cover image L.A. Exposed

L.A. Exposed

Paul Young. St. Martin's Griffin, $22.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-312-20646-8

Was Fidel Castro an extra in a Hollywood movie? Did Hitchcock ask Grace Kelly to do a strip tease in her window? Do murder rates go up when the Santa Ana winds arrive? These and other rumors are explained and dispelled (or verified) in L.A. Exposed: Strange Myths and Curious Legends in the City of Angels. Paul Young (Buzzwords: L.A. Freshspeak, with Anna Scotti) researched dozens of persistent urban myths and scandals surrounding the celebrities, landmarks, natural history, politicians and criminals of Los Angeles. Writing in the breathless, hyperbolic style of the tabloid stories he investigates, the knowledgeable Young is not immune to stirring up a few conspiracy theories of his own. (Apr.)