Smash Cut by Steven Womack

After reading By Blood Written by Mr. Womack, I immediately looked for his backlist. Thankfully my library had several of his books and I placed a hold on Smash Cut. Unfortunetly, Smash Cut did not live up to any amount of success that By Blood Written had for me. I give it a C.

From Amazon:
The head of a sleazy international film studio becomes tangled in corrupt Louisiana politics in Womack's fine second mystery to feature public relations expert Jack Lynch. When Pearl Bergeron, the head of Louisiana's state film commission and the governor's daughter, challenges millionaire filmmaker Andrew Kwang's bid to turn a failed nuclear plant outside New Orleans into a major studio, Kwang calls on Lynch for help. Kwang becomes a suspect when Bergeron is found beaten to death, so Lynch simultaneously investigates the victim's unsavory lifestyle while employing damage-control tactics for his cool, calculating client. Tutored in film world mores by cinematographer Lois Finlayson, the first person for whom he has any feeling since the murder of an earlier love (in Murphy's Fault ), Lynch is threatened himself . He persists in his quest and uncovers a curious connection--another death--between Kwang and Bergeron.

I don't why this book didn't work for me. Part of it is probably because of the tie in with politics, as I tend to shy away from books with politics. Maybe it was because there were so many characters in the story and I felt like the majority of them did not play a role in the story. Some were set up as possible suspects, but it was not very convincing and I knew about 25% through the way in who the killer was. Another thing could have been that the book was written in 1991, though in the past I haven't had problems with books that were written before the invention of cell phones and the Internet. Overall, it just really didn't work for me andit is a part of a trilogy and so I felt like it wasn't really resolved. I am happy to be done with it.

I have hit a rough spot in my reading lately. All ho-hum books and I hope to have some good reads coming up. I leave for vacation on Saturday and I need to have good books to read while I am gone. I think for the time being, I am going to start Jen Lancaster's first book, Bitter is the New Black. I loved her first book, which got me started on my memoir kick. I have had it on hold forever at the library and finally got it in last week when all of those books came in. I am sure I will whip right through this one and it should get me back on the right track. I am dreading that tomorrow is Monday, and I have a job. I have Tuesday off for appointments and then Wednesday I can only work half a day, so I should just muddle through it. But the thought of just laying around the house is so appealing. I am starting to feel real anxious again and I so don't want to be traveling down that road again. Hope everyone else's reading is going better and Happy Reading!