After losing her parents in a manner similar to the death of Jayne Mansfield, seventeen-year-old Hilda knows life is temporary and death stalks us all. Benji is one of the few people not weirded out by her loss; in fact, he finds it intriguing. Exploring the shadows of sunny L.A., they bond while collecting artifacts of death from sites of faded tragedy where actors, writers and other Hollywood icons met death through murder, misadventure or suicide.

On a quest for the death site of a forgotten silent film star, they meet Hank, a gruff old man with secrets beyond living, in an apartment with bathroom tiles that saw suicide. As Benji's fascination steps past sane boundaries, Hilda is torn between the comfort she finds in the study of death, and hints that life has more to offer her.

JOHN BELUSHI IS DEAD sidesteps the thinly-veiled moralizing many first novels leap into with both feet. Although some might find the subject matter and profanity offensive, the language used is rough and real and I consider this a wonderful novel for young adults or anyone else who appreciates a rich, meaty read. First novel or (hopefully someday) tenth novel, Kathy Charles writes a hellava good book.