A striving 20-something record executive is accused of murder in Hart’s novel, set in 1990s Hollywood.

Franny Lane, 25, is the youngest female in senior management at the Los Angeles–based Sojourn Records, having pushed to sign the previously passed-over, now-hot band the Palominos to the label. At a group meeting with producer Don Bradford, who is seeking music for his next movie, Franny successfully pitches the Palominos—and piques his romantic interest. Raised by uncaring foster parents until the age of 12, when her honorable mention in a poetry contest got her whisked to a U.K. boarding school by a mysterious benefactor, Franny is emotionally guarded and initially resists Don, but then falls into a relationship with him. She also starts going to therapist Susan Pearlman, a practitioner to whom, initially unbeknownst to Franny, Don sends all of his girlfriends. This group includes Maggie Reilly, a talented actress and director just dumped by Don; Kiley Winters, Maggie’s erstwhile friend and lover whom Maggie decries as “a nobody, working odd waitressing jobs and aspiring to be a singer, actress—or even, apparently, a mistress” after Kiley sets out to snag Don; and Jennifer Day, the lead of Don’s film (titled Desperation Will Kill You). When the blackmailing Kiley is killed at Don’s house, Franny is framed for Kiley’s murder. Luckily, Franny’s benefactor has had a PI following her who can help prove her innocence—but not before a trial is held that includes Maggie and her former foster mother giving testimony.

A rollicking retro Tinseltown thriller.

A debut memoir tells the story of a teenager trying to escape a life of exploitation and find herself.

Hart’s troubles started when she was 5 years old. Her mother had left her husband, taking her five daughters to live on her parents’ farm in rural Pennsylvania. According to Hart, her grandfather sexually abused her repeatedly, trying to hide the horrific deeds from the rest of the family. He was caught in the act by the author’s mother, who ignored it. Hart decided she would have to fend for herself and headed to Arizona to live with her father, “Wild Bill,” whom she had idealized in his absence. But he had started a new family, and Hart would not be a part of it. The cycle of abuse continued as she fled Arizona for Los Angeles after a pimp tried to recruit her. She found herself hooked on drugs and abused by a string of men trying to keep her as a sex object. But along the way, she discovered assets and talents. Eventually, she realized she had inherited her father’s ability to bluff his way through sales and that she was good at prepping a store for presentations. She did some modeling, and that led her to different jobs as a stylist for adult photo shoots. Hart followed a photographer named Eugene to England and wound up traveling around Europe, selling adult photo sets to publishers. At one point, she became a backgammon hustler in Los Angeles, something readers likely won’t find in many memoirs. Most of this happened before she turned 20. What pulls the story along is that each time the exploitation cycle repeated, Hart seemed to get a little closer to relying on her own strengths and finally becoming independent. The drugs, the lure of glamour, and just bad decision-making kept getting in the way. Hart is a gifted storyteller, and sometimes these engaging tales of traveling the world and mingling with the rich and famous seem like something out of a celebrity biopic (perhaps why she subtitled her work). The book is ultimately inspirational, but readers have to see the author go through a wringer to get there.

A harrowing and engrossing account of a young woman’s difficult journey.