Douglas Kennedy — Temptation

Random House (UK) 2006 Paperback, 432pp. A wonderfully sardonic and nightmarish tale of a Hollywood success story gone wrong, from the bestselling author ofState of the Union. Like all would-be Hollywood screenwriters, David Armitage wants to be rich and famous. But for the past eleven years, he's tasted nothing but failure. Then, out of nowhere, luck comes his way when one of his scripts is bought for television. Suddenly, he's the new toast of Hollywood as the creator of a hit series. A new player in Tinsel Town, David reinvents himself at great speed notably and especially by walking out on his wife and daughter for a young producer who worships only at the altar of ambition. But David's upward mobility takes a decidedly strange turn when a billionaire film buff named Philip Fleck barges into his life, proposing a very curious collaboration. David takes the bait, and finds he has inadvertently entered a Faustian Pact, one that results in an express ride to the lower depths of the Hollywood jungle. (ISBN: 9780091799694). Very Good.