Apparently There Were Complaints: A Memoir

Emmy Award–winning actor Gless debuts with a no-holds-barred look at her long and storied career. One of Universal’s last contract players, signed in 1972, Gless made guest appearances on TV dramas including Emergency and Ironside before catapulting to international fame as NYPD Det. Christine Cagney on the popular ’80s series Cagney and Lacey (a role she was offered three times and declined twice). She followed that up with star turns as diverse as the brash Debbie Novotny on 2000’s Queer as Folk and Burn Notice’s fiery Madeline Westen. As she reflects on her ascendance through Hollywood, her signature wit and bold personality take the stage in entertaining stories such as going on a date with Steven Spielberg (“I had no idea who [he] was”), sharing a flight with Betty White, and most poignantly, being one of the first female actors to address alcoholism on prime-time TV—a reality Gless was wrestling with off camera, and about which she is bluntly candid. Written by a masterful storyteller, this smart account boldly reveals both the grit and the glamour of Gless’s life, candidly contending with her substance abuse, various affairs, and the fact that writing her memoir took almost seven years. Fans will be delighted. (Dec.)