Sterling presents a Hollywood mystery that focuses on the human costs of celebrity culture.

Critics and fans alike are unsurprised when the body of former child star Molly Mandrie is found hanging from a tree on L.A.’s Mulholland Drive. For 15 years, her chaotic existence has been on public display on her reality TV show, Molly’s Messy Life. She suffered through bad relationships and relapses of drug and alcohol addiction on the show, which featured a revolving cast of co-stars, many of whom would move on to headline their own reality shows. But to movie star Hector Espinoza, who was Molly’s devoted admirer, something about her suicide just doesn’t add up. He asks his old friend and current manager, Murphy Beck, to help him look into unanswered questions surrounding her death. For instance, why didn’t Molly leave a suicide note? And why didn’t Guy Maker, who was Molly’s longtime friend and her show’s executive producer, attend her funeral? Hector, who has a dark secret of his own, throws himself into solving the mystery: “He needed leads. He needed to talk to the people she knew best, who might have known Guy even better.” As he untangles the threads of Molly’s life, however, he finds that the world of reality TV is full of terrible secrets; everyone seems to seek fame and wealth at other people’s expense. In this skillfully written novel, the author (an L.A.-based writer and actor) thoroughly roots his story in a dysfunctional Hollywood culture that he seems to know well. Sterling richly describes the emotions and motivations of the major characters—mostly young men and women who live their lives constantly in front of cameras—with a strong sense of compassion. His story is clearly inspired by how the #MeToo movement rocked Hollywood starting in 2017, but it powerfully focuses on the lesser-known exploitation of actors from the LGBTQ+ community.

A fast-paced but sensitively told story set in the world of reality TV with an intriguing whodunit at its center.