City of Angels

A runaway from Chicago winds up on the tumultuous streets of 1992 Los Angeles in Belcamino’s (the Gabriella Giovanni Mysteries) uneven first book for teens. Seventeen-year-old Nikki Black fled the Midwest for L.A., lured by an much older guy who promised her a leg up in Hollywood. Turns out that meant child pornography with a sleazy big-name director; Nikki splits, but not before rescuing 12-year-old Rain from the same fate. The two land at the American Hotel, once home to Charles Bukowski, where Nikki helps Rain kick a heroin habit and slowly befriends the motley crew of musicians, waitresses, and artists living there. Rain doesn’t stick around long, and soon Nikki is embarking on a quest to find her wayward new friend, certain that she has been kidnapped. The plot strains believability once Nikki ties Rain’s disappearance to a Scientology-esque church replete with famous actor acolytes and rumors of murder. The relationships between the well-drawn characters, particularly tough but vulnerable Nikki, are a strong point but don’t quite compensate for the overstuffed plot . Ages 14–up. (May)