For aficionados of Hollywood's golden years. The book is the companion to an exhibit at the LA museum on the Hollywood photographers whose portraits probably did more than the films in creating the glamour associated with the movie industry. It's great fun to look through and see rare photographs of both the familiar and forgotten faces of Hollywood.

I was a student of Dr. Starr's in the USC Master of Real Estate Development program in the early 1990's. Dr. Starr's analysis of California during the period is both thorough and enlightening. Dr. Starr gives particular emphasis to the Los Angeles element of California growth, with particular analysis of the Department of Water and Power, the Los Angeles Police Department, and, perhaps not coincidentally, the University of Southern California and its training of careerist professionals rather than academics. I highly recommend this work, and by linkage, any of Dr. Starr's works

Before the business of Hollywood was a fashionable topic, this book laid out in easy to read style the structure & workings of the movie studios, TV networks, agents, etc., including a look at how a film and TV series are made. With photos.

Pardo takes on a difficult project and makes it accessable to a broad audience. Her analysis of race, class, gender and neighborhood politics is excellent. We learn that neighorhood context has important ramifications for how local politics are expressed, but still, grassroots activism emerges where inequality is found. The only weakness in this book is the occasional redundancies in the discussion, particularly where latter chapters seem to repeat earlier ones. But, as a book that expands the discussion of both gender and race in the context of urban social movements, this is one of the best. It balances case studies and well developed grounded theory well. Moreover, the book appeals to a broad audience in academic settings and the broader public.

From the very first sentence of this fast reading novel, the reader sees everything taking place directly in front of them through independent filmmaker, and single mother, Maggie. She is a passionate narrator, describing events as if she were projecting them directly to the reader through her camera.

While on location on a project she encounters a teen prostitute who isn't at all who she seems and has many secrets she is trying to hide on LA's seedy streets. But before Maggie can dig deeper, the girl, simply called Pices, is found dead in the park, her throat slit.

Enter Maggie's on-again/off-again lover Det. Mike Flint LAPD, and the story takes off. Sparks fly between the two characters as they try to uncover the mystery of Pices, and try to patch up their own stormy relationship, without getting in over their heads.

Wendy Hornsby writes at a fast pace and the book is a fairly simple read. Like ourselves, Maggie interjects bits of herself in the re-telling of shocking events, her concern for her own teenage daughter, her difficult divorce, and her fear of living with and without Mike.

Overall, the story loses it's way only once and then it rights itself and finishes beautifully. I only hope that Miss Hornsby keeps the stories coming.

The Magic Castle Tour is a good compendium of pictures from within the castle itself. It chronicles the history of the house and details where many of the artworks inside the club originated. It is a good book for magicians, historians or architects.

I am not one for mystery stories, however I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is a fairly fast paced novel about revenge, suicide, and murder that takes place in the Golden State, California. It is a perfect novel for mystery fans, women in particular, who want to read a mystery story that does not revolve around a central (male) private eye and his sidekick. However the central characters are two females, with a handsome English butler/bodyguard to boot. The central character, Maggie, is a woman who we all can relate to, and the situations she finds herself in are intriguing and almost all too familiar. All in all, a very interesting read.

The LA Sisters in Crime group is a talented bunch. MURDER BY 13 is their first published collection of mystery shorts, many of them award winners. It's a potpourri of offerings that span the spectrum of the mystery genre.

Angels Flight by Merks, has a hard-boiled flavor, with a hint of voodoo thrown in for fun.

Everything Is a Matter of Timing by Beers, also has an edge - short and sharp with a twist.

Nothing Now Can Ever Come to Any Good by Svitil, takes a more traditional approach at the whodunit, tying up loose ends concisely.

LA Justice by Kris Neri, is the introduction of amateur sleuth Tracy Eaton and a lighter mystery that continued in her first full-length novel, Revenge of the Gypsy Queen.

Angel of Mercy by Rosen, takes a darker turn and demonstrates that a tight, well-developed tale doesn't require a lot of words.

House of Dreams by Mouchet, is a great, condensed version mystery with a surprise ending. Very satisfying.

Speak No Evil by McGary, is a little more avant-garde, but no less enjoyable.

The Shakedown by Gillogly, is short and sweet - justice gets a final say.

Traveling On by Alam, has a Bronte flavor.

Never Heard the Shot that Killed Him by Hill, is another tense, hardboiled police procedural.

Dying to Exhale by Siegel, is the shortest selection, but it packs a powerful punch.

Trickery by Smith, takes murder into the Rabbi's office and does it delightfully.

If Thine Eye Offend Thee by Roland, rounds out the collection with another hard hitting tale of a citizen taking justice into her own hands.

MURDER BY 13 is an exemplary collection - the best of the best. It offers a wide variety of lengths and styles, but all exhibit polish and skill that exceed what is often found in typical mystery magazine pages.

There is an introductory note by Thomas Chastain and an About the Authors at the end. Here is a list of the stories: Starstruck/Jon L. Breen, Cut to: Murder/D.C.Fontana, Return to Venice/George Fox, The Kerman Kill/William Campbell Gault, Dream House/M.R.Henderson, The House of Crime/Vincent McConnor, Pirate's Moon/William F. Nolan, Ding-Dong, the Lizard's Dead/Ray Russell.

I was surprised when I read this to find that I had never come across any of these stories before. My least favorite story was Dream House, but I liked them all. The authors took the time to pace the stories and develope the plot and characters. One thing that I like about short story collections is being able to come across new authors (to me). I discovered 4 in this collection. Worth the effort to get it.

Like to know the # 1 song the day you were born? The day you were wed? Or the day JFK was assassinated? Or the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon? How about December 7, 1941?

Well, if you were born anywhere from 1930 to 1980, this great book will tell you what the top song was on each of your birthdays, including your first, or your weddding day, as culled from Variety Magazine for the years 1930 to mid-1935, from Your Hit Parade from mid-1935 to 1959, and from there to 1980, Billboard's Easy Listening charts.

Author Brooks also provides, prior to each year, a thumbnail account of the year in question, including films, Broadway hits, sporting events, and political news.

If there's one fault it's the omission of the names of any artists - understandable, perhaps, since in the early days it wasn't uncommon for one song to be covered by multiple artists. Still, it would have been nice to have the names of the those with the TOP version.

For that reason alone I deducted one star. But that's from MY perspective and it certainly shouldn't prevent you from obtaining a copy if you can. The ensuing hours of enjoyment and trivia treasure-troves will delight you for hours on end.