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A Jarrod Jarvis Mystery #3
The Actor's Guide to Greed
Getting butchered at the hands of a serial killer in the "high concept" slasher film, "Creeps, " was supposed to revive former child star Jarrod Jarvis's career. Instead, it's a celluloid "Titanic." While nursing his wounds at the post-premiere party at a Starbucks on Beverly Boulevard, Jarrod runs into Wallace Goodwin, one of the former writers on "Go to Your Room, " the beloved eighties show that made Jarrod a star. He's shocked to discover that the neurotic, egotistical Wallace has penned a play bound for London's West End, with a scene-stealing part for Jarrod. Faster than he can say his catchphrase, "Baby, don't even go there!" Jarrod's hitting the boards in London. . .and the boards are hitting back, big time. As much as the actors all seem to loathe one another, they truly resent Jarrod. The hotshot young director with a thing for girls named Kate berates him at every turn. British legend Dame Sylvia Horner is so sloshed she can barely read her lines. Bollywood beefcake Akshay Kapoor's one facial expression seems to be handsome glowering--when he isn't making eyes at Jarrod's hunky LAPD boyfriend, Charlie. And since coming out has made him hot again, Sir Anthony Stiles wastes no time "tutoring" every young actor in a twelve-mile radius. Jarrod's only friend in the cast is the formidable Claire Richards. The sexy, forty-something, champagne-swilling, Oscar-winning actress is the undisputed star of the show. No one can play a death scene like "La Claire." Except that this time, the diva isn't faking it. She's been poisoned, and the last person to see her alive was Jarrod himself. . .
Outrageous, wild, and absolutely fabulous, Rick Copp's "The Actor's Guide to Greed" skewers everything in its path and serves it up with mango chutney--proof positive that when the tart-tongued Jarrod Jarvis is on the case, the buzz is very, very good.
Outrageous, wild, and absolutely fabulous, Rick Copp's "The Actor's Guide to Greed" skewers everything in its path and serves it up with mango chutney--proof positive that when the tart-tongued Jarrod Jarvis is on the case, the buzz is very, very good.
ebook
First published November 1, 2005
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About the author
Rick Copp
8 books23 followersRick Copp (born August 8, 1964) is an American television writer, story editor, producer and occasional actor. He was executive story editor for 11 episodes and writer for two episodes of the short-lived 1991 NBC sitcom Flesh 'n' Blood. He also wrote for Flying Blind, The Golden Girls and Wings, among others. He was a co-writer on The Brady Bunch Movie and has written for many animated series including Teen Titans and Scooby Doo. In 2005 he served as a consulting producer on the Barbershop TV series, based on the hit movie.
He is also an author of four mystery novels, The Actor's Guide to Murder, The Actor's Guide to Adultery, The Actor's Guide to Greed and Fingerprints and Facelifts. His book The Actor's Guide to Greed was a Lambda Literary Award nominee in the Gay Mystery category at the 2006 Lambda Literary Awards. In 2012, he was one of the writers, creators and stars of the comedy mystery web series Where the Bears Are.
He is also an author of four mystery novels, The Actor's Guide to Murder, The Actor's Guide to Adultery, The Actor's Guide to Greed and Fingerprints and Facelifts. His book The Actor's Guide to Greed was a Lambda Literary Award nominee in the Gay Mystery category at the 2006 Lambda Literary Awards. In 2012, he was one of the writers, creators and stars of the comedy mystery web series Where the Bears Are.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 2, 2014
Well, I did like this. I'll go so far as to say I quite liked it, with a few caveats.
The Good:
~I like Jarrod. He's self-centered and "high maintenance," but he's self-aware enough to know it. He feels bad about "bad" behavior, but he's human. Like many of us, recognizing our behavior is out of whack and stopping said behavior are two different things. He does tend to explain away a lot of his behavior with "actors always..." or "actors usually..." but I didn't actually mind that.
~I liked the relationship between Jarrod and Charlie. This is the third book in a series, but the first I've read (I'm always DOING that!), so I don't have a lot of background, but it seems very loving and stable. I like that.
