Keenan's fans have been waiting a long time for this one; the first two novels about these characters were published in 1988 (Blue Heaven) and 1991 (Putting on the Ritz). But finally, Philip, Gilbert, and Claire are back, and this is their funniest adventure yet.
Philip and Claire are a writing team, and when their friend Gilbert calls from Hollywood to announce that he's gotten them a movie job, they should be tremendously happy. But Gilbert turns out to have gotten the job in an unusually dishonest fashion (even by Gilbert's standards), leading the gang into an intricately plotted farce.
At the center of the story is the Malenfant family. Sisters Diana and Lily are straight out of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, former child stars who've gone on to greater (Diana) and lesser (Lily) success; brother Monty is an utterly charming old queen with no bitterness at all about the early failure of his own showbiz career; Diana's son Stephen is the hottest action star in Hollywood, but lives in constant fear that he'll be dragged out of the closet.
Philip winds up in the middle of the ongoing battle between the sisters, getting himself hired as Lily's ghostwriter in order to funnel information back to Diana and Stephen about which family secrets Lily plans to reveal in her memoirs. He and his friends are torn between sides; Diana offers the potential for career-changing success, but Lily and Monty are the more likable and trustworthy members of the family.
It would be unkind to give away any more of the plot, which is filled with clever twists and turns, all of which are fairly prepared and perfectly surprising at the same time. Before it's over, the story involves plagiarism, gigolos, a vindictive district attorney, and possibly the most embarassing sex tape in Hollywood history.
Absolutely magnificent fun, and I really hope we don't have to wait another fifteen years for the next installment.
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