Felicity McGrath, a beautiful, coquettish actress who disappeared in the late 1980s, her career over, relegated to simplistic bimbo roles; William “The Conqueror” Bishop, a powerful and ruthless Hollywood mogul; Poniard, a mononymous and anonymous video game developer who accuses Bishop of the abduction and murder of McGrath; Parker Stern, an attorney with such crippling stage fright that he has ceased trying cases, and who is contacted by Poniard to serve as defense counsel after Bishop sues the video game creator for libel. These are the main players in Robert Rotstein’s engrossing novel, Reckless Disregard.
[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]
As Stern attempts to figure out who Poniard is, tries to uncover the truth of McGrath’s disappearance, and contends with the Poniard-enthusiasts who are surrounding his office, he is intimidated by Bishop’s hired guns. As everyone who tries to help him is slowly picked off, the story becomes more and more complex. Nothing is what it seems, and the reality is as complex and intertwined as all of the incestuous Hollywood relationships that no outsider can really begin to understand. Readers are introduced to an immense cast of characters who are complex, troubled and all part of this treacherous world.
This novel covers so many bases – from an Anonymous-like cyber movement undertaken by Poniard’s followers to the Sanctified Assembly, a celebrity cult suspiciously reminiscent of Scientology – and Rotstein’s Los Angeles credentials shine through beautifully. The author’s experience as an entertainment attorney helps the courtroom scenes ring true, and although the story is a bit farfetched, it never seems wholly implausible. Reckless Disregard is a fast-moving, entertaining and suspenseful novel. Plus there’s a twist – and, oh, what a twist it is! But you’ll have to read the novel to find out more.
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