Man Eater

Here's the delicious setup of this Hollywood crime thriller, which seems aimed at fans of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and Quentin Tarantino: Smart, gorgeous film producer Ronnie Deal is in a bar unwinding after a Day from Hell when she sees a thug beating up a defenseless young lady. Ronnie snaps and--astonishing herself as well as the bar's other patrons--viciously coldcocks him with a beer bottle. Now the thug wants revenge, and Ronnie needs protection. Where to turn? Well, among her pile of screenplays is one by an ex-con who seems to know an awful lot about how to kill someone--and thus an unlikely partnership is born. Soon Ronnie and the ex-con are battling a growing series of lethal complications involving stolen drug money, several vengeful psychopaths, child abduction, an underworld kingpin, and a conniving coworker.

Unfortunately, the whole enchilada is less fun than it should be. Ray Shannon, a pseudonym for an "award-winning author," according to the publisher, lacks the lightness of touch, the economy of means, and the feel for people that animate Elmore Leonard's and Carl Hiaasen's writing. Many of the characters are so underdeveloped they're little more than cardboard cutouts. Nonetheless, Man Eater is a diverting read thanks to its breakneck pacing, its outré violence, and its grimly funny jabs at the movie business. --Nicholas H. Allison