They say bad things happen in threes and in Rick Copp’s The Actor’s Guide to Adultery, Jarrod Jarvis's nightmare stalker / child-kidnapper has returned from the 'grave' of incarceration to resume his terrorising regime. Jarrod's BFF and agent Laurette is getting married after a mega-whirlwind affair with the drop dead sexy Juan Carlos. And his long-time relationship with Charlie (LAPD) is fraying badly enough to send Jarrod’s eyes a-wandering. Copp’s writing style is breezy, filled with bon mots from the entertainment industry and gay pop-culture – at times, the dialogue reads like an episode of Will and Grace. Apart from the hysterically amusing wedding scene set near the start of the book at Randolph Heart’s castle – the bulk of the novel places Jarrod right in the midst of a slasher movie-set (he gets to be mutilated by a masked psychopath – what fun) whilst trying to solve who the killer is.
There’s a host of suspects – mafia bosses and henchmen, jilted lovers, adulterous flings and nobody is who they seem on the set of the schlock-film Creeps! Jarrod’s life is put on the line when murderous intent from his past and the present merge and he’s thousands of miles away in Florida back-lot from Charlie and the LAPD. Some readers will no doubt lament the lack of overt sex or M-M action in Copp’s series but I found it a refreshing change – another fun read. I only wish there was a little more starring action from Jarrod and Charlie's Pekingnese - Snickers.
There’s a host of suspects – mafia bosses and henchmen, jilted lovers, adulterous flings and nobody is who they seem on the set of the schlock-film Creeps! Jarrod’s life is put on the line when murderous intent from his past and the present merge and he’s thousands of miles away in Florida back-lot from Charlie and the LAPD. Some readers will no doubt lament the lack of overt sex or M-M action in Copp’s series but I found it a refreshing change – another fun read. I only wish there was a little more starring action from Jarrod and Charlie's Pekingnese - Snickers.