Audiobook Review: A Murder in Hollywood by Michael Crichton

 

A Murder in Hollywood by Michael Crichton

Publication Date: May 5th 2026 by Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 244

Audio Book Length: 4hrs 42min

Narrator: Ray Porter

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this murder mystery set on an Old Western movie location in the 1970s! It had a classic film noir, old Hollywood vibe.

Told from the POV of Harvey Jason, the film production publicist, basically in charge of fixing whatever problems arise and keeping things flowing smoothly. Not an easy job! When the screenwriter is found dead in his room, Harvey is charged with trailing the insurance investigator, Harlow Perkins, brought in to solve the case. Perkins is well-known as sharp and determined and Harvey is mystified by some of his requests.

I blew through this in an afternoon and enjoyed every minute! I love Ray Porter’s narration (he narrated Project Hail Mary)! He did an excellent job bringing all characters to life, male and female, and played up the splashes of wry humor enhancing my enjoyment of this entertaining mystery!

4 Stars

Book Description:

From Michael CrichtonCreator of Jurassic Park , ER , Twister , Rising Sun , and Disclosure

Writing as John Lange

Comes a new Hollywood mystery thriller, originally written in 1973 by Crichton but never before published, that will keep you guessing until the very end.

In the glitz and decadence of 1970s Hollywood, an era when sex and drugs were readily available on any movie set, the writer of the next Western blockbuster, Bloodrock, has just been found dead in his motel bathtub. Now publicist Harvey Jason is desperately trying to keep the project on track while the famed Harlow Perkins, a brilliant and ruthless investigator, begins to unravel the mystery and hunt the killer down.

From scorching-hot desert locations to sleazy motel bars, the members of the cast and crew—each one with a very dark secret of their own—will send this case deeper and deeper into a maze of confusion and shadows until the shocking truth is revealed.

Will the murderer be found?