North of Sunset

Henry Baum
Lulu.com (2006)
ISBN 9781411656567
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (7/07)


Award-winning writer, Henry Baum, is destined to become a best selling author.  His “North of Sunset” is brilliant storytelling. Baum has created a cast of characters that reveal insight into the emptiness of self-indulgence and the power of celebrity.

Narcissist Michael Sennet, successful Hollywood star, has made it to the top.  He is the hero of the entire American movie-going public, and recognized and adulated everywhere. Michael, bored with his superstar status, has become an egomaniac, seeking new venues for his prowess.

Movie producer Martin Goldfarb, a man without a conscience, has become Michael’s nemesis, denying his request to produce an upcoming movie.  Cheryl Leigh, a beautiful actress, is married to Michael. Although star-struck by her husband, the marriage is a love – hate relationship.  Frank Vicente, a paparazzi photographer, a thorn in the flesh for Michael, blackmails him.

Add to this cast Curt Knudsen, a serial killer, known as the Vanity Plate Killer; Curt has the citizens of Hollywood in a frightened frenzy. Curt is on a mission to alert the country of the danger of personal pride.  He seeks out, and stalks, selected “vanity license plate” holders.  Once familiar with their habits and daily patterns, he murders the victim and steals their vanity plate.

My favorite character in the story was Homicide Detective Harry Stein.  He became cynical after a failed marriage and threw himself into his work.  His primary escape from the pressures of police work was found in his love for movies.  Suddenly faced with a twist in the direction of the case of the Vanity Plate Killer, Harry becomes disillusioned again.  This time it is with movies and movie stars.  

Baum has put these characters into a fast-paced, satirical novel that is engrossing, and effective. His dialog is strong, sometimes overly graphic. Growing up in Hollywood, Henry is able to convey insights into the psyche of those in the movie industry: the superficial, the sophisticated, the artist, and the intellectual.

“North of Sunset” is a compelling read, well written and brilliant.

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