Box Office Poison

The second book in the adventures of Linnet Ellery (after This Case Is Gonna Kill Me) takes the fledgling lawyer to Hollywood to help arbitrate a dispute between human and elven members of the Screen Actors Guild. Bornikova (a pen name for veteran author and former television story editor Melinda Snodgrass) knows the territory well, communicating the behind-the-scenes vagaries of Tinseltown in an irreverent yet affectionate manner. Linnet’s work assisting vampire lawyer David Sullivan gets interesting when top-tier Álfar talent start going on murderous rampages. Investigating the causes of these seemingly unrelated incidents uncovers some of the underlying tension between humans and the Powers (vampires, Álfar, and werewolves) that inhabit Ellery’s world. It also shines the first few beams of light on the fascinating Linnet herself, who clearly is marked for some greater purpose. The hopeful resolution both highlights the way forward for more adventures and puts a satisfying capper on this breezy, fast-moving adventure. (Aug.)