Customer Reviews

Blood is Pretty: The First Fixxer Adventure

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was enchanted with this book. The Fixxer is a witty, sharp, and dangerously competent go-to guy for Hollywood's elite. He's the quintessential man of mystery, reminiscent of famous literary and film heroes, as mentioned by others.

I think what I liked best is Leiva's ability to balance witty banter and spot-on observations of Hollywood's banality with plot twists and turns and plenty of thrills and chills. Despite the obvious perfection of the hero Fixxer, there is enough Bertie Wooster in him to ground him. He is completely likeable. The writing is clever. The dialogue sings. The plot moves.

There were a few issues with grammar (typos perhaps?) in several places and wondered about the thoroughness of the editing, but there were not enough errors to disturb my enjoyment of the book. One error that was repeated a few times was "use to" instead of "used to." (Things like that do get under my skin a bit.)

Also of concern is the lack of a promised sequel. Since this was originally written in paperback in 2003, it seems that it is way past time for a followup. Granted, Blood is Pretty is very good as a stand-alone book and does not leave the reader hanging in the end. The plot resolves satisfactorily. Yet there are many unanswered questions about the exciting history and adventures of the protagonist and his sidekick that leave me wanting more. I suspect book sales would improve if the series remained active.

I hope Mr. Leiva continues this series. I anxiously await more adventures of the Fixxer.

A fun, imaginative read. A fast-moving ride through a cheerful mashup of a bunch of pulp genres.

In Hollywood, if you need something sorting, if you have a problem, if nobody else can help - you call Fixxer (not the A-Team), Marital problems, career slip-ups, personal situations - Fixxer solves all for a fee. Cool, intelligent, suave and most of all determined - with a network of contacts and friends who can supply whatever he needs, Fixxer and his sidekick Rooee make sure it all goes right.

So, when called upon to sort two little jobs: pay off some two-bit movie critic over a treatment he wrote, and help out a rising Actress with a seedy pursuer in the industry - it all sounds too easy.
Sure enough - enter a megalomaniacal Film Executive, a Reality Dream program that is too real to be safe, and a bunch of European guns for hire and Fixxer finds himself trying to unravel a kidnap plot, several murders, terrorism, blackmail and arrange a budding romance for himself.

With dark humour that takes a scalpel to the glitzy façade of Hollywood pretension, a Bond-like collection of plots, gadgets and villains, crackling wit and focused morals from Fixxer, and righted by the practical help and concern of his friends; Blood Is Pretty is a thrill a minute look at the crazy goings on in Tinseltown.

I haven't had this much fun with a book in years! Exceeded all expectations. As a former Hollywood type myself- Leiva gets it. Insightful and hilarious with a great story. A non-stop can't put it down page turner. Hard to believe that this is a first novel. It's so deftly written. Can't wait for more. Old habits die hard for me- why isn't this a movie?

I am not an avid reader, however, from the moment I dove into 'BLOOD IS PRETTY"
I could not put it down. It was an exciting and engaging story that I could not get enough of.
The Fixxer is my new hero, and I can't wait to read the sequel!!!!!!!

Contrary to popular belief, Santa Cruz college students do not read as much as we do drink and watch television. My roommates and I are too lazy to read the menu at drive-thrus; we know our meals by number only. We also don't know how to write transitions; which brings me to Blood Is Pretty.

I have read the reviews of this book above and I find them incredibly accurate. Further, those reviewers are much more articulate and educated than I am. However they only seem to focus on the positive things of the book. They focus on the main character, Fixxer whose flair is reminiscent of James Bond in the good old days before Shawn Connery left with its charm. You may read about how the plot carries you smoothly from page to page and the strong twists, while fresh and unexpected, do not derail the story. Each character is remarkably enjoyable in their own way; my personal favorite is the Fixxer's homosexual assistant who uses as much wit as the Fixxer but in his own gay way. The main point of these reviews is get people to find this gem of a book in the sea of poorly written stories drowning book stores.

