The Actor's Guide to Greed

I am a huge fan of 'The Actors Guide to...' series. The series not only features a head scratching whodunit, but it is absolutely hilarious. Jarrod Jarvis is a "self-obsessed, sarcastic, career-obsessed former child star", it might sound like he's a character that one would hate but it is the exact opposite. Jarrod is one of the most charming and funny characters I've come across in quite a while. He also has a beefy, hunky policeman for a boyfriend, Charlie. In this entry Jarrod is off to London to do a play with an all star cast and during the opening night Oscar winner and the plays lead Claire Richard, Jarrod's one ally in the play, is murdered. From that point on the book begins to take twists and turns until a staisfying ending. The main disappointment for me was the lack of interaction between Jarrod and Charlie, I enjoyed their playful banter that was found in the previous series and hopefully there will be future books and Charlie will have a larger role. A great book, fun and entertaining. This book definitely won't disappoint fans of the mystery genre.

I've read all three "The Actor's Guide to" books by Rick Copp, and this latest installment is certainly evidence that Rick keeps getting better and better with every book he writes. The humor is sharper, the twists are more harrowing, and the fun of it is like riding a roller coaster! Greed opens a few short months where the second book ended with Jarrod watching himself in the horror movie he's sorry he ever made. When Jarrod gets an offer to star in a new play penned by a former sitcom writer for his show "Go to Your Room" he jumps at the chance, especially when he finds out he'll be opening in London! The murderous mayhem of the play imitates life as someone in the cast ends up dead, and when Jarrod is considered a suspect it's up to him to find the real culprit and clear his name. We travel from Los Angeles, to London, to Greece, to Mykenos for a thrill ride of witty humor and intelligent intrigue. The best part, for me, of Rick Copp's books is the continued and deepining relationship between Jarrod and his partner Charlie, it's nice to see an important part of such a story take the front seat next to the murders, as it should be! I hope to see more from Rick Copp in the near future, he's definately got my attention, and I'll be on the look out for more of his work.

Another winner in the series of books about Jerrod Jarvis, ex sitcom child star and self-described "high maintenance boyfriend". A lot of laugh-out-loud zingers and a hilariously Dickensian mop-things-up finale that left me gasping. The plot, I hesitate to say, is the most utterly preposterous that I've ever encountered, but Copp keeps things moving along so fast you forget to disbelieve. A few signs of hasty writing in this every-six-months series (a dinner gets paid for twice, on p. 149 and again on p. 150), but it's just as much fun as the first two books, and I look forward to the next.

The Actor's Guide series is a delight - and this latest book is a hoot - this time our hero, Jarrod Jarvis, former child star, is treading the boards in London's west end in a play written by a former writer of his show - things go downhill by the end of the opening night. These books are sharply written and delightfully funny - if you enjoy a great mystery get it - also read the previous Guides to catch up on the cast of characters. (although this can be a stand alone book) - I love the books, and would love to have a friend like Jarrod. I think you will too.

AN ACTOR'S GUIDE TO GREED, is the third in the ACTOR'S GUIDE series, and is as delightful as the previous two offerings. Light, fun sleuthing by Jarrod, (the continuing hero and one time child television star) leads the reader down a path of events, including: intrigue, deception, infidelity, double murders, international police work, theatrical "drama", and mis-communicated ideas. Fun from the beginning until the end!! I'm looking forward to the next installment of this rather zany literary character.