In his newest and most distinctive novel, Stephen
J. Cannell channels his insider experiences into a tautly
drawn noir look at the materialistic Hollywood
lifestyle.
Meet Chick Best—a middle-aged, selfabsorbed,
disaffected, California dot.com millionaire. Other than his
house and high-priced foreign cars, Chick’s most expensive
possession is his trophy wife, Evelyn. Evelyn is good at
spending Chick’ money, money that has pretty much run out.
Another problem is his drug-addled sixteen-year-old
daughter, Melissa. Though concerned about his life and
family, Chick has resigned himself to a miserable state of
acceptance. That is, until he, Evelyn, and Melissa take a
Christmas vacation in Maui. With this, Chick’s life
changes…
Chick experiences unrequited love at first sight
when he observes Paige Ellis emerging from the hotel
swimming pool. His obsession, exceeded only by his need to
possess her, isn’t diminished when he learns that she is
happily married. Instead, he befriends Paige and her
near-perfect husband, Chandler. A short time later, back
from Hawaii, Chick’s obsession compels him to drive to
Paige’s house, where he runs down and kills Chandler in a
drugstore parking lot. But this is just the beginning of
Chick’s nightmare as his life spirals homicidally out of
control, resulting in the destruction of everything he holds
dear. Will Paige learn the truth about Chick before it’s too
late?
Fast paced, filled with wry humor, murder, lust, and
dead-on L.A. characterizations, Cannell has written his most
explosively saleable novel yet.