Show Business Kills [Paperback]

Iris Rainer Dart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

In a tale of friendship and survival in the dog-eat-dog world of show business, four aging women whose careers in Hollywood are dwindling are brought closer together when one of them is brutally attacked. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of Beaches has recycled her bestselling blend of show business and devoted friends tested by tragedy into an involving story of contemporary Hollywood. Best friends since their college days 30 years past, soap opera seductress Jan O'Malley, former sitcom star Marly Bennett, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Rose Morris and studio executive Ellen Bass must face facts: they've now reached the age where their "drug of choice has become estrogen." Confronted with her TV character's possible extinction, Jan is renegotiating her contract with barracuda-like producers, while Marly is auditioning for antacid commercials. Rose's agent wants to find her a "young" writing partner, and Ellen is fighting a losing war with a pack of sexually harassing studio honchos. When Jan is shot by a mysterious intruder, the other three investigate old lovers, old friends and old secrets until they discover her attacker's identity. Dart's snappily paced tale is spiced with spot-on doses of black humor, while her insights into female friendships, as always, ring reassuringly true. Even a cliched and familiar conclusion should do nothing to hinder fans' enjoyment. Film rights to Bette Midler's All Girl Productions; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Lacking the pathos of Beaches-despite the soon-to-be-orphaned child of a friend- this novel mixes the "friends since college theme" with some limp elements of the psychological thriller. Here, the friends are four Hollywood players (two actresses, a writer, a producer) fast approaching obsolescence as they near fifty. As they grapple with the dog-eat-dog Hollywood world, falling faces, and encroaching flab, the four contemplate their pasts and try to come to terms with their presents. The shooting of their soap opera friend, Jan, by a thwarted actress from their college days grounds them once again in the things that matter in life. Schmaltzy, yes, but fans may want this novel directed at the "Fear of Fifty" crowd.
--Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 383 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books Inc (Mm) (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446365114
• ISBN-13: 978-0446365116
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,256,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone who read Beaches HAS to read this!!!!, September 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Show Business Kills (Paperback)

I have read a lot of books in my 27 years, and let me tell you, Iris Rainer Dart is one great writer. This novel about four close friends who are all in show business is very in-depth and very entertaining! These aren't young, glitzy women, these are real women in a real hard world. Trust me, this one is sure to please!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I love Iris Rainer Dart but this did not live up, October 28, 1998

By 

Dianne W. Crawford (Canyon Country, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Show Business Kills: A Novel (Hardcover)

I have read every Iris Rainer Dart book and this just didn't have the page turner effect for me. I struggled just to even finish the book.