Dead and Not So Buried: A Gideon Kincaid Hollywood Thriller

The glamorous Hollywood backdrop doesn’t help Conway’s uneven debut, in which a psycho targets players in both movies and television. Unsuccessful actor Roy Cooper begins his campaign of retribution by “kidnapping” the skeletal remains of Christine Cole, a 1960s film star viewed as Marilyn Monroe’s heir until her death at 33 in a car accident. Cooper demands that the $2 million ransom be hand-delivered by gumshoe Gideon Kincaid, a hard-boiled wannabe who comes across as something of a jerk. Cooper’s next crime also requires Kincaid to be on the scene for his threats against a TV producer. The deus ex machina that keeps the PI wannabe alive and smirking for another day will strike many as contrived, and anyone familiar with Chekhov’s maxim about a gun on the mantelpiece won’t be surprised by the fate of Kincaid’s young, innocent, and beautiful assistant. (Feb.)