Zutell (I'll Never Have Sex with You Again
) spent five years as one of People
's L.A. correspondents, and her very funny debut novel damns Hollywood hotcha culture, reproducing its lower-end pitches perfectly, if not delivering much in the way of a story. After promising her dying mother that she won't become an actress, Valley ingenue Lottie Love sets out to conquer Hollywood as the chief party correspondent for the celeb rag Personality
. The higherups favor New York City import Mike Posner (who, unbeknownst to them, often fabricates stories); conversely, British expatriate Lem Brac, a drunken has-been, can do no right. As tension rises, whoever can land a plum profile of press-shy, boy-on-the-rise Chris Mercer is assured a big-time reputation and serious dollars. Zutell makes her cardboard characters convincingly stereotypical as they hit parties, do poisonous office politics and generally adhere to tabloid codes of conduct. The wisdom of the beleaguered Brac shines out especially, and he gets off some good jibes. The novel's jittery feel nicely matches the pressure to get the story, and Zutell nails L.A.'s obsession with body parts and surgeries. It might evaporate on the beach, but this light read catches Tinseltown at its worst. (June 28)
