Synopses & Reviews
Ben Crandel is back! Though in some ways he's still a "hothead with a heart of gold and brass" (
Chicago Tribune), these days the protagonist of
Tough Luck L.A. and
Only in L.A. is a rather smug fellow who chooses not
to remember that he used to write porno novels to support himself. Ben's been busy making a living in that "fur-lined pit" called Hollywood, and playing a very casual bachelor-father to Pete, the fifteen year old hard case he adopted four years ago.
Pete has become a New Wave punk, the lead singer in a band called Claustrophobic, who insists on blaring his demo tapes in the house at all hours of the day and night. Ben tells Pete that the music has to go, so Pete decides to go with it. Then Ben's pal George, a police captain, keeps complaining to Ben
about his recent divorce. George also manages to involve Ben in his search for a
missing female Los Angeles Times reporter with whom George has become romantically involved. Elise Reilly, the reporter, had been researching a story on the L.A. punk scene when she disappeared, so Ben and George check out the music clubs, following information obtained from Pete. They stumble onto a group called Young Hitlers, post-adolescent monsters who present themselves as neo-Nazis with serious ties to the American Nazi Party. But Ben figures they're
really just run-of-the-mill rebellious young punks using anarchic fascist symbols to spice up their act. George is not so sure, and is determined to discover the truth, especially as it pertains to Elise.
Review
"When it comes to L.A., Murray Sinclair knows the real tinsel behind the tinsel. Sharp writing with a pace that won't quit!" Roger Simon, author of The Big Fix and Raising the Dead
Review
"Sinclair has the unique ability to dish out hard-edged realism with believe it or not a touch of humor. Goodbye L.A. is a fine piece." Gerald Petievich, author of To Live and Die in L.A.