L.A. Times [Mass Market Paperback]

Stuart Woods (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 1994

Deadly Ambition

After turning a film student's directorial debut into a hit movie, New York mobster and movie fanatic Vinnie Callabrese takes off for the bright lights of Hollywood, where he begins a new life as Michael Vincent, Producer. A natural born wheeler-dealer, he lands not only a major studio deal, but also a gorgeous actress girlfriend.

It isn't long before Michael Vincent is one of the most successful producers in town, given his knack for bringing in films under budget -- not too difficult when you're willing to lie, seduce, intimidate, and even kill to get what you want. But some of the people from his past have long memories and a far reach, and now it's Michael's turn to watch his back. Because even in the land of make-believe certain enemies -- and their bullets -- are very real.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prolific crime writer Woods is back in form with a propulsive thriller featuring a movie mogul embroiled in multiple murders. While his last effort, the disappointing Santa Fe Rules , had a similar plot trajectory, Woods succeeds here with the help of a dynamic protagonist whose ambitions fuel a wild ride and an explosive ending. Vincente Michaele Callabrese works as a shake-down artist for the mob in New York City's Little Italy, but moviegoing is his passion. Early in the story, he changes his name to Michael Vincent and makes a break for L.A., where with the help of powerful studio head Leo Goldman he fufills his dream of becoming a big-time producer. Vincent's cosa nostra connections keep in touch, particularly old pal Tommy Provenzano, whose rise to power in New York parallels Vincent's in Hollywood. Eventually, Vincent's desire to bring a gentle turn-of-the-century novel to the screen leads him to employ the sorts of techniques and friends that served him in his mafia days. Cinematic triumph follows, but so does trouble. After so much absorbing Hollywood intrigue, the mob-style violence of the novel's last chapters seems almost anti-climactic. Readers will have few complaints, however, having been eminently entertained by the abundant suspense Woods creates as he depicts this licentious, adulterous and violent milieu. 100,000 first printing; $200,000 ad/promo; author tour. (May) .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Woods--an off-again (Santa Fe Rules, etc.), on-again (New York Dead, etc.) writer--is very much on here, turning his big weakness- -stagnant characters--into a strength. In this enjoyably high- sleaze potboiler about a mafioso who conquers Hollywood, there's no need for character growth: Every member of the cast is a blackhearted villain, and the great fun is watching them claw each other as the author spins out one unexpected twist, loop, and climax after another. ``You have the single most important quality that a successful producer can possess...you are a complete sociopath.'' When his sexy assistant says that to Michael Vincent, she isn't kidding. Born Vincente Michaele Callabrese in N.Y.C., Michael is a mob- connected hustler who parlays his passion for movies into fame and fortune when he bankrolls a superior indie feature that lands him a producing deal at a top studio--and never mind that he has to kill two fellow mafiosi to get the funds for the film. In L.A., the comer wallows in the lavish life, investing his money with a loan- shark. When the rights-holder on the novel he plans to film next refuses to sell, Michael calls on his old mob-pal Tommy Pro for help, leading to the release of the rights--but only through a murder that leaves Michael's fingerprints at the scene. A nosy cop realizes that Michael's guilt, so the producer simply buys him out- -and kills him after a second blackmail attempt. And so Michael leaps up the ladder--conning actors and writers, ruining lives, cuckolding and then killing his boss--but always making good films (and winning a Best Picture Oscar for one), until his greed gets him in trouble with Tommy Pro, who's now a Mafia don--and who arranges the harsh yet poetically just fate that closes the book on Michael. With a villain as charismatically coldblooded as this one, who needs a hero? Not Woods--and not readers of this devilishly entertaining thriller. (First printing of 100,000) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch; mass market edition (February 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061091561
• ISBN-13: 978-0061091568
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stuart Woods is the author of forty-four novels, including the New York Times-bestselling Stone Barrington series and Holly Barker series. The last twenty-eight of them have been New York Times best-sellers. He is an avid private pilot, flying his own jet on two book tours a year. His latest novel is Santa Fe Edge,to be published on September 21st. You may see his tour schedule and learn more about the author on his website, www.stuartwoods.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting novel by Stuart Woods, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: L.A. Times (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading L.A. Times by Stuart Woods I was reassured that a page turning novel can still be written. Woods portrayal of a young hood in New York who goes on to be a successful Hollywood producer does not have a single dull moment in it. As the lead character, Michael Vincent sees his troubled past start to catch up with him and threaten his prosperous lifestyle. This book portrays Hollywood in a way that makes one feel as if they have lived there their entire life. Filled with action and suspense, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can take the thug out of New York, but..., January 8, 1999

