What Remains of Me
(2017 Edgar Award Nominee)
Author: Alison Gaylin
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date of Publication: February 23, 2016
Pages: 384
What Remains of Me is a clever and very well written mystery which also explores the unseemly side of growing up in Hollywood. Kelly Michelle Lund is the daughter of a stunt man and a make-up artist who is sucked up into the wild social life of movie star children. When an Academy Award winning director is shot in his home Kelly is arrested, tried and convicted of his murder. A motive for the murder was never established. Thirty years later Kelly is out of prison, married and working as a writer. Kelly's father-in-law, a famous but aging Hollywood star, is murdered and Kelly immediately becomes suspect number one.
Through a series of flashbacks we learn more of Kelly's family life and more of the history of her two parents. The plot becomes more entangled when connections between Kelly's parents, Kelly's older sister (who committed suicide as a teen) and the two murder victims are revealed.
I found this book entertaining but at times hard to follow. Some of the relationships are curious and many of the characters (including Kelly) are difficult to like. Some of this seemed to be straight out of "National Enquirer" but all in all it was an interesting read which does keep you guessing until the very end. A worthy Edgar nominee, but probably not the winner (in my humble opinion).
No comments:
Post a Comment