Name: Death is a Lonely Business
Rating: 3.333333333333333 (3 reviews)

Ray Bradbury

A detective named Elmo Crumley and a young writer seek the killer who has left bodies among the dismantled remains of the Venice, California, amusement pier

Death is a Lonely Business

Ray Bradbury, the undisputed Dean of American storytelling, dips his accomplished pen into the cryptic inkwell of noir and creates a stylish and slightly fantastical tale of mayhem and murder set among the shadows and the murky canals of Venice, California, in the early 1950s. Toiling away amid the looming palm trees and decaying bungalows, a struggling young writer (who bears a resemblance to the author) spins fantastic stories from his fertile imagination upon his clacking typewriter. Trying not to miss his girlfriend (away studying in Mexico), the nameless writer steadily crafts his literary effort--until strange things begin happening around him. Starting with a series of peculiar phone calls, the writer then finds clumps of seaweed on his doorstep. But as the incidents escalate, his friends fall victim to a series of mysterious "accidents"--some of them fatal. Aided by Elmo Crumley, a savvy, street-smart detective, and a reclusive actress of yesteryear with an intense hunger for life, the wordsmith sets out to find the connection between the bizarre events, and in doing so, uncovers the truth about his own creative abilities.

Death Is a Lonely Business

Patrick Book

He's very imaginative, I'll give him that.

Kirsten Simkiss

This book was not as good reading it now as an adult. As a child, I could feel the chill and the horror in the words. I remember being completely taken by the story. However, now I found it to be sort of thin writing. The characters, while gorgeously flawed, are ultimately not that interesting. While I know that the main character is modeled on Bradbury himself, I found myself frustrated regularly by his naivety.

I also found myself realizing how obvious the villain was now reading this as an adult. I definitely found this book more enjoyable as a middle schooler. Conceptually, though, I could see this making a great crime drama movie or show if anyone is out looking for a good serial killer to face off against.

All in all, I’d recommend this book to Bradbury fans but I’m not sure this book would appeal to everyone.

Death is a Lonely Business

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