Reviews

The first review was at Grumpy Old Bookman. The best thing came in a comment by Cantara Christopher: "It reveals the zeitgeist of Los Angeles with the understanding, even compassion, of a native son. It is the least cynical book about Hollywood I've ever read...I get the feeling that he's attempting to stretch beyond Raymond Chandler, that he's going for Flaubert. I think in North of Sunset he succeeds. And he does it in only 270 pages, and one hell of a last line."

Dogmatika review. Best thing: "A page-turner and an example of an effective piece of storytelling that should be envied."

Poddy Mouth review: "The writing is stellar...I think you'll agree it is not so much who influenced the writing; it is who this writing will influence. Trust me when I say that this book is one you buy and one you keep."

Compulsive Reader review: "Successful both as a suspenseful, engrossing thriller and as something more: a savage satire on aspects of modern American life in the vein of DeLillo's White Noise....Overall, North of Sunset is an outstanding feat of storytelling that will gain a wide readership."

A review at Myspace's Book of the Moment. She says: "Those of you looking for a fun summer read, here it is. North of Sunset has everything you need: romance, scandal, murder, mystery, contempt, happiness, fame and fortune."

Might make the book sound dumber than it is, but I'll take it.

N. Frank Daniels, author of Futureproof, reviewed the book on his Myspace blog. "A uniquely crafted character study in the style of Elmore Leonard mixed with the social satire of Chuck Palahniuk."

Randy Radic's Sound of Meat review: "It's as if Raymond Chandler had been summoned from the afterlife by the Witch of Endor with the words, 'Send up the greatest, most profane noir-writer of them all'--and up popped Henry. It's that good."

Mike Ferraro reviewed the book on LauraHird.com: "The cult of celebrity is a topic that weighs heavily on the author's heart and he explores it throughout 'North of Sunset' with a thought-provoking deftness and lucidity...in this classic smart thriller."

There's a not so complimentary but well-thought-out review at Ready Steady Book. He says it's a "Gripping, readable story." Read my rebuttal to his review here and his response to my response here.

Read my book notes for the novel on Largehearted Boy. He says: "The rare piece of literary fiction that successfully combines a thriller with a healthy dose of popular culture. As the 'Vanity Plate Killer' roams the streets in the novel, Baum's insights into fame, film, and writing are ever present and welcome."

A terrible review at Pod People that doesn't bother me at all. He didn't read the book as satire. Don't get why people don't see the satire—the book's about a celebrity who kills people with vanity plates, that's satirical enough.

A much nicer review at Podler.

Bookreview.com: "A must read Hollywood thriller."

Reader Views: "A compelling read, well-written and brilliant."

Odyssey Reviews: Five Medallions. "You will not be able to put this book down once you pick it up. Beautifully written. Buy it."

Winner of the 2006 Hollywood Book Festival Grand Prize

Listed as the number 1 self-published book in Entertainment Weekly:



Bonus: here's a recent review of my songwriting.

Authors

"In North of Sunset, Henry Baum has pulled off something pretty amazing: he has written a tight, pacy thriller that manages to lose none of its momentum, even as it reveals itself to be a savage satire on the narcissism, emptiness and ugliness at the heart of the Hollywood dream." Tony O'Neill, author of Digging the Vein

"The best Hollywood novel I've ever read, including my own." Richard Rushfield, author of On Spec

"A satirical, yet eerily naturalistic L.A. fable." Kim Cooper, the 1947 Project

Interviews

Dogmatika interview.

There's an interview with me at Martha O'Connor's blog.

Cesar Torres interview.

Excerpts

An excerpt at Scarecrow. Pages 178-181 in the novel.

Another excerpt at Storyglossia. It's the second half of Chapter One.

Reviews of my first novel. Proof that you should buy my second novel, North of Sunset:

"This pacy, tightly written novel is like Taxi Driver meets Charles Bukowski's Factotum." Uncut

"An amusing, persuasive insight into obsession, stalking and the disintegration of sanity. Highly recommended to anyone with a bitter hatred of Tom Cruise and Hollywood stars in general." Butterfly

"This cynical story of Californian lowlife remains true to its sleazy starting-point, and it is a marvel of pace and comic timing....Much of Baum's narrative bears a similarity to Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground." Daily Telegraph

"Manages to shed some new light on the process of losing control. Seen from Ray's monosyllabic point of view, the book makes a persuasive case for the idea that an inability to communicate on even the most basic levels is one of the main reasons why countless Americans take to the streets with a gun." The Times

"A bleak morality tale, interspersed with humor and the voice of a rounded character, troubled as he is." The Herald

"There have been some fantastic book written about Hollywood...The Golden Calf is a welcome addition....With a superb narrative control, Baum paints a portrait of male dysfunction set to explode." The List

"Ray is nearly as good a portrait of post-collegiate angst as has been painted so far." Adam Heimlich, New York Press

"Fast-paced, funny, intense, insane! A fine debut from H. Baum." John S. Hall, founder of King Missile

"Explores the hazy junction where the teeth of the daily grind sink into the day-dreamt certainties of life's true bell-head sounds." Lee Ranaldo, member of Sonic Youth

"The Ray characterization is well-layered, and his story of despair is more powerful on the surface than most slacker tales. However, Baum builds a heavy moral message upon his sentences. He aims to create the Sister Carrie of the 21st century.The best comment Baum makes is that people pay too damn much attention to movie stars, and that personal creativity would be a better expenditure of a person's time than fandom." Jenn Sikes, Splendid E