Brash detective Rick Barron enters the infamous Hollywood fast lane in this thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stone Barrington series.

Los Angeles, 1939. It’s Hollywood’s Golden Age, and Rick Barron is a suave and sharp detective on the Beverly Hills force. After a run-in with his captain, he finds himself demoted, but soon lands a job on the security detail for Centurion Pictures, one of the hottest studios. The white knight of such movie stars as Clete Barrow, the British leading man with a penchant for parties, and Glenna Gleason, a peach of a talent on the verge of superstardom, Rick is dubbed “the Prince of Beverly Hills” by society columnists. But when he unearths a murder cover-up and a blackmail scam, he finds himself up against West Coast wise guys whose stakes are do-or-die... **

From Publishers Weekly

A recently demoted police detective gets caught up in the privileged and often dangerous world of 1939 Hollywood in Wood's solid 29th novel. His first night back in uniform, Rick Barron witnesses a car accident in which Clete Barrow, a drunk Hollywood A-lister, is involved. Though the other driver dies, Rick performs "Hollywood damage control," whisking Clete away from the scene. Centurion Studios' vice-president, grateful for Rick's "professional ethics," offers him the director of security post previously held by John Kean, who died in a suspicious murder-suicide a month earlier. Rick delivers Clete to the sets on time and keeps the star's drinking problem in check while dining at restaurants buzzing with vintage Hollywood royalty like Greta Garbo, Jack Benny and Spencer Tracy. He also comes to the studio's rescue again by covering up gorgeous starlet Glenna Gleason's apparent suicide attempt and budding actress Martha Werner's botched abortion. X-rated pictures that Rick finds in Kean's old safe get him into discussions with L.A. mob boss Bugsy Siegal while ducking blows from his henchman, Chick Stampano, who, along with Glenna and the Keans, appears in those pics. While romancing Glenna and gaining heroic notoriety, Rick learns of Stampano's involvement in a variety of crime scenes and, after the violence notches up, the men square off in an exciting head-to-head climax. Woods's sturdy, self-assured crime thriller is satisfying enough to expand an already immense fan base.
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From Booklist

The prolific Woods has started yet another mystery series, this one set in L.A. in 1939. Rick Barron is a recently demoted detective who made the grave mistake of sleeping with the police chief's niece. When Hollywood star Clete Barrow crashes his car into another car that ran a stop sign, Rick hustles the drunken actor away from the scene. Centurion Studio executive Eddie Harris is so grateful for Rick's intervention that he offers Rick the position of head of security at the movie studio. Centurion's previous security chief recently died in a murder-suicide, and Rick, grateful to be away from the police department, steps into his shoes. His main duty is to get Clete to work on time, sober and ready to shoot. Woods does a bang-up job of evoking old Hollywood, and famous faces such as Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, and even Bugsy Siegel make cameos. The story is less engrossing than his usual offerings, but Rick is the real problem here. Neither smoothly charming like Stone Barrington, nor tough and spirited like Holly Barker, Rick Barron is a rather dull and occasionally unsympathetic hero. Kristine Huntley
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