~The world is fun, kind of an inside-view of the not-so-glam side of showbiz. Not that there's any shortage of that perspective, but Jarrod being a gay, ex-child star is a nice hook.
~There's quite a bit of humor and fun banter, especially with Laurette. I liked that relationship a lot. More than the one with Charlie, actually.
~I could see that the author really worked at melding the (truly, please pardon all the freakin' quote marks) "real" Hollywood world with his fictional one. It's a tricky business, inserting Brad Pitt into an old TV movie, or Aiden Quinn into an "overwrought farm picture" with your protag. I think that it does give Jarrod some foundation, to have worked with famous people way back when, and I appreciate the imagination that went into the merge.
~Even though the "conservatives" that Jarrod and Charlie encounter are so uncomfortable being around obviously gay men, neither Charlie nor Jarrod let it bother them. They love each other and know they have a right to do so. They're not militant, but they're not shrinking violets. They're just a couple in love. I liked the matter-of-factness of their relationship.
~I've only read one other cozy series with a male protag. Wait, that's a lie. I read a few of The Cat Who books, and they had Qwill. I loved Qwill. Anyway, I haven't read many cozies with a male lead, so this was refreshing for me. A gay, imperfect, needy, brave, loyal, self-centered, giving, funny, sweet actor was doubly refreshing.
The Bad:
~While I liked the mystery, the speech Jarrod gives at the end to tie up all the lose ends goes on and on and on and is WAY too detailed. Actually, a lot of his dialog turns into monologue. Hmmm...maybe that was on purpose? No, I think he (Jarrod) would have addressed that, if it was intentional. Which leads us to:
The Annoying:
~Wowza does this writer drop some names! I understand the impulse, seeing as it's set in that Hollywood world, but it went quite a bit over the top at times. Actually, it wasn't just the copious dropping of names, it was the act of explaining who those names were and listing their credits that was annoying. For example: Did I need a run-down of Jude Law's movies? Nope. Anyone who doesn't know him by now (Jude Law) doesn't really give a shit, so the exposition is unnecessary, clunky, and annoying. And again: there was a fair amount of it. Kind of took me out of the story. I was always able to get back into it, though.
~There was also some truly awkward writing mixed in with the overall smoothness of the narrative, which stuck out (like a sore thumb, to let you know the average level of metaphor in the book).
Nitpicks aside, I really did enjoy this. I'll definitely do my best to check out the others in the series. If I could find them at the dollar store, like I did this one, that would be the icing on...yeah, you get the idea.
Recommended for cozy fans looking for a new take and a very different perspective.
The Good:
~I like Jarrod. He's self-centered and "high maintenance," but he's self-aware enough to know it. He feels bad about "bad" behavior, but he's human. Like many of us, recognizing our behavior is out of whack and stopping said behavior are two different things. He does tend to explain away a lot of his behavior with "actors always..." or "actors usually..." but I didn't actually mind that.
~I liked the relationship between Jarrod and Charlie. This is the third book in a series, but the first I've read (I'm always DOING that!), so I don't have a lot of background, but it seems very loving and stable. I like that.
~The world is fun, kind of an inside-view of the not-so-glam side of showbiz. Not that there's any shortage of that perspective, but Jarrod being a gay, ex-child star is a nice hook.
~There's quite a bit of humor and fun banter, especially with Laurette. I liked that relationship a lot. More than the one with Charlie, actually.
~I could see that the author really worked at melding the (truly, please pardon all the freakin' quote marks) "real" Hollywood world with his fictional one. It's a tricky business, inserting Brad Pitt into an old TV movie, or Aiden Quinn into an "overwrought farm picture" with your protag. I think that it does give Jarrod some foundation, to have worked with famous people way back when, and I appreciate the imagination that went into the merge.
~Even though the "conservatives" that Jarrod and Charlie encounter are so uncomfortable being around obviously gay men, neither Charlie nor Jarrod let it bother them. They love each other and know they have a right to do so. They're not militant, but they're not shrinking violets. They're just a couple in love. I liked the matter-of-factness of their relationship.
