A Graveyard for Lunatics: Another Tale of Two Cities (Crumley Mysteries, #2)

From Publishers Weekly Hollywood, Halloween night, 1954. At a midnight party in a graveyard adjacent to the studio where he works, the sci-fi screenwriter/narrator glimpses the dangling papier-mache corpse (or real body?) of a film magnate presumed killed exactly 20 years earlier. Then a prop man (or his effigy) is hanged, or else is on the run, and another studio hand is murdered. A Beast is loose, attempting to instill panic on the set, perhaps to cover up what really happened two decades ago. Bradbury eventually ties up the loose ends in a loopy funhouse of a novel peopled with a monocled, imperious Austrian-Chinese director; Lenin's ex-makeup man, from the Kremlin; a gaunt, sermonizing actor named Jesus Christ; a feisty ex-movie queen who demands that ''J.C.'' bless her; and other oddballs. Madness, blackmail, murder and mayhem spell tricks and treats as Bradbury toes the fine line between reality and illusion. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal YA-- A multilevel story about a man for whom the movies have been a childhood obsession, an adult vocation, and ultimately a horrible, mysterious collision of past and present. Set in a Hollywood film studio back lot, the book presents an interweaving of real film stars of the past and of current productions. Vivid descriptions of the studio world and the real world take readers on a fascinating tour of reality and illusion, both superbly drawn. Film buffs will revel in the inside atmosphere, and mystery fans will enjoy the complicated kaleidoscopic plot. Once again, Bradbury combines the real and the imaginary in a fascinating tale. --Peggy Hecklinger, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

halloween Night, 1954.  A Young, Film-obsessed Scriptwriter Has Just Been Hired At One Of The Great Studios.  An Anonymous Investigation Leads From The Giant Maximus Films Backlot To An Eerie Graveyard Separated From The Studio By A Single Wall.  There He Makes A Terrifying Discovery That Thrusts Him Into A Maelstrom Of Intrigue And Mystery — And Into The Dizzy Exhilaration Of The Movie Industry At The Height Of Its Glittering Power.

publishers Weekly

hollywood, Halloween Night, 1954. At A Midnight Party In A Graveyard Adjacent To The Studio Where He Works, The Sci-fi Screenwriter/narrator Glimpses The Dangling Papier-mache Corpse (or Real Body?) Of A Film Magnate Presumed Killed Exactly 20 Years Earlier. Then A Prop Man (or His Effigy) Is Hanged, Or Else Is On The Run, And Another Studio Hand Is Murdered. A Beast Is Loose, Attempting To Instill Panic On The Set, Perhaps To Cover Up What Really Happened Two Decades Ago. Bradbury Eventually Ties Up The Loose Ends In A Loopy Funhouse Of A Novel Peopled With A Monocled, Imperious Austrian-chinese Director; Lenin's Ex-makeup Man, From The Kremlin; A Gaunt, Sermonizing Actor Named Jesus Christ; A Feisty Ex-movie Queen Who Demands That ``j.c.'' Bless Her; And Other Oddballs. Madness, Blackmail, Murder And Mayhem Spell Tricks And Treats As Bradbury Toes The Fine Line Between Reality And Illusion. (july)

Strange for me with a Ray Bradbury novel in that I found this a slow burn, it took a bit of reading to get into it. Thankfully for me I persevered with it, its Ray Bradbury after all, he's my favourite author for a good reason, a phenomenal imagination. Drawing me into the milieu inhabited by the characters and gripped by the page turner storyline to the very end. I can't abide 'Reviews" that give a blow by blow account such that there's no point in reading the book. So I won't bother with that, instead I suggest reading it, experience every nuance for yourself. This is a detective story murder mystery set in Hollywood. From the publisher. Halloween Night, 1954. A young, film-obsessed scriptwriter has just been hired at one of the great studios. An anonymous investigation leads from the giant Maximus Films backlot to an eerie graveyard separated from the studio by a single wall. There he makes a terrifying discovery that thrusts him into a maelstrom of intrigue and mystery -- and into the dizzy exhilaration of the movie industry at the height of its glittering power