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Final Cut

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A film crew from Hollywood, transposed to the outback of Montana for the shooting of a concluding movie sequence, provide the action and the drama of author Kit Sloane's dark suspense thriller, Final Cut. Arriving at the Palisades Ranch with great creative zeal are Max Skull, directorial genius, and his beloved muse, Margot O'Banion Lake, the woman who cuts and splices Max's frames into box office hits.

Something unwholesome seems to be brewing here, where deceased film editor Amory Evans worked his surgical magic on footage gone wrong. Amory's widow has inherited his distaste for the Los Angeles set, although Letitia's twin sister Bernice may be more forgiving. But why do the old women put Max and Margot in such a shabby suite? And why has someone placed a very obvious bugging device in the corner of their bedroom?

Welcome to a novel in which nothing is certain and anything can happen, including someone's death. Margot, an average woman except for her talent in tweaking cinema scenes, is set down in an ambiance that she just doesn't understand. Cats appear and disappear and so do the cans of film on which she has been working. What forces are out to get her and Max--or all the movie people, in fact--poses a very big question that can't easily be resolved.

The background for Final Cut is eerily unsettling. Nowhere near the ordinary civilization of homes and highways and shopping malls, explosions occur and men go mysteriously missing; a listening device flashes red with interest at human conversation; and a cat is found and lost, and--well, has the poor thing possibly been cut into bits by a madwoman? Margot offers our one sane link to normality. Well-etched, likable, and urbane, she leads us through the creepy house and countryside, giving us the type of delightful companionship any genre reader requires. The other characters, including Max, ring true to Hollywood and its artistic passions. They are fun, interesting, and sometimes a challenge to figure out.

The enjoyment of Final Cut comes from the roller-coaster ride and the building of the tension for both characters and those of us who have come to care about them. When morning dawns on the ranch and the next new imbalance is uncovered, we can merely journey nervously along with Sloane, hoping that she will bring us and the characters to safety at last.

Does she? Only a reading of this thriller will let you find out. The book is a recommended read, a reason to stay up all night with the lights on--whether you've finished perusing the novel or not. G. Miki Hayden, teaching mystery writing [...] and a frequent reviewer for numerous mystery magazines.

Margot O'Banion Lake's ability to translate a writer's thoughts, a director's vision, and an actor's lines into a work of art has earned her a well-deserved reputation as one of the best film editors in Tinseltown.

In her series debut, FINAL CUT, the reserved and reticent Margot and her flamboyant lover and business partner, director Max Skull, make a trip to northern California to the ranch home of the late, legendary film editor Amory Evans. Max needs the rugged scenery of the high desert for his final shots. Margot will use the quiet atmosphere of Evans' studio to work her magic on the film.

Immediately upon their arrival at Palisades Ranch, the duo are caught off guard by Evans' widow and her twin sister. Leticia Evans and Bernice Sweet are two interchangeable peas in a pod. They are warm and welcoming, but Margot senses an uncomfortable underlying current she cannot explain. Something isn't quite right.

As they begin to work on the film, Margot and Max have some pretty strange experiences. They are housed in a worn down guest house while the twins live in luxury at the main house. Security cameras watch their every move. An entire film crew gets lost on the location. A van blows up. People disappear for stretches at a time and return with no memory of what happened during their absence. The ranch's handyman appears out of nowhere to stalk their movements. A black cat weaves in and out of the scenery, even though they are banned from the ranch. Pieces of animal fur are stuck under mattresses. Articles are rearranged.

Someone doesn't want Max and Margot to complete their work.

Is it the twins? Is it their peculiar handy man, Johnny Pine? Is it the studio's axe man, Adrian Browning? Or could it be the ghost of Amory Evans? The answers will surprise even the most jaded mystery fan!

The author falls a bit short in technique: (1) stretching what would have been a quality short story into 192 pages; (2) abusing the word "prickled" when referring to the many times Margot's skin reacts to fright; and (3) inserting unnecessary 'that' into an infinite number of sentences.

The basic story line is solid, however, and the author lays the groundwork for more Margot O'Banion Mysteries.

This novel is the meat that the legendary Director of Films, Alfred Hitchcock would gnaw upon greedily. There were many vivid scenes drawn by the Author into my mind.

