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Actor Jarrod Jarvis is a former child star with a catchphrase that haunts him ("Baby, don't even go there") and more comebacks than Frank Sinatra. Oh, and he has his own stalker -- and the bad news is that the parole board has decided to release Wendell Butterworth. In fact, Jarrod's luck stinks. An NBC pilot show he's been banking on crashes and burns before even getting on the air. And his agent and best friend Laurette is getting married to dodgy soap actor Juan Carlos Barranco who has the acting ability of a cardboard cut-out. And it gets worse . . . Laurette insists on booking Hearst Castle for the wedding, but with a restricted time slot it's all conducted at an unseemly gallop. And one of the guests has a stand-up row with Juan Carlos -- just before crashing into the three-tier wedding cake, poisoned by a glass of champagne. Jarrod is convinced Juan Carlos is to blame, so sets out on his investigation, much to the dismay of his hunky cop boyfriend Charlie. They end up on a movie set in South Florida where Jarrod has a small role and Juan Carlos the lead. Hanging around on the sidelines are all manner of weirdos, including the movie director, a crime boss and a tabloid journalist. Jarrod soon discovers that Juan Carlos is bedding anything that moves -- the older leading lady, the young female co-star and a hot man. And it goes downhill from there . . . THE ACTOR'S GUIDE TO ADULTERY is a thoroughly entertaining read. Copp tells a good tale with humour and panache and keeps the whole thing just this side of being ludicrous. He avoids the usual pitfalls of an amateur sleuth where the reader is left unconvinced by the whys and wherefores. Jarrod is just doing a friend a favour, but trouble seems to follow him around. He's got enough sense, though, to keep Charlie in touch with what he's doing. There are some laugh outloud scenes, including a hysterically funny chase in a recreational vehicle involving Jarrod and his parents. And there are some genuinely spooky ones too on the movie set where sinister masked figures lurk behind every bush. Copp pokes fun at the movie world and the stereotypical figures involved in it, as well as providing a well-plotted mystery. THE ACTOR'S GUIDE TO ADULTERY is stacks of fun.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, January 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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