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This the fourth novel in author LeValley's series featuring small-town Iowa reporter Tony Harrington. In this narrative, Hollywood arrives to film a movie, and even more skullduggery occurs beyond the cameras than in front of them. Before long, the young newspaperman is in the middle of a murder investigation that is not part of the script the Californians have arrived to shoot.
Tony's father, Charles, is a successful novelist and screenwriter. The elder Harrington has talked the director of the film into using his son's hamlet as the key location. As the Iowans begin to mingle with the folks from La La Land, unscripted scenes begin to play out. A cast member is murdered, and Tony's father is charged with the crime. An enraged lover of the deceased tries to save everyone the time and expense of a trial by shooting the primary suspect. Tony falls head over heels for one of the actresses and tries to come to grips with their passionate relationship while he's doing everything humanly possible to prove his dad's innocence. One revelation follows another as Tony is soon in danger of being written out of this murder mystery with extreme prejudice.
LeValley is a skilled storyteller who keeps his tale as credible as it is intriguing. His cast of continuing characters—Tony's friends, family, and coworkers—all come across as real people. He provides sufficient backstory for key members of the movie crew to make them feel authentic as well. LeValley's prose and dialogue are easy on the eye and the ear. His physical action is both suspenseful and intense without being overly brutal. In short, LeValley's yarn is rated "E" for entertaining.