Babylon Nights: A David Spandau Novel

Depp skewers the film industry with relish in his brilliantly comic follow-up to Loser's Town (2009). PI David Spandau, who specializes in serving Hollywood's elite, takes on the unenviable task of guarding aging actress Anna Mayhew, "Oscar winner and onetime tabloid fodder," whose career is in decline, but she's still glamorous enough to have attracted a stalker, weirdo Vincent Perec. Spandau, a rugged ex-rodeo rider and former Hollywood stunt man, reluctantly agrees to accompany the sexy, foul-mouthed Mayhew to Cannes, where she's to serve as a judge at the famous film festival. Sharply drawn supporting characters, including Special, an opera loving pimp, and a slew of movie stars, agents, and directors, enliven the lavish, ludicrous events at Cannes. Fans of Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty should enjoy Depp's clever complications and witty capers at least as much. (Aug.)