Scandal Sheet, November 2009
Hollywood Headlines #1
by Gemma Halliday
Making It
Featuring: Calvin Dean; Felix Dunn; Tina Bender
320 pages
ISBN: 0505528053
EAN: 9780505528056
Mass Market Paperback
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"The first book in the Hollywood Headlines Mystery Series!!!"
Reviewed by Rachael Dimond
Posted November 21, 2009
Contemporary Women's Fiction | Romance Suspense | Mystery Woman Sleuth
Tina Bender writes lies for a living. Sometimes it's the
truth, sometimes it's embellished, but always it's gossip.
She writes as a gossip columnist for the LA Informer and is
constantly getting tips from her insiders about the latest
antics celebrities are getting into. Sure not a lot of
celebrities appreciate her column and might down right hate
her for ruining their reputations, but no one has ever
threatened Tina's life before, until now. When Tina receives a strange message telling her to stop
writing about them in the newspaper, she is left baffled.
The voice is disguised with a computer program so they
could be male or female, young or old. Without knowing who
is threatening her, she decides to continue writing her
usual gossip to see which column ignites more threats. Tina's boss Felix hires a body guard named Calvin Dean to
protect Tina from her mystery enemy. But that doesn't work
for Tina as she likes to break the rules and do whatever
she pleases. It's kind of hard to go about your day with a
body guard constantly on your tail. But Calvin is pretty
good looking and he can be a fun sidekick while
investigating. Will sparks fly between Calvin and Tina or
will his constant hovering over her drive her insane? SCANDAL SHEET is the first book in the Hollywood Headlines
Series by Gemma Halliday, author of the High Heels mystery
series. There are a lot of similarities between SCANDAL
SHEET and the High Heel mysteries so readers who were
disappointed to see the series end have a new one to jump
onto now. I loved the name dropping of celebrities scattered
throughout the book and was laughing out loud many times
while reading this fun mystery. The scene involving the
ride It's a Small World at Disneyland was VERY reminiscent
of my experience on it and I was hysterical with
remembering how annoying that ride really is. I enjoyed the mixture of mystery, romance and humor and
Halliday definitely succeeds in writing an exciting page
turner that makes you laugh and bite your nails at the same
time. I immediately warmed up to the characters and
couldn't put this book down at all. My only pet peeve is
that the cover looks like a historical romance novel and
totally doesn't fit what the story is about at all. SCANDAL SHEET is a great start to a new series that I will
definitely be following as Halliday writes the kind of
books that just make you smile and put you in a great
mood. They're just so enjoyable and I would without a
doubt recommend this book to romance and mystery readers
alike.
SUMMARY
The L.A. Informer is Los Angeles's premier tabloid
magazine, reporting on all the latest celebrity gossip,
scandals and dirt. They're not above a little sensational
exaggeration and have even been known, on occasion, to
bend the law in pursuit of a hot story. Their ace
reporter, Felix Dunn, has just been promoted to managing
editor. Now, he's got his work cut out for him keeping the
magazine running smoothly while keeping his staff in line… Tina Bender is the Informer's gossip columnist
extraordinaire. She knows everything about everyone who's
anyone. And she's not afraid to print it. That is, until
she receives a threatening note, promising, "If you don't
stop writing about me, you're dead." Teaming with a built
bodyguard, a bubbly blonde, and an alcoholic obituary
writer, Tina sets out to uncover just which juicy piece of
Hollywood gossip is worth killing over.
ExcerptTEEN SENSATION ON MORAL VACATION:LAST NIGHT THE INFORMER CAUGHT EVERYONE’S FAVORITE TEEN
ACTRESS, JENNIFER WOOD, AT THE HOLLYWOOD MARTINI ROOM WITH A
MEMBER OF A BOY BAND IN ONE HAND AND MARY JANE IN THE OTHER - “Sh*t!” “Tina!” I swiveled in my chair to face my boss, Felix Dunn, standing
in the doorway to his office, hands on hips. “What?” “Swear Pig.” I pursed my lips together. “That doesn’t count.” “I just heard you say ‘sh*t.’” “It was computer related. Everyone knows computer related
swearing doesn’t count.” He narrowed his eyes. Clearly my argument wasn’t cutting it. “It’s your own fault, you know,” I protested, changing
tactics. I looked down at my computer. I’d been working on
a juicy tidbit about the It teen actress who’d been caught
with a joint in her hand at last night’s afterparty when my
backspace button stuck, taking out one very cleverly worded
line, even if I did say so myself. “I mean, how many
centuries old are these things anyway?” I went on. “Would
it kill you to buy some new hardware once in a awhile?” He shook his head. “Swear Pig, Bender,” he repeated. Then
disappeared back into his office. “Sh*t.” “I heard that!” I stuck my tongue out at his door and dropped two quarters
into the purple piggy bank on my desk. Somehow our newly
appointed editor in chief was under the impression that
yours truly swore too much. I have no f*cking idea where he
got that impression. But, he’d set up the Swear Pig as a
way to break my bad habit. Personally, I was fine with my
bad habit. It’s not like I was shooting heroin or anything,
ya know? Which brought me back to my story. I swiveled around, pushing my glasses back up onto my nose
and put my fingers to keyboard, recreating my perfect line. IT MAY BE ONE JOINT TODAY FOR OUR FAVORITE FAIR-HAIRED
TEENY-BOPPER, BUT WITH THE WAY HER LIFE IS SPIRALING OUT OF
CONTROL, CAN COCAINE, METH, OR EVEN HEROIN BE FAR BEHIND?
HOW MANY BLONDES DOES IT TAKE TO SPELL “REHAB?” I sat back in my chair, surveying my work. Okay, so it was
a little mean. But, seriously, she played a perky
cheerleader in a tween cable show. This was tabloid gold. I hit “send” letting my daily gossip column zip through the
L.A. Infomer’s network to Felix’s inbox, then gave my
knuckles a satisfying crack. I glanced at the clock. Quitting time. And somewhere there
was a big beefy burrito dinner with my name on it. I
grabbed my Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox that doubled as my
purse and made for the exit. Unfortunately, not before Eagle Eyes Dunn could catch me. “Bender?" I thought a dirty word and turned around. “Did you want
something, chief?” “You finished up that Wood piece yet?” he asked, leaning
against the doorframe of his office. “Just emailed it to you.” I loved it when I was one step
ahead of the boss. “What about Pines?” “Pines?” Edward Pines was the director who’d recently been
arrested when, after a routine traffic stop, a stack of
pornography had been found under the seat of his car. Not
that naked bodies were a novelty in Hollywood, but these
particular magazines had included photos of thirteen year
old boys in the buff. I don’t care how much his last action
pic grossed, that guy was total Hollywood road kill now.
“What about him?” I asked. “Being arraigned today. It’s your story, right?” Damned straight. My headline the morning after Pine’s
arrest had read: PINES PINES AFTER PINT-SIZED PRE-TEENS.
What can I say? I had a thing for alliterations. But as much as I was relishing the story, I wasn’t thrilled
with the timing. “He’s being arraigned now?” I asked, my stomach growling.
“It’s dinner time.” “The news waits for no one, love. Cam’s meeting you at the
courthouse,” he said, ducking back into his office. So much for my burrito. “Sh*t.” “Bender…” “I know, I know. ” I reached into Strawberry Shortcake and
pulled out another quarter, dropping it in the ceramic pig
on my way out. At this rate, I’d be broke by Christmas.
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