Meanwhile Leona has hired Raleigh Dribble as a butler on the recommendation of her art dealer friend Nigel Wickland. Because Raleigh has some less than honest tendencies he views his employer’s vacation as an opportunity to execute an inside heist of two valuable paintings which currently grace the walls of Leona’s posh home. If all goes as planned Leona will not even know the paintings are gone, and Raleigh will be a rich man. Unfortunately Hollywood is unique unto itself and things do not even approach going as planned.

The supporting cast of police characters who were introduced in the previous Hollywood novel, Flotsam and Jetsam, the surfers cops, Sergeant Murillo, Snuffy Salcedo, Della Ravelle, and her young protégé, Britney Small all add to the confusion as they pursue other crimes originating in the area for which Hollywood Station is responsible.

Hollywood Hills comes across as a well executed caper novel. While there are casualties, there is much more comic relief than in some of Wambaugh’s grittier novels. Not only do the cops joke among themselves in a gallows humor sort of way, but some of the crimes the station is investigating border on the ridiculous. The Wedgie Bandit is still attacking people of both sexes, causing not only embarrassment but also pain to his/her victims.

Wambaugh, as a seasoned cop formerly employed by LAPD, offers a realistic look at the way police officers operate. The sense of camaraderie is apparent as partners express their concern for each other, and try to cheer each other up when bad luck prevails. Obviously Sergeant Murillo cares for each and every one of his group and has a formula for sending his men and women out on each shift with as much positive feedback as he can muster.

For a lighter read with serious undertones the group of novels Wambaugh has penned with Hollywood in the title run true to form. The hard facts of life are still there but they are moderated by the absurd behavior of some individuals for whom the glitz and glamour of Hollywood has affected their ability to be rational.

As a counterbalance, some of the characters are deep into the drug scene. Wambaugh realistically portrays the effects drugs can have on people. The dependency that develops and the grip that drugs have on users minds is a scary proposition that should give most readers more than a bit of a shiver.

--Andy Plonka