“Hollywood Ending” By Kellye Garrett: Review/Giveaway

by Cynthia Chow

Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review and links to purchase it.

After ten of her fifteen minutes of fame as the catchphrase girl in the Chubby Chicken commercials, Dayna Anderson inadvertently found herself in the middle of a murder investigation and – eventually – identifying a killer.

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Now Dayna is capitalizing on that experience and attempting to squeeze out a living cashing in rewards from the LAPD tip lines. The money is almost worth the humiliation of being a surrogate snitch, and the prospects should be even better once her retired policeman partner fills out the paperwork to make them actual licensed private investigators. Until then, Dayna will continue to live on the fringe of Hollywood celebrity as she dates Omari Grant, the hot star of a police drama and nominated for the eighteenth Annual Silver Sphere Awards. The award season of cocktail parties and events has barely begun before its publicist Lyla Davis is killed during an ATM robbery, and the reward offered for the capture of the robber is enough to have Dayna determined to track down a killer.

Image Source Midnight Ink

When Dayna begins to discover that the robbery may have been focused more on homicide than just theft, she and her Instagramming friends gleefully begin investigating the less-glamourous side of Hollywood’s awards. That’s not to mean that they won’t be delving into Gift Lounges, SWAG bags, and following clues hidden within the freebies offered to those who already have the most wealth. Dayna may not always be correct on her first guess as to the culprit, but her determination and manipulation of actors’ egos will eventually lead to her success.

What I love so much about this series is how it highlights Dayna’s viewpoints from a Hollywood C and D-List celebrity. Witnesses and suspects are profiled as if they were on a castling list call, describing them as the jock from a high school film, the last surviving girl from a horror movie, the best guy friend who gets ignored by the lead girl. Even more fun is how Dayna and her friends use their social media to investigate their suspects, most of whom are all too willing to share their personal lives with the world. Dayna is so unique in that she gives readers an insider’s view of Hollywood celebrity, yet still remains slightly on the outside and fame-adjacent. This second in the series more than lives up to the promise of the previous debut, and I can’t wait for the next vicarious glimpse into this glamorous and often superficial celebrity culture.

To enter to win a copy of Hollywood Ending, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "hollywood,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 6, 2018. U.S. residents only.If entering via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast!

You can use these links to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Hollywood Ending (Detective by Day Mystery #2)

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.