Well unlike those reviews, I will tell you the real bad thing about this book: you cannot put it down. You will dive deep into the book and be enthralled by a story that is focused and flawless. You may forget to do things like eat, go to the restroom, and pick up your children from school. But it is a sacrifice you should be willing to make. Kids come and go, but every second you go on living without having read this book is a waste of your humanity. As a college student, I may have the attention span of a gold fish, but this book sucked me in. Bravo Leiva!

I have been thoroughly enjoying "Blood is Pretty!" I am holding myself back from just wolfing it down! I want to savor it -- it's not every day I come across something so juicy! It's terrific! You are a great writer -- very smart and funny and the plot twists are killing me!!! I can wait to see what happens next!!!!

I found this strange little book left on a seat in a prefab waiting area at the Long Beach Airport. My Jet Blue flight was delayed, the paper only had more bad news from Iraq and California, so I started to read. The book harkens back to strange pulp novels of the mid to late-60s, early 70s. It tosses in lots of Hollywood humor, much of which has been mined over and over...but something here works better than one might expect. There is a Coen Brothers quirkiness, a strange, alluring awkwardness to the convoluted tail. Nothing in the book seems natural nor real. But it isn't calculated, either. It's James Bond as played by Robert Michum, channelled through Daffy Duck. After an hour reading, I left to go to the bathroom and on my way back to my seat I wondered if I had been napping and just dreamed the book. Punctuation and spelling are, frankly, surreal. Plot twists come and go, although the story is clearly secondary to the effect of the chain-link dialog and over-heated theatrics thrust upon the intentionally depth-less characters. It is an anti-novel, and a very good one at that. Life lessons are not learned. Great truths are not revealed. The human condition is left unexplored. In return, the reader drifts off into a murky world of half-seen television shows, adolescent fantasies and grand conspiracies, all mashed together and presented with a not quite so straight face. If Quentin Tarantino can film homages to bad movies, why can't talented writers write good novels that celebrate unreadable pulps? They can. Leiva (the author, if that's his real name), has, and it was worth the read.

I had a great time reading "Blood is Pretty". The Fixxer is a terrific new version of an adventure hero, along with his intrepid sidekick, Roee.
This novel is a wonderful combination--constant action and suspense, compelling characters, plenty of comedic insight, and, whaddaya know, a story that makes some great observations about our Hollywood, and our culture.
The story kept surprising me, and I especially found the characters to be lots of fun to be with. Except, of course, Mr. Rand, and his henchmen. (Rand himself, I thought I recognized as a fictionalized version of a current major Hollywood "player")

I love that Anne (the actress who gets pulled into all this danger) was so smart.

I love that Petey (one of the Fixxer's allies) was such a nut, and a great source of comedy. And I loved the way Leiva pulled it all together. The dialogue was wonderful, whether it was Fixxer and Roee debating a philosophical point, or Batsarov "expressing self."

The Fixxer himself, of course, is just fascinating. A great mixture of brutality, gentility, passion and cool; a philosopher and man of action. His resourcefulness makes James Bond look like a damsel in distress. If you leave this book with one jealous note, it's that, we'd all like to have the assistance of Roee, in our own lives' adventures!

Roee is a marvelous marvelous character. Reminded me of the fellow who helped out Cary Grant in To Catch A Thief. But Roee is far beyond that. A total original, and a delight!

But the thing that really worked for me...the book is a real "page turner." The comedy compliments the action, and you simply have to keep reading to find out what happens next.

I can't wait to read the promised sequel: "Hollywood is an All Volunteer Army." I guess that's because, other than maybe Carl Hiaasen or Elmore Leonard, I really haven't seen anything close to this, and only Leiva has done this with a James Bond/ Hollywood flair.

Since I'm related to the author, I was given this book with the expectation that I read it, and I could only hope that it would be a halfway decent read. It is his first novel, so I had no idea what to expect.

I'm glad to be able to say that he did an excellent job, and I enjoyed the read. It's a fun story, reminiscent of Ian Fleming's James Bond or Dirk Pitt from Clive Cussler's writing. In this case, the hero works in the entertainment industry as a freelance "Fixxer" of problems.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun adventure story.

Good job, Steve.