I was reminded of Architect, Frank Lloyd Wright's spectacular mountain homes. For those unfamiliar with his architecture, he is famous for his buildings/homes/offices blending into nature. A spectacular one is in California as the "Marin County Civic Building" next to the fair grounds. The home in the book flows and drapes the mountain that caresses the building wearing bright reds and almost 'eyes' in deadly black. The house adds to the atmosphere most dramatically. This eerie feeling increases as Margot and Max walk up the path to the western ranch (a misnomer indeed.) I was reminded of the movie, The Rocky Horror Show. There are warnings, oh yes, there are.

Hatred resounds within these walls. Hatred of race, religion, cats, and could it be possible? Men themselves?

Who lives there, well just two elderly women. One a widow of one of Hollywood's finest film Directors having won three Oscars. Everything seems lovely, or does it? Was there hidden microphones in the bedrooms? Why are Max and Margot sent not to the true Guest Room but a type of old saltbox? Why are members of the film crew missing and then returning with a type of amnesia? Who is trying to kill Margot and for heavens sake, Why? Just who is Johnny Pine?

This is a fine psychological thriller. It captured me from page one and I stayed up hours to finish it as I was captured in so many ways.

Kit Sloane's Final Cut gives readers both an insider's glimpse into a movie company on location -- and its descent into terror. With more twists and chills than a roller coaster ride, Final Cut will keep you guessing. A realpage-turner.

-- Kris Neri, Agatha and Anthony nominated author of Revenge of the Gypsy Queen and Dem Bones' Revenge

First, let me say I've read both reviews...I liked this book, but agree with second reviewer on lapses in style.

I think this will make a good series when the characters are allowed to develop.

I'll read more Sloan. She's pretty good.

Kit Sloane takes readers through the Hollywood looking glass in this stunning novel of suspense where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks in unlikely places. Final Cut delivers it all--memorable characters, an intriguing plot, and suspense that builds until you won't want to put it down.

--Linda Grant, author of Vampire Bytes

Final Cut by Kit Sloane

A movie set is a special sort of place, driven by both financial frenzy and creative temperaments. A crew on location tends to be locked into itself, having only its own members to turn to for emotional--even physical--security. In Final Cut, Kit Sloane shows the type of atmosphere that filming on location can engender. There, with time as money, work is rushed, and extra pressure is brought when the studio executive comes to call.

Place this usually fraught filming situation inside of an environment that is already lunatic, and you have the setting for Ms. Sloane's novel of suspense. Here, New Hollywood tries to come to grips with its revered history in the person of elderly eccentrics, who hate the newcomers for coming out on top. The new talent, in the meantime, is called upon to display a veneration to prior genius, which they do, although somewhat appalled by the sort of anachronistic mentality that rules on the ranch where they now film.

Protagonist Margot O'Banion Lake is particularly upset by the anti-Semitism she finds here, although her director paramour, Max Skull, who is himself Jewish, shrugs off a volley of ultra-blatant insults. He is too busy shooting his conception of the cowboys of the early West to pay attention to many of the matters that bother Margot--such as an attempt to murder her, she believes. Good heavens, yes, considering how much the filming costs each day.

Looking at the book as a participant in the movie business, I see much that I can identify with. The techniques and approaches have changed a lot since the time of Old Hollywood and it's fun to see the two juxtapositioned for their view of each other.

In a way, Ms. Sloane has produced a piece of film-making herself, in that she has taken a camera's eye view to every scene. Her observation is keen and the description lavishly poetic. We feel that we are on a movie set ourselves, visiting a grand old ranch, complete with miniature theater for the viewing of rushes or the owners' favorite titles. Sloane has brought both the prior and the present era of our film history to life.

The novel is, at base, suspense adventure. Amid the sweep of cinema in the making comes the mystery. Who is crazy and who is not? Who is going to leave the ranch alive? And who doesn't want to allow Margot, Max, and other key members of the Los Angeles team their liberty?

Anyone who treasures movies of both today and yesterday will take pleasure in this book. You can count on her authentic depictions.

Dennis W. Kear, screen actor and member Screen Actors Guild.