~I've only read one other cozy series with a male protag. Wait, that's a lie. I read a few of The Cat Who books, and they had Qwill. I loved Qwill. Anyway, I haven't read many cozies with a male lead, so this was refreshing for me. A gay, imperfect, needy, brave, loyal, self-centered, giving, funny, sweet actor was doubly refreshing.
The Bad:
~While I liked the mystery, the speech Jarrod gives at the end to tie up all the lose ends goes on and on and on and is WAY too detailed. Actually, a lot of his dialog turns into monologue. Hmmm...maybe that was on purpose? No, I think he (Jarrod) would have addressed that, if it was intentional. Which leads us to:
The Annoying:
~Wowza does this writer drop some names! I understand the impulse, seeing as it's set in that Hollywood world, but it went quite a bit over the top at times. Actually, it wasn't just the copious dropping of names, it was the act of explaining who those names were and listing their credits that was annoying. For example: Did I need a run-down of Jude Law's movies? Nope. Anyone who doesn't know him by now (Jude Law) doesn't really give a shit, so the exposition is unnecessary, clunky, and annoying. And again: there was a fair amount of it. Kind of took me out of the story. I was always able to get back into it, though.
~There was also some truly awkward writing mixed in with the overall smoothness of the narrative, which stuck out (like a sore thumb, to let you know the average level of metaphor in the book).
Nitpicks aside, I really did enjoy this. I'll definitely do my best to check out the others in the series. If I could find them at the dollar store, like I did this one, that would be the icing on...yeah, you get the idea.
Recommended for cozy fans looking for a new take and a very different perspective.
March 25, 2014
It's been a long time since I read a book all in one day, but leave that feat of wonder to Jarrod Jarvis! I started it this morning, finished it this evening! What can I say except that it was a lot of fun? Jarrod was quite good, proving to us all, and his boyfriend Charlie, that he can be heroic, solving cases in spite of himself. A grand secondary cast, some delicious one-liners, enough pop-culture references to amuse... and an ending that's only bad when you know there are no more Jarrod Jarvis mysteries to read.
February 25, 2009
These books are must reads for anyone who enjoys humor and mysteries, as Rick Copp has the right combination of both!
January 31, 2020
Laugh out loud funny!
July 22, 2025
Maybe closer to 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4 because it was silly and fun like the other books in the series. However, probably should be lower because the racism against Akshay's character is 😬 and also
September 12, 2008
Jeff Greenstein, executive producer of Will and Grace, said Rick Copp’s The Actor’s Guide to Greed is “Queer Eye for the Dead Guy.” After suffering through this book, I have to agree. Only a dead guy could stand it. It was the worst piece of schlock I have read in a long, long time. I only finished the book so I could write a scathing review.
So many f-words could be used to describe this book. Let’s go through them alphabetically:
Fail – as it “the premise totally fails to entertain or captivate the discerning reader.”
Flat – as in “the plot fell flat;” as in “the dialogue sounded flat;” as in “I am flat out annoyed with this author.
Flop – as in “this book will be quickly forgotten like all other flops.”
Free – as in “free was too much to pay for this book.”
That was my polite review. I have more f-words that aren’t acceptable for this site. If you’re that curious about them, then read the book. You’ll come up with some of your own.
So many f-words could be used to describe this book. Let’s go through them alphabetically:
Fail – as it “the premise totally fails to entertain or captivate the discerning reader.”
Flat – as in “the plot fell flat;” as in “the dialogue sounded flat;” as in “I am flat out annoyed with this author.
Flop – as in “this book will be quickly forgotten like all other flops.”
Free – as in “free was too much to pay for this book.”
That was my polite review. I have more f-words that aren’t acceptable for this site. If you’re that curious about them, then read the book. You’ll come up with some of your own.
September 26, 2008
Entertaining gay murder mystery. perfect little vacation.
Read
September 13, 2011The London theatre setting attracted me to this one, but it's pretty silly. Fun, but silly.
May 28, 2012
Crap. This was crap. This is what I get for letting mother buy me a book at that skeevy dollar tree store downtown.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews