Customer Reviews

Los Angeles: A Novel

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"Los Angeles", Peter Moore Smith's follow-up to the superb "Raveling", starts interestingly enough with a romance between Angel Veronchek, son of a billionaire producer and mentally unstable albino, and his next door neighbor and part time stripper, Angela. Moreover, as Smith toys with the chronology and draws into question Angel's reliability as a narrator, "Los Angeles" sets up to be a subtle meditation on reality, and the reliability of our own memory.

And ultimately it does, unfortunately in between there is far too much rambling discourse and irrelevant information. At 338 pages, "Los Angeles" would have been far more successful at around 225, because when Smith finally hits his stride half way into the text, there are some genuinely fascinating twists and turns, but by then the reader is jaundiced by the slog that lead up to that point. Moreover, Smith never seems quite sure what he wants this book to be. With "Raveling", the reader knew from the start that something horrible had definitely happened, and it was left to the novel to reveal how and why. With "Los Angeles" it's not at all clear what, if anything has happened, and Smith even seems comfortable with not much of anything happening at all.

This wouldn't be a problem if Angel's personal growth represented the focal point of the story. However, Angel is a deeply disturbed individual and whatever progress he makes is as much the result of the pharmaceutical industry as his development as an adult, and as such is somewhat difficult to get excited about.

To be fair, when Smith finally gets to the heart of the issue, he deftly weaves together a reality that is utterly at odds with the reader's perception (as presented by Angel) and yet in no way contradictory to it. Even then though, Smith's seeming uncertainty about his message rears it's head as an entirely unnecessary layer of cause and effect is tacked on over the final chapters.

Smith is clearly a talented writer, and I'll read any future books based upon the strength of "Raveling" alone. Moreover, "Los Angeles" contains some genuinely original and interesting writing. The problem is, there's too much miscellany getting in the way, and the result is what should have been a brisk short novel or even novella is stretched out into what feels like a bloated three hundred plus pages. Not bad per se, but something of a disappointment, "Los Angeles" may be worth a read in paperback, but doesn't warrant a hardcover purchase. As an alternative, if you are looking for something that deals with fractured realities, try Steve Erickson's tremendous "Our Ecstatic Days".

Jake Mohlman

Reviewed by Tyrone Vincent Banks of Betsie's Literary Page

Angel Veronchek lives a rather sheltered life. He is an albino with sensitivity to light and therefore he spends most of his time holed up in his dark apartment watching a Blade Runner DVD. He spends his days working on a screenplay titled Los Angeles while taking medication washed down by cups of bourbon. He's a self proclaimed loser by most accounts and he lives a rather uneventful life - or does he?

Angela comes into his life and she becomes the light that he has avoided for many years. They spend time together engaged in conversation and he opens up his lonely existence and makes space for Angela. He receives a call from her one day; she simply says his name and hangs up the phone. From that moment forward he dedicates his life to rescuing Angela from and unknown foe that may have kidnapped or killed her.

Angel ventures out into the sunlight and starts his noble quest. He can feel that Angela is in a dark place and waiting to be rescued. As moments go by he is desperate and he fears that time is running out. Through Angel's eyes and actions you can feel the loss of control and the uncertainty that he lives with. He can be labeled as a schizophrenic, depressed alcoholic existing in a made up world. Or, he can be labeled a heroic savior who overcomes his fears and anxieties to save the woman that he loves. At times, while reading this book, both labels may apply. But, even when the truth is revealed, you are still uncertain.

Peter Moore Smith has reincarnated Don Quixote as a delusional Angel Veronchek in search of his damsel in distress. We must think that once the windmill is defeated it is still honorable that this Knight in Pale Skin challenged the Dragon just as Smith has challenged our imagination with a surreal tale about the line between sanity and insanity as it is breached.

LOS ANGELES: A NOVEL is enjoyable and well-written. I guarantee that you will form a conclusion about the mystery that Angel is trying to solve only to find that all that may appear to be living and breathing - may not be.

Peter Moore Smith left his mark on suspense fiction when he published the intricate and amazing Raveling which is, to this day, one of my favorite mystery novel. Smith is finally back with Los Angeles, another suspense novel about the workings of the human mind and of the human condition. Smith isn't a writer who can be solely satisfied with great plots; he needs great, complicated characters to boot. And that's why the author is quickly becoming one of the freshest new voices in mystery fiction.

Angel's life isn't what you could call ordinary. His father is a big Hollywood producer, his mother is a strange, transparent woman and Angel himself... well, there's nothing normal about Angel. First off, Angel's an albino with a social disorder. Oh, and he's addicted to the film Blade Runner. He lives his life in solitude with his nose burried in books, going out only at night and only when completely necessary.

But Angel is still human, and when he meets his new neighbour Angela, a stripper with striking eyes that change color, he's immediately attracted to her. Unfortunately, their romance isn't given much time to grow because one night, Angel receives a phone call where Angela whispers his name. The connection is cut, and Angel knows that something has happened to her.

Forgetting all about his medication, Angel goes on a hunt to find the love of his life. But what he uncovers will forever shatter his existence. Life, as he knows it, is nothing but a mere illusion that will soon shatter in a million little pieces.

Los Angeles is full of twists and turns, many of them completely unpredictable. Written in the first person, the author finds a brilliant voice to tell his story in. Not only is Angel a flawed and vivid character, he's also full of mysteries that are being kept from the readers.

Once you start this one, you will not want to put it down. Los Angeles is a great mystery thriller that succeeds at being different from the lot of generic mysteries out there. The author's purpose never falters. The many twists are not simple ploys to shock the reader; they help sustain that sense of paranoia that courses through the narrative. Los Angeles is a great thriller that deserves all the recognition it will receive.

As simple as that. It's great. It's different. It blows away tons of so-called noir novels. "Los Angeles" doesn't come from no snotty writing school, fellas. Strictly from the heart, this one. From the very first page you're hurled inside the personal hell of the main character, hoping for redemption. Peter Moore Smith's novel is literary, it's a page turner, it's lyrical and sometimes nasty, with a sad sad sad love story at its very core. How do you spell great, indeed?

In a run down part of West Hollywood thirty-four years old Angel Veronchek, son of a thriving producer, lives a near hermit-like existence. Part of it is caused by his being an albino, but much of his hiding is psychological. The recluse sees no one and does little inside his apartment except occasionally work on a screenplay "Los Angeles" while his DVD eternally plays Blade Runner. He survives existence predominantly by psychological drugs.

A new neighbor visits Angel introducing herself as Angela to the loner. : She is his opposite as she is effervescent beautiful black person who plans to one day own Hollywood. Clearly opposites in appearance and outlook, Angela's energy and élan awaken Angel; he quickly falls in love for the first time in his lonely life. Surprisingly, Angela seems to share his deep feelings. Angel struggles with a foreign emotion, happiness until he receives the call. She whispers "Angel" and hangs up; disappearing from his life. Stunned and not ready to go out into the world, Angel investigates his Angela, not even sure she truly exists.

LOS ANGELES is an excellent psychological suspense drama that explores the concept of what is reality mostly from the perspective of Angel. The story line is moving and depressing as the lead protagonist is not an easy person for readers to understand or empathize with; thus this is not a one sitting tale as the dark mutterings (terrific prose) of Angel is disheartening and difficult to accept. Yet this deep look at reality is a two edged sword that makes Peter Moore Smith's tale compelling albeit with a warning label that the "star" is as gloomy a protagonist as one will find.

Harriet Klausner

Angel Jean-Pierre Veronchek is son of Milos Veronchek, an associate producer for splashy movie productions with scenes for Universal. Angel is working on a screenplay after failing UCLA. He graduated from Vancouver School and went to UCLA to study physics with a specialty in the science of light. He is living in a one-bedroom apartment on San Raphael Crescent, off of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Angel has a sensitivity to light and especially sunlight since his skin is extraordinarily white and pink. In fact, his skin is translucent and has white hair-an albino.

Angela, Angel's neighbor, has just moved in and brings over a special casserole dish. They talk and both discover they sleep during the day. There seemed to be an instant commonality between the two with similar names and sleep patterns.

Angel is taking an array of medications-Xanax, Valium, Inderol, Navane, Ludiomil, Librium and Centrax, and the list continues. He takes drugs to counteract drugs. The line of reality, insanity or movie set may seem to blur in Angel's life at times.

Angel's parents are divorced. Remember this is L.A. His mom is French-Swiss and visits the plastic surgeon every couple of years. Angel's dad is married to a woman about Angel's age, rather than his own.

Just what is it about Angela that is so intoxicating? Her face, blue eyes, or her kindness. Angelis fascinated by Angela's beauty and friendliness. From Angel's point of view, he is very lonely and Angela fills a void. She fills his daily thoughts. Then he gets a call from Angela with only a "hello" and then a click. She turns up missing or is she really missing? Is she the girl Angel believes she is or an elusive dream?

Readers will be entertained, challenged as Angel tries to solve the mystery of what has happened to his "perfect" woman, Angela. You keep wanting him to succeed and make this unusual love story complete. In the end, find out if he finds his true love?

Once in a while you pick up a book thinking it's one thing and it turns out that you were way off the mark. This is what I experienced with LOS ANGELES by Peter Moore Smith. I expected a kind of noir mystery, and while it certainly has elements of that, it's different from what one encounters within a novel of that genre.

The first and major difference is Angel Veronchek, the narrator. Angel is not a rumpled knight in slightly tarnished armor. He's really irritating, at least in some ways. Most of this is the result of the hand that has been dealt to him, rather than one he picked up on his own. He's an albino, with an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, and has some legitimate chemical imbalance issues. His daily activities consist primarily of sitting in his underwear working on a screenplay that is never going anywhere and playing the director's cut of Blade Runner constantly on his DVD player, while his royally rich movie producer dad foots the bill for everything.

Angel, who is in his early 30s, is not the kind of guy you're going to spend much time with. So when this exotic-looking woman named Angela moves in next door to Angel and starts hanging out with him, it seems too good to be true. That is, until Angela suddenly vanishes, with only an enigmatic, one-word telephone call left in her wake. Angel is not content to let her simply disappear. The guy is in love, and the woman he is in love with seems to be in trouble. So Angel goes looking for her, hampered to no small degree by his physical and emotional difficulties. The biggest problem Angel has, however, is that a lot of people don't want him to find Angela. Actually, that's not true. Angel's biggest problem is that the deeper he looks into Angela's past, the more he finds, which leads him to the conclusion that the Angela he knew might not even exist. He's wrong, of course. But he's also right.

Smith has crafted an enigmatic work here, one that probably will be under-appreciated, and regrettably so. We become used to literary protagonists with whom we can readily sympathize and empathize within the space of a few pages; Angel is quite different. While the story is told from his viewpoint, the reader has the benefit of realizing ahead of the narration that all is not right with Angel, long before he does. One doesn't, however, know what really is going on. And even at the end, one still is not entirely sure.

In this, and in other ways, LOS ANGELES is a subtle tribute to the work and memory of author Philip K. Dick. BLADE RUNNER, which is a constant reference point for Angel throughout LOS ANGELES, was adapted from Dick's haunting novel, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? With the exception of a few mainstream novels, Dick's entire body of work dealt with perceptions of reality, or the lack thereof. One cannot read LOS ANGELES without feeling Dick's presence nearby. As with Dick's best work, Smith's LOS ANGELES is a mesmerizing, memorable tale that by turns confounds, confuses, and amazes.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I was at home sick with a aching, sneezy cold
on a gray, incessantly rainy day and
happened to have gotten to the library recently
and pulled a book off the shelf that wierdly
felt like I already knew all about it, and
in a way, I did. The book is resonant with
concepts of deja vu, and problematizes
memory in ways that Proust is famous for,
though sadly I find that eminent author impossible
to read. This book I found is the kind that
can make you glad you have a terrible cold, almost.

Also, if you're a Phillip K. Dick fan, or
a *Blade Runner* fan, you definitely will
want to check out
<a href="http://www.twbookmark.com/books/95/0316803928/chapter_excerpt19879.html">
Los Angeles {click here}</a> by Peter Moore Smith, a novel
I enjoyed almost, but not quite, as much as Grant Bailie's *Cloud 8* and
for similar reasons. First of all, it's a page turner, and secondly
it deals with a lonely figure whose effort to figure out love,
life and the world takes you into unexpected regions. In
this case that region is Los Angeles, a mythical Hollywood
that exists as much in the imagination of the world as it does
in the mind of the central character of this striking second novel.
The main character is an albino who is misogynistic, drug
and alcohol addicted, but, in his own way, as charming as Salinger's Holden
Caulfield. One of his quirks is leaving *Blade Runner* on
on his TV all the time, something I nearly did myself for many years
(the Ridley Scott movie came out in the early 80's).
Who knows, Angel may become this generation's "Catcher in the Rye"
(of course, this one is 30, not 16)
whose attitudes cut right through all the contemporary platitudes about
money, love, religion and politics. What happens is that rich, lonely albino Angel
(his father is a fabulously wealthy movie director) gets visited by
sultry, electrifying, black Angela, who then disappears,
making Angel (himself, a putative screen writer) a
Blade Runner in reverse; he has to find Angela to save her.
His travels take us through the underside of Hollywood as a metaphor
for contemporary existence, most pointedly, family, memory, and the agonizing
process of maturation. The tough, noir language is as irrisistible
as a second scotch on a lonely night. And it's as hard to book this book down
as it is for Angel to put a bottle of pills down; the trip is wild, and worth it.

Peter Moore Smith has hit a homerun with LOS ANGELES. This novel does a fantastic job of capturing the misty nightlife and glaring daylight which constitute the dichotomy of the City of Angels. Nothing in this book is contrived or cliched, and you won't see the twist at the end coming 200 pages in advance.

Give it a try and you'll be pleasantly surprised.