Hollywood Kills: A Crime Fiction
Anthology
edited by Adam Meyer and Alan Orloff is a solidly good read. Published by Level Best Books—Level Short
last month, the read features sixteen tales of crime, deceit, and often murder,
on and off the set.
What follows here are very brief synopsis
of my favorite reads in the anthology. That is absolutely not to say the other
tales not featured are not worthy. They are. Like any reader, some of the short
stories just clicked with me better than others. The ones below are in order of
appearance in the anthology.
Hollywood is driven by a type. The guy,
or gal, that always plays a certain type of character. The guy who always plays
the role of the whiny innocent bystander. Or, maybe the guy always plays the
role of the obnoxious bureaucrat boss in every role he tales on. Always the
victim killed in the first five minutes as if he wears a red shirt on Star
Trek. That type will never be the lead, but can make a good living playing a
certain type of character. In “Type” by Phoef Sutton, two different guys are
that certain character and things are pretty evenly matched success wise so
both are happy with the status quo. But, now the harmony has been upended as a
third guy who plays the same roles is now making the rounds and collecting most
of the opportunities before the cameras.
Reality television is a strange beast. Much
of it is fake. Yet, often how somebody truly is comes through to the viewer.
Sometimes, through editing of the show, the real-life flaws are enhanced. Such
is the case in “The Cutting Room Floor” by Eric Beetner, where Violet is
seriously enraged by the way Scott has been portraying her by way of his edits.
She intends to make her point that he needs to fix it all right this minute.
The insane power of social media to make
or break a project played a significant role in the last story. It plays a
bigger role in “Confessions of a Background Artist” by Stacy Woodson. Lizzie is
now being forced to publicly apologize for the recent incident. Hollywood is cutthroat
and the quest to uphold the family tradition and claim her own union card was
and is very strong. So too was the provocation that caused everything.
Head Chef and Craft Services Coordinator
Margo Reeves hates the setup in “Craft and Consequences” by Shawn Reilly
Simmons. Despite the appalling situation Sylvia, production manager, has
foisted on her, she has to stay and make it work as she needs the money. This
also means that she is present for the murder. She is also one of the many suspects
in the aftermath. A tale that will creep you out, and make you hungry, all at
the same time.
Sometimes an actor of less skill gets
the starring role while the better actor is relegated to a secondary supporting
role. That has happened in “A Role to Kill For” by Stuart Orloff and Alan
Orloff. Reese Roman is that lessor actor. Good thing Steve is around to help
him work on his lines and deal with other issues as they come up.
Sometimes the executive producer
bigfoots the director on the casting of a project. That is what has happened in
“Call “Action, Cut” … And Take the Blame.” Andre Kramer wants to bring back the
erotic thriller genre that was so popular in the 80s. he’s also insisted that a
certain actress who is all wrong for the role play the critical part of the
sexy and smart criminal psychologist. Now Miles has to make it work, no matter what.
In addition to the moving introduction
by Ellen Byron who also has a short story in the read, the sixteen tales
presented here are all good ones. The power of the past, the power of social
media both good and bad, the “New Hollywood” so to speak, plays a significant role
in a number of stories. As does the compelling need to get to the top, no matter
what.
Hollywood Kills: An Anthology is a highly
entertaining read that is well worth your time. It also serves as a kind of
homage to the movie and television fiction that provides so much entertainment
in our lives. Every story in the read has its own multi act drama that creates
an immersive world of criminal make believe.
All in good fun. Allegedly. Unless somebody
is confessing to a real-life murder and just changing the names of those
involved….
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3KWvzL7
My ARC eBook reading copy was provided
by Editor Alan Orloff with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
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