Saturday, March 30, 2024

Review: Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom

 



About the Book



Genre
Suspense

Format
E-Book

Publisher
Crooked Lane Books

Release Date
February 6, 2024


Synopsis from Goodreads:

From 4-time Emmy-nominated actor Jon Lindstrom of General Hospital, Bosch, and True Detective fame, comes a gripping debut thriller.

Set in the dark underbelly of the LA film industry, Hollywood Hustle is the perfect read for fans of Alex Finlay and Jeffrey Deaver.

Winston Greene, a has-been film star, wakes one morning to find his six-year-old granddaughter at his bedside—traumatized, unattended, and gripping onto a thumb drive. She comes bearing video proof that her mother, Win’s troubled adult daughter, has been kidnapped by a murderous gang demanding all his “movie money” for her safe return. But what they don’t know is…his movie money is long gone.

Unable to go to the police for fear the kidnappers will make good on their promise to kill his daughter, Winston turns to two close friends—a legendary Hollywood stuntman and a disgraced former LAPD detective.

There’s no easy way out for Winston or his daughter—the gang is violent and willing to do anything to get the money they’re after, and Winston begins to realize that to get his daughter back, he’ll have to beat the kidnappers at their own game.

This propulsive and tense thriller will transport readers to the seedier side of LA, depicted in bold prose by a Hollywood insider.

My Review

Former actor, Winston Greene is stunned when his six year old granddaughter is brought to him with nothing but a thumbnail drive.  It is proof that Winston’s daughter has been kidnapped and being held for ransom.  All he has to do is turn over all the money he made in his movie career. If he does that, his daughter will be returned safe and sound.  Easy?  Not really since there is no movie fortune.  Winston is broke.

The kidnappers are vicious and are not buying that.  They threaten to kill his daughter if they don’t get the money or if he goes to the police.  With the help of two close friends, Winston sets out to either find his daughter or somehow raise the money to get her back.  

This is a race-against-the-clock read.  Winston continually runs into stumbling blocks and his fear for his daughter increases with each passing moment.  The story keeps you on your toes, especially when it looks hopeless.  The characters are realistically written.  They come to life with each page.  It's a fast-paced read to say the least. 

Jon Lindstrom did an excellent job of keeping this reader captivated right from the start to the very last page.  It’s an amazing debut novel.   

For reading challenges:
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2024
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2024


Disclosure: I borrowed this one from the library.  I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


4 comments:

  1. This looks like a good page turning thriller! A bit darker than my usual reading but one that I think I would enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a real page turner.. thanks for sharing.

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  3. That sounds like one my father would especially enjoy.

    ReplyDelete

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