Red Sky Lament
""… accurately portrays the atmosphere of fear and suspicion surrounding those working in Hollywood in the late 1940s." "
Synopsis:
In 1940s Los Angeles John Ray Horn, a former 'B' list actor in westerns, is asked by his friend to investigate why a reclusive Hollywood scriptwriter has come to the attention of the Un-American Activities Committee. When the scriptwriter is found dead in his swimming pool, Horn becomes increasingly convinced that his killing was not due to his political activities but the result of something much closer to home…
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Review:
This is an excellent historical crime novel, which accurately portrays the atmosphere of fear and suspicion surrounding those working in Hollywood in the late 1940s. Although the crime aspect of the book is interesting, what I found even more fascinating was the depiction of the life of 'B' list actors, often forced into 'alternative' livelihoods when their careers failed. The singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie appears as a character in the book and he was brought to life so well that the novel has made me want to listen to his music. A good well-written tale.