A Rhumba in Waltz Time

It's 1938 Hollywood.  While the Great Depression still haunts Americans and war clouds are gathering in Europe, the golden age of movies reigns in this southern California enclave of glamour and glitter.  Gone with the Wind is still in production and manic munchkins are creating havoc for MGM in Culver City where the Wizard of Oz is being filmed.

But it's also a time when even the slightest whiff of scandal could torpedo a promising film career.  Former LAPD detective Chris Blanchard is a "fixer" for MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer.  It's his job to make sure the MGM contract players stay out of trouble and keep any smell of scandal away from the studio.

When one of the starlets cries "murder," Blanchard's search for the killer could become fatal for both of them.  Hollywood secrets, blackmail, Nazis, commies, and more bodies begin to pile up.  One minute our Chandleresque hero is dancing with a good-lookin' dame at the Coconut Grove, the next, he's trying to outrun a Nazi gunman on Catalina Island.

Robert S. Levinson at a recent visit in Burbank

I highly recommend this noir thriller, especially if you'd like a trip back to Hollywood's golden era.  Levinson peppers his delightful dance with hundreds of details about Los Angeles during the thirties.  Colorful characters, both real and imagined, waltz their way through snappy dialogue and an action-packed plot.