Do Tell

May 15, 2023
Glitz and gossip in the film world. Lynch sets her entertaining debut novel in 1940s Hollywood, where aspiring actors are manipulated by studio executives and gossip columnists can make or break reputations with a keystroke. Edith "Edie" O'Dare, whose acting contract is nearing its end, becomes one of those reporters: After growing up poor in Boston, at 19 she won a trip to Hollywood and jumped at the chance to leave home. She was never catapulted to stardom, though; instead, she was cast in forgettable roles as "someone's provocative best friend or madcap coworker." Now, years later, she is looking for her next act. To earn a bit of extra money, she had long served as a source for Poppy St. John, the widely syndicated "Tinseltown Tattler." But when Edie becomes the confidante of a young actress claiming to have been sexually assaulted by a popular star, she decides to branch out on her own. Not surprisingly, all of Hollywood circles the wagons around the star: "You go under contract, you say what they tell you to say," Edie well knows. She needs to decide, in the actress's case and many others, what she is willing to disclose, whom she is willing to hurt or to help. In the Los Angeles Times, her column is christened "Do Tell." Edie knows she's not a corrective for the myths and legends that Hollywood creates about itself: "A large part of what I do is tell America what they want to hear," she is convinced. And what America wants to hear--even as war rages in Europe--is salacious dirt. Although the plot lags when Lynch describes clothing, hairstyles, and makeup in too much detail, she doesn't lose sight of a salient theme: Edie's success depends on others' vulnerability. Lynch's characters--clad in designer gowns, inhabiting sumptuous mansions, and drinking champagne at lavish parties--are replaceable cogs in a powerful industry. An intimate look at Hollywood's dark secrets.

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May 29, 2023
Lynch debuts with an intelligent story of Hollywood’s Golden Age involving domineering studios, powerful stars, and a second-tier actor turned gossip columnist. With Edie O’Dare’s contract at FWM Studios about to expire, she determines to make the most of her bit-part roles and invitations to lavish parties. At one such gathering, she meets 16-year-old rising starlet Sophie Melrose, who tells Edie she was raped by top-billed actor Freddy Clarke. After Edie helps Sophie publish her account in a tabloid newspaper in exchange for a fee, Freddy faces criminal charges, resulting in a highly publicized trial. Edie then starts writing a column for the Los Angeles Times, where she exploits her old friendships with stars like Charles Landrieu by spilling about their love lives. As tensions flare in Tinseltown, fueled in part by Edie’s columns, her relationships with Charles and others grow strained, and she begins to realize the price she paid for her success. Though the pacing tends to drag, the dialogue and Edie’s narration are steeped in the rapid-fire rhythm of the era’s films, making for a convincing portrayal of the world they emerged from. Lovers of the silver screen will be drawn to this. Agent: Andrianna deLone, CAA.

June 1, 2023
When Hollywood heartthrob Freddy Clarke sexually assaults underage, up-and-coming actress Sophie Melrose, Sophie gives gossip columnist Edie O'Dare an exclusive interview about her intent to take Freddy to court, which Edie publishes anonymously. It's Hollywood--1930's Hollywood, at that--so the verdict (loosely based on infamous cases against Errol Flynn) is no surprise, nor does first-time novelist Lynch write as if it's supposed to be. Instead, in between the glittering descriptions of couture gowns and award shows, this scathing, retrospective #MeToo tale focuses on how people will protect famous, predatory men out of self-preservation. Even Edie, though quietly supporting Sophie behind the scenes, won't speak ill of Freddy publicly, though she'll publish career-destroying half-truths about the one actor who does. Edie tells this story conversationally, which is appropriate for a journalist who knows when to mix paraphrasing with sound-bite dialogue as she expresses a detached yet frank acceptance of late-1930s vices and isms. Readers looking for a novel that covers all the drama Hollywood has to offer, from its glitz to its evils, will find much to enjoy here.

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August 18, 2023

Hollywood's Golden Age is fast dimming for character actress Edie O'Dare, who's gotten nowhere and has just a year left on her contract. Then she helps a rising starlet publish her accusations about an A-list actor's assault, and she's got a new career as a gossip columnist. But her old friends don't like the secrets she's sharing, and soon she's in the midst of a trial with big choices to make. From debuter Lynch, a longtime indie bookseller. Prepub Alert.

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