review - digging james dean

"Digging James Dean"
By Robert Eversz
(Simon & Schuster)

L.A. citizen Nina Zero, ex-con, paparazza, and toothless dog owner, is back in her fourth novel. After a photo tip from a teenage runaway leads her to an angry confrontation with a past-his-prime action star, Nina suspects that there’s something more to his story than not wanting to appear in the tabloid rag Scandal Times. The plot thickens when she discovers the same runaway is involved in a celebrity grave-robbing scheme. Soon after, the death of her estranged mother brings her back together with a sister she hasn’t seen in over twenty years – a sister she might have been better off without. Add to the mix a healthy dose of tabloid fodder involving the Raelians, Scientologists, murder, actors, and house hunting, with enough twists and turns to make a merry go round dizzy, and what you have is a realistic action mystery, with snazz and style befitting a post-Agatha Christie world.

Nina Zero is a modern and layered anti-heroine who will appeal to men and women alike. Despite her shady past and penchant for getting involved in troublesome situations, she’s famously clean-mouthed and filled with good intentions. Even alongside the book’s celebrity focus, Eversz refuses to depict L.A. with glitz and glamour and fills the story with a realistic portrayal of the other half of Hollywood; from the desperate teens with the desire to ‘make it big’ at any cost, to Nina’s struggle with memories of her abusive father. While the conclusion seems a bit hasty, the loose ends left behind are prime fodder for an inevitable fifth Nina Zero story.

Don’t plan on reading if you have pressing business to attend to. Digging James Dean is more than just a book you can’t put down; it’s a book that, once started, ends up on the passenger seat of your car to be read while caught in the infamous L.A. gridlock – or even just long traffic lights.