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Reviewed by Erick Ramos for Readers' Favorite
The Reluctant Hollywood P.I.: An Anthology of Twelve Short Stories by William Karl Thomas is about the adventures of a private investigator named Max. The first story, "Snake in the Grass," tells Max's story of when he was an ambitious filmmaker in the 1950s. However, due to financial issues, he became a private investigator in a company owned by Mark Angel, an ex-FBI agent. Max started working there after his roommate Murphy helped him bug Mark's office and record conversations with his second-in-command. He used this to sell his tech to Mark and was hired to install them in Donald O'Connor's home. He had many adventures, like guarding a stripper, bugging people's houses, and lots more. Each short story tells us about his experiences as a P.I., which will impact readers with many positive lessons from his adventures.
The Reluctant Hollywood P.I. by William Karl Thomas doesn't have a central storyline, and each story focuses on the different encounters and experiences the private investigator goes through. The pace is fast, and the narrative is straight to the point. I enjoyed reading about the characters, particularly Max, who is adventurous and passionate about photography. On the other hand, his boss, Mark, is presented as someone who does not care about morals and only about how much he earns, just like his fellow P.I.s, Tracey and John. Other characters like Anthony Quinn, Attorney Shimmel, Eli, and more made the story enjoyable for me. The themes are morality, survival, expectations, and humor. The author's writing in the first-person perspective made me feel like the story was being told to me directly. It's an exciting collection that I recommend to anyone interested in short stories, memoirs, and Hollywood history based on the 1950s.
