Ghosts and Phantoms Part I

by William Byron Hillman

Hollywood was the perfect place to sort out the dysfunctional life of Rollie Kemp. He ran from a New York crime family instead of joining it. His wannabe wiseguy father stole from the hand that fed him, and they murdered him. His ex-wife wouldn't let go, his law career went up in smoke, and his attempt to join the LA PD was destroyed by a drunk driver. His explosive temper briefly delayed his acting career and made his few personal matters worse. The multifarious partnership with Drake Fargo was iffy at best. Fargo was the consummate Private Detective – the go-to guy all the studios and celebrities hired for every reason imaginable. Rollie didn’t know which end of a gun to use and yet their constant chiding never seemed to interrupt their momentum. What neither expected was to become embroiled in the middle of a police investigation. The murdered actress was Rollie’s cousin, daughter to crime boss Anthony Pataglia – his uncle. The cops find out Rollie and Fargo was at the party where the murder took place and so do the mob. The roof blows off when the mob sends a team to find out who was at the party, who killed the girl and orders them to take them all out. If Rollie is in the way or one of them so be it.

319 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2011

About the author

William Byron Hillman was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was an accountant for mobster Al Capone. As an adult one of his best friends was an FBI/Secret Service Agent. He toured as a singer, and moved to Hollywood to continue his acting career. His first screenplay, Thetus, was sold to American International Pictures. He is a world-renowned actor, author, feature film director, screenwriter, producer, songwriter/composer and published author of 15 novels. Enjoys being a national motivational speaker, product spokesperson and screenplay consultant. He did a two-year stint on “Days of our Lives,” appeared in films like Ice Station Zebra and TV network shows like Bewitched. He has been a motivational speaker at college campuses nationwide, sold many screenplays and produced, directed and wrote numerous movies for major studios and independent company’s. As an actor/filmmaker/novelist, Bill has a global following and appreciates all of his readers, fans and friends.
Bill currently lives in South Carolina with his wife and 16 paws where he is putting the finishing touches on Cheater, and The Owl - Rollie Kemp’s sixth thriller.
Author Web Site: http://www.williamhillman.com
Author’s Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/williamh...
Author’s Blog: http://williambyronhillman.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Linda]

I like this author's style. The storyline is serious, but the author tells it with wit (and charm when necessary). His mechanics of good writing are fine. An error or two did not interrupt my reading--his flow is that good! The characters were well defined through their words and deeds. The author gave them realistic personalities that were at times serious, funny, drunk with power, and dead from death. Rollie, our main man and jack of many trades including fledgling actor, law enforcer, almost lawyer, and private eye is a character to love. As the book unfolds, the reader sees the serious, darker side of Rollie's past that molded him into the man we know. As you read, take careful notice of Rollie's grandparents, his ex-wife, his mob relations, and his new set of friends. There are numerous characters that you, the reader, will know and like and hate throughout this "setting the stage" first novel of a series. In the next book, my eye will be on the 'watcher,' a killer for hire.

I do not want to give away the plot because, readers, you are going to love unfolding the purposes of the machinations of the book's diverse cast of characters. I think you will appreciate the author's constraint in the use of course language and sexual encounters. The bad words and sex that are used in the book seem natural rather than contrived. I have never read this author before, but I will read more. Come with me, readers, on this thriller adventure.

Thank you, Mr. Hillman, for a Good Read.

[Janice Spina]

Ghost and Phantoms is full of action, packed with excitement and takes you on roller coaster of a ride. Rollie Kemp is a man who is possessed with anger and demons from his past. He wants to keep his past at bay and rid himself of the anger he feels over his family and their illegitimate business dealings. But the family keeps drawing him into danger at every turn. His ex-wife is a junkie but he stills loves her and she won't leave him alone either. He could have been a cop, a lawyer but ended up a PI because of circumstances beyond his control.

I found this book to be thoroughly entertaining and couldn't put it down. Rollie is a likable character who has been through more than his share of heartache and trouble. Will he ever get away from his family and ex-wife and have a happy life?

This is book 1 so there will be many more episodes of action to come. I look forward to more from this talented author.

[Randy]

Rollie Kemp wants to be an actor. He's got the look. He also has a temper. It gets him canned from his first speaking role, two lines, and more or less shoves him toward working for Drake Fargo, a P.I. and security specialist.

Rollie has a past he doesn't talk about, that of being a member of a mob family. He'd disowned them all years ago. But that past comes crashing back into his life when a girl is murdered at a party and the killer is apparently an actor that Fargo was supposed to keep out of trouble. The kid, too, was a member of a rival crime family.

This first part of the story sets up a slam bang finale in pt II.