Hollywood Tough Audiobook By Stephen J. Cannell cover art

Hollywood Tough

A Shane Scully Novel

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Hollywood Tough

By: Stephen J. Cannell
Narrated by: Paul Michael
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The New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award-winning writer/producer sets his next action-packed thriller in the high stakes world he knows best: Hollywood

Back on the LAPD and hailed as a hero after taking down a deadly gang of rogue cops in The Viking Funeral, Shane Scully finds himself unwittingly involved in a criminal scheme to take over the movie business. Soon, he will have to go deep undercover to take down a Hollywood conspiracy.

At a glamorous party with his new wife, Alexandra, Shane hears a world famous director make an ominous remark about the strange deaths of his ex-wives. This is more than police business, it's personal: Alexandra's closest friend is engaged to the producer.

When he looks closer, Scully discovers that the director's mysterious past may hide deadly secrets. To uncover them, he must work alongside a former down-and-outer-turned-Hollywood impresario to infiltrate the movie business's violent dark side, a world where deals are settled with handshakes but broken with the spilling of blood, and where the danger to Shane's loved ones is all too real.

Don't miss other titles in the Shane Scully series.©2003 Stephen J. Cannell (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Critic reviews

"Once again, veteran writer/TV producer Cannell has concocted his special brand of reader candy." (Kirkus Reviews)

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I really enjoy the Shane Scully series, but the narration was so bad it distracted from the story. Try one read by Scott Brick.

Poor Narration

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The book manages to do something that action books rarely accomplish: it is both funny and taut. It is a thriller with a sense of humor that actually works. I've read a fair number this autho's work and he is not usually this good. He tries hard, though and THIS time, he got it right. Give this one a listen. It's worth it.

Lots of fast-paced fun action

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Would you consider the audio edition of Hollywood Tough to be better than the print version?

Have not read the print version but will certainly consider it in the future but right now I'm too anxious to listen to the complete Shane Scully series!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tough question to answer as this book had a lot of compelling characters, both the good guys and the bad!

Which character – as performed by Paul Michael – was your favorite?

Hard to say as I don't think that any one character stood out from the others on a performance basis.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Having worked in the entertainment business for 15 years and having been an IATSE Business Agent for 8 years, I could identify with a lot of the author's Hollywood references in general. As such, I found myself laughing out loud to what I considered the author's "inside jokes" about the industry.

Any additional comments?

This Shane Scully book was fast paced with detailed character development with lots of twists and turns that flowed evenly and in an orderly fashion. This is the author at his best!

Stephen J. Cannell at his BEST!

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Great book. Some of the best dialog I've listed to in years. Plot-twists are a little far fetched, but I highly receommend it to anyone who is looking for light entertainment.

Great dialog, light entertainment.

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Through the years, I have enjoyed not only reading the work of Stephen J Cannell, but listening to his work on tape and watching it on television. The man was a gifted storyteller and always through in enough slang and enough minutiae to give his stories the credibility that others in his genre lacked.
I was devastated when he died for too soon and always wondered what adventures died with him. Now, through Audible, I am able to enjoy his work anew.
Shane Scully is not your archetype protagonist. He makes his share of mistakes and is reckless in his investigational style. The cast of characters around him grows and helps Scully to be a deeper and more complex character again better than most of his contemporaries.
If you decide to give him a listen, you can pick the series up anywhere, but I would recommend starting with The Tin Collector, The first book in this amazing series.

Gone to Soon

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I loved this book! Just cannot get over the fact that "Nicky" charactor sounds sooo much like the Ratso Rizzo charactor from Midnight Cowboy! Maybe Joe Pantoliano could play him in a movie version? I'd love to see it. Book is one that grabs and holds ya!

Ratso Rizzo lives again!

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This is a great story, It is full of the good and the bad. P. Michael is a great reader.

Marie's review

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

Get rid of the music that plays over/under the narrator and the start and end of each section.

Spoiled by intrusive music

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If you like books that sound as fantastic and ridiculous as the average television cop drama, then this is the book. Full of cliches and far-fetched plot twists, it is absolutely believable that this book was written by the man who has brought us "Hunter," "The A-Team," and "Rip-Tide." These are basic entertainment-good to waste time and immediately forget.

Just like on tv

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