By 

Timothy Ritter (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L.A. Times (Mass Market Paperback)

How refreshing it is to read a gem like LA Times, which contains not a single one of those ubiquitous literary pests: likeable characters. At first I thought Vinnie Callabrese was to be one, rising above an abusive and impoverished background to become a successful studio executive and moral exemplar. His efforts to get his first film made put my fears to rest. Reading on, I realized that there were no good guys or gals in LA Times, just a seething cesspool of villains. Now that I think of it, there was one character who was not corrupt: the interior decorator. But he had no part in the plot; he just decorated.

Woods either did his homework on the Mafia and Hollywood, or he's involved in one or both of them. All the dialogue rang true, and the situations were realistic and believable (with the possible exceptions of Vinnie's rocket ride to the top of the heap and the immediate Oscar). I particularly admire Vinnie's friend Tommy's hamhanded approach to getting an option on a literary property. The irony was thick and deep, too, as when our hero takes a break from his frenzy of promiscuity to make a donation to an AIDS charity.

I can see how women might not like Woods' writing on sexuality. What are the odds that Vinnie would meet three nymphomaniacs in a row? Then again, it must be kept in mind that Woods specializes in the male version of the romance novel.

What I liked best about LA Times was the deromanticizing of both the Mafia and Hollywood. Woods builds up the Vinnie/Tommy relation as though in a buddy picture: young up-and-comers bonded together by their criminal past. Then it comes to light that Tommy 'made such a mess' of a prostitute that Vinnie got for him in L.A., that the woman is in the hospital and 'may never look the same again'. Really glamorous. Later, the initially lovable Tommy reveals an even more brutal nature, directed at Vinnie, and by this time our hero has shown him self to be fully deserving of what he receives at the hand of his buddy.

All in all, a truly predatory story, sugar coated with money and status, if not likeability. Every time I read the word 'gentlemen', as in 'Gentlemen, this meeting will now come to order', I felt a guffaw rising in my throat. These people are about as close to gentlefolk as a hog is to a butterfly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Woods' best non-recurring character books, February 17, 2005

By 

Rob Houser (Suwanee, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L.A. Times (Mass Market Paperback)

In my opinion, LA Times is one of the best Stuart Woods books. I spent the night at a friend's house several years ago and the book was on the bedside table. I stayed up all night reading it. What a thrill!

I guess it's not always the highest compliment in the literary world to say that a book would make a great movie, BUT...this book reads like a fantastic movie. It maintains a fast pace, surprising twists, and enjoyable character development via dialogue and actions as opposed narrative interpretation. It also focuses on the primary story line more than most thriller/mystery books, which is part of what keeps it moving so well. Sure, the book does have a few gimmicky twists, but you're supposed to enjoy the irony and surprise in a way that you do when you read Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiaasen.

Stuart Woods is a masterful storyteller, although his books don't all sound like they're from the same storyteller. The Stone Barrington books (New York Dead, Dirt, Dead in the Water, Swimming to Catalina, Worst Fears Realized, LA Dead, Cold Paradise, The Short Forever, Dirty Work, and Reckless Abandon) are the most popular because of the memorable characters Stone and Dino. I admit that the Barrington novels are my favorites. The Will Lee books (Chiefs, Run Before the Wind, Grass Roots, The Run, Capital Crimes) are very different from the rest-more political and Southern. The Holly Barker books (Orchid Beach, Orchid Blues, Blood Orchid, Reckless Abandon), in my opinion, are the least compelling, until Reckless Abandon when Woods partners Barker with Stone Barrington. The remaining 11 books have different themes and characters (Deep Lie, Under the Lake, White Cargo, Palindrome, Santa Fe Rules, LA Times, Dead Eyes, Heat, Imperfect Strangers, Choke, The Prince of Beverly Hills).

I wondered when I saw the Sopranos episodes where Christopher (the mob boss' cousin) wanted to be a screen writer if that might not be homage to Stuart Woods. Well, if you wanted to see what might have happened to Christopher if he had made it to Hollywood, read this book.

If you like Stuart Woods because of the Stone Barrington novels and you like the style of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, I think you'll like the tone and storyline of LA Times. In my personal experience of encouraging my friends and family to read the book, because it's on my shelf of my 10 favorite books, I've noticed that males tend to like it more than females--but don't let that stop you from trying it out!