Working in Hollywood is a living Hell. Modern horror in the vein of Supernatural, Lucifer, True Blood, and Evil.
Lee Striga is an actress, movie stuntwoman, and demon hunter. In Hollywood, supernatural creatures get all the best jobs. Vampires, succubae, trolls, fallen angels, ghouls--anything that can take direction, be discreet, and not eat the extras. Fresh from filming Voodoo Wars in New Orleans, Lee returns to Los Angeles. Back at the Katz Family stunt ranch she finds animals of all kinds taking refuge on the grounds, and the supernatural creatures who populate Hollywood on edge to the point of violence. People are vanishing without a trace, and clues lead to a legendary mansion famous for its horrible deaths--the location for Lee's next film job.
Dana Fredsti is ex B-movie actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. Through seven plus years of volunteering at EFBC/FCC (Exotic Feline Breeding Facility/Feline Conservation Center), Dana's had a full-grown leopard sit on her feet, kissed by tigers, held baby jaguars and had her thumb sucked by an ocelot with nursing issues. She's addicted to bad movies and any book or film, good or bad, which include zombies. Her other hobbies include surfing (badly), collecting beach glass (obsessively), and wine tasting (happily).
Along with her best friend Maureen, Dana was co-producer/writer/director for a mystery-oriented theatrical troupe based in San Diego. While no actual murders occurred during their performances, there were times when the actors and clients made the idea very tempting. Somewhere in the mists of time she lost a grip on what happened in real life and what she made up for her book.
She's written numerous published articles, essays and shorts, including stories in Cat Fantastic IV, an anthology series edited by Andre Norton (Daw, 1997), Danger City (Contemporary Press, 2005), and Mondo Zombie (Cemetery Dance, 2006). Her essays can be seen in Morbid Curiosity, Issues 2-7. Additionally she's written several produced low-budget screenplays and currently has another script under option. Dana was also co-writer/associate producer on Urban Rescuers, a documentary on feral cats and TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return), which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Dana is currently working on the second book in the Murder for Hire series, The Big Snooze and writing erotic romance under the pen name Inara LaVey for Ravenous Romance.
This was a perfect book to read on a plane. I devoured it and was sad when we landed because I had a handful of chapters still to go! The characters are perfectly described, the monsters are CREEPY, and the Hollywood film world is fascinating. So much fun!
There are a couple of loose ends that didn't get wrapped up, so I sure hope there's a sequel. Also, I agree with the other reviewer's suggestion: Netflix, we need a series right now!
“I received an early copy” Hollywood Monsters, the 3rd book in the Lilith series, would be a wonderful Netflix series! Fredsti’s writing style pulls a writer into Lee Striga’s world of monsters, mayhem and men with questionable motives. Her descriptions of the of the early heydays of a Hollywood full of decadence and depravity make it clear the #metoo movement has been needed for years. The demons and “supes” raised my hackles. It’s a rollicking adventure ride until it isn’t. Then the violence begins, perpetrated by a villains who may be too much for Lee to handle alone.
My massage therapist told me about this series, and I am so glad she has excellent taste in books. I pre-ordered this and read it as soon as I got it. I even read through dinner, while eating, it was so hard to put down!
Dana Fredsti knows how to tell a great story, her action scenes are so believable, fast paced, and they make sense. She knows what she's writing about and it shows! I hope they make this into a movie or TV series because it's that good. The characters are complicated with their own motivations and histories, and the depth that goes into them is fantastic . There is a side of very light romantic tension which is well done, and the supernatural creatures are way fun.
It got a little gory at one point towards the end, and if that bothers you, you can probably just turn a couple of pages without missing too much. It was well done and really fit the story line, but i know it's not everyone's cup of tea - so fair warning.
I loved to hate the different antagonists and cheered for our heroine and her friends. I really really hope there's a sequel because this world and these characters are too good to let go.
Quite the flop compared to the previous two books. The gorey horror scenes were still good, Mrs. Fredsti's main character is still interesting enough to have a fantastic rising action, but there were quite a few plot holes in this installment and signs of less than stellar work that soured the experience. Continuity issues. cringe-worthy google translate Portuguese that is blatantly obviously written by a monolingual. Atrociously premature power-creep of an antagonist, and cliché "love conquers all" when in the book it's clear it's an unsure crush. The themes of the first two book were all but missing in this third book, which just reeks of spoiled potential. This reads like a first draft I would have been proud of in middle school.
Wow!!!!! These just keep getting better and better and better and this series was amazing from the beginning!!! This one seriously creeped me out (but I am a bit (okay much more than a bit) of an arachnophobe! The action was non-stop and the new characters were amazing (even if some of them made me wish for a kaiju sized can of bug spray!). The character development in some of the recurring characters was amazing too, as were the new aspects of some of them. I have to say, I REALLY REALLY can't wait for the next installment!!!!!
Another enjoyable entry in this series, and potentially the last one, sadly -- but we'll see and hope for more, because the book concludes but the overall story definitely does not, with plenty of open questions about the characters remaining for a future volume to tackle. In this one we get evil revenants, devils, spider-walkers, and a "fun" Hollywood historical backstory. A breezy read about evil-doing and heroics, well worth spending time with.
What a ride: an exciting, gripping, and highly entertaining urban fantasy that kept me hooked. I loved the world building, the pace, and loved Lilith who's a strong and clever woman. There's a lot going on and there's a lot of action, I want to read the rest of this series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Not quite as good as the first two in the series. Still a good read though. Took off half a star as there was some weird bug with my ebook so at least every chapter half a sentence was cut off. Very annoying. Do want the series to continue because I want to find out who Eden really is.
After a interesting set up, this book takes you in a totally different direction, and lest I give it away, WEAVING threads of different characters and storylines together.
My favorite of the series so far - love this world and these characters. Perfect blend of supernatural, moviemaking, Hollywood drama, friendship and KITTENS. Spiders freak me out, and the climax was a little … abrupt and kinda out of nowhere. But still, can’t wait for the next to come out.