Zenda, and hires private investigator Tom Collins, a fellow Irishman, with instructions to protect his leading lady's reputation at all costs. But, as Collins discovers, Barbara La Marr isn't the only member of the cast hiding a dangerous secret.
Meanwhile, a body is discovered in the Baldwin Hills to the south of the city. Could there be a connection? Against his better judgement, Collins is drawn into a case of scandal, forbidden love, blackmail . . . and cold-blooded murder.
Gerard O'Donovan is an Irish journalist and TV critic for the Daily Telegraph. Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger Award, he is the author of three previous highly-acclaimed crime novels, including one previous Tom Collins mystery.
Title: The Doom List: 2 (A Tom Collins Mystery, 2)
Author: O'Donovan, Gerard
ISBN: 9781780296906
Binding:
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
Publication Date: 2021-05-31
Number of Pages: 208
Weight: 0.2751 kg
O'Donovan does a marvelous job with setting and scandal, skillfully evoking the drama of being on an old Hollywood movie set . Fans of 1920s glamour and scandal will enjoy . This fun mystery is a strong entry in the series * Library Journal *
Engrossing . O'Donovan makes fine use of period details, and peoples the cast with fascinating real-life characters. This action-packed, tightly plotted mystery should win the author new fans * Publishers Weekly *
Blending historical figures - Ingram and La Marr, Ramon Navarro and political fixer Kent Kane Parrot - into his vividly etched story, O'Donovan delivers a stylish, scabrous and punchy private-eye investigation * The Irish Times *
Outstanding ... O'Donovan skilfully portrays an evolving city that is shaped and indeed ruled by the movie industry ... Readers will hope this marks the start of a longrunning series * Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Long Silence *
Filled with deliciously evil villains and glamorous backdrops. A winner with fans of Old Hollywood * Library Journal on The Long Silence *
An atmospheric and cynical take on Hollywood's realpolitik in the silent era * The Irish Times on The Long Silence *
For fans of mysteries set in Hollywood's early days, like Mary Miley's Silent Murders and Edward Wright's When I Disappear, this one's a sure thing * Booklist on The Long Silence *
O'Donovan, who's clearly done his homework, has fun amid the fleshpots of 1922 Hollywood, and like-minded fans will too * Kirkus Reviews on The Long Silence *
