I really liked Stuart Wood's Stone Barrington novels, Holly Barker novels and other legal thrillers featuring Will Lee. However, Beverly Hill Dead was a disappointment. The story was mostly fast paced dialogue with a few short, quick action scenes and the characters were two dimensional. You really did not get to know the people in the story. There are some stories that engage the reader completely and you hate it when the story ends. You are left with a feeling of wanting more. Unfortunately this one didn't for me.

The front flap:

" Rick Barron, a former Beverly Hills copy, has risen to the head of production of Centurion Studios, and he's at the top of his game. But tensions are high in Hollywood, and when Rick's friend Sidney Brooks, a successful screenwriter, receives a subpoena from the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, Rick isn't surprised. The witch hunt is spreading and those under investigation are Rick's closest friends -- even his wife, the glamourous starlet Glenna Gleason."

Does this turn me off Stuart Woods. Not by any means - I'm looking forward to reading his next Stone Barrington novel "Hot Mahagony".

OK, I forgot to bring a book and this was the best the grocery store had to offer. Woods has a fast paced style that keeps the characters rather superficial. The deaths were unconnected and didn't connect the story very well, but overall it was readable and a lot better than no book at all! ( )

Set in post WWII before Stone Barrington who makes an appearance on the last few pages. Story of Vance Calder, Arrington's husband before she met Stone. Interesting regarding the HUAC and the impact on some of the Hollywood characters. ( )

You know how when you are getting to the last 50-100 pages of a book and you wonder how the writer will wrap it up without making it seemed rush? Well that's what Stuart Woods did in his latest novel Beverly Hills Dead. Beverly Hills Dead is a continuation of the characters he introduced in 2004's The Prince of Beverly Hills, except it doesn't take off right where the 1st book left off, it jumps a several years and fills you in on what we missed, which is perfect.

We are in "old" Hollywood for the time period and during the "Red Scare" or the McCarthy era where people were blacklisted for being Communists. This is the main storyline and I found it very facinating but thought that it could have been a bit more flushed out or examined. Not only does the novel deal with politics in that nature but it also slightly touches on homosexuality but from the female perspective and how that would have played out in the 1940/1950s in Hollywood. Maybe the plots aren't strong but I always love Mr. Woods character development and he did a fantastic job again. I was thrilled when I read he was coming out with another Rick Barron novel. Rick Barron himself could be a movie star but he's not, he's an ex-cop who ends up making a good life for himself. His boss Eddie is hilarious and of course well connected. I found the part about shooting on location very interesting since it was rare in those days since most everything was shot in a backlot or studio. The book also briefly introduces us to the media medium called television and how it first got started.

Within the first few chapters my mouth dropped because Mr. Woods tied in a major character from his series with Stone Barrington. I was thrilled and really enjoyed getting to know this person at this stage in their "life".

Beverly Hills Dead isn't a complicated book by any means but there are a few good twists and turns and is an extremely enjoyable read. I always find myself not wanting to put his books down; therefore I typically read them in a a day or so.

If you've never read a Stuart Woods book, I would say this is a good "series" to start with since there are only 2 and if you like them move on to his Stone Barrington books. ( )

I was a Stuart Woods fan. This book was trite and predictable. The era is post WWII and is set in Hollywood during the "communist" witch hunt. Even bringing the House UnAmerican Activities Committee into the plot couldn't save it. I do not recommend Beverly Hills Dead. It was terribly disappointing. ( )