MYSTERY

The Fame Thief: A Junior Bender Mystery

Soho Crime. Jun. 2013. 336p. ISBN 9781616952808. $25; ebk. ISBN 9781616952815. M
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OrangeReviewStarProfessional burglar Junior Bender agrees to help mobster/movie mogul Irwin Dressler find out who ruined beautiful starlet Dolores La Marr back in the early 1950s. Dressler's bucket list includes finding out who set up Dolores so that her "good name" was stolen. Apparently, back in 1951, the lovely starlet was caught up in a raid, then kept in jail when all the others got their charges dropped and she eventually had to testify in front of Senate subcommittee hearings on organized crime. The investigation dredges up old vendettas, putting everyone involved in danger. Meanwhile, an engaging subplot involving Junior's family adds a slightly comic air to the book.
VERDICT Hallinan's natural storytelling skills will hold readers rapt through his Shakespeare-quoting, five-act tale as they relish his attention to Los Angeles cultural details and ability to weave two time periods together so effectively. This third series entry (after Little Elvises) manages to keep it simultaneously playful yet empathetic.
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