Skin Deep

EDITORIAL REVIEWSPRODUCT DESCRIPTIONFor a fee so big he can't turn it down, LA private eye Simeon Grist is hired to watchdog the kind of guy he'd usually prefer to throw through the nearest window. Toby Vane is the golden boy of prime-time TV, whose gee-whiz smile and chiseled features are worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the lucrative syndication market. But Toby has a dark side that would take the shine off for his millions of adoring female fans: every now and then he beats up a woman, and almost any woman will do. When some of the women around Toby begin to turn up dead, Simeon has to figure out whether he's protecting a murderer – or whether one of Toby's multitude of enemies wants to put him away forever. And when Simeon meets the beautiful Nana, the whole situation becomes very personal, very fast. PRAISE FOR “SKIN DEEP” AND THE SIMEON GRIST NOVELS“Gutsy, vibrant . . . a sharp noir L.A. Portrait.” – Kirkus Reviews“Riveting, action-packed . . . Hallinan's best yet.” Library Journal“A genuine, hard-boiled whodunit with plenty of motives, cagey suspects, and secret past lives.” BooklistA welcome visit from an old, tough friend . . . Hallinan does a great job . . . Excellent!” Chicago Tribune“The third . . . Simeon Grist makes me eager to go back and catch up on the first two.” The Indianapolis News“A modern successor to Raymond Chandler.”– Los Angeles Daily NewsFrom Publishers WeeklyLos Angeles private detective Simeon Grist, seen before in The Four Last Things , stumbles through the smoke-and-mirrors world of television production in his third case. After stopping popular TV series star Toby Vane from beating up his date, Nana, in a bar, Grist is hired by Vane's producer to keep an eye on the actor until the syndication deal for the series goes through. Grist learns that Vane has a history of beating and mutilating women, a past being hushed up to save the deal--and the pots of money for everyone involved. When a friend of Nana's is found dead after being seen with Vane, Grist must determine if Vane is a sadistic killer or the victim of a set-up. Hallinan, partner in a Los Angeles public-relations firm, writes with an insider's authority of such Hollywood mores as name-changing and drug-taking in this tale that seems more an episode from a TV series than a novel. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalHallinan ( Everything but the Squeal , LJ 3/1/90) bids his strong suit again as Simeon Grist, Hollywood detective, embarks on another riveting, action-packed adventure. Protecting a handsome and popular TV star (with a sadistic penchant for young women) from adverse publicity until the series producer can sell syndication rights almost provides Grist with more than he can handle. Forced to hang out on location with Toby Vane or at a drug-infested club featuring nude dancers, Simeon soon supsects Toby of vicious, bone-snapping murder. Full of intricacies, changed identities, and hidden indiscretions, the plot--probably Hallinan's best yet--never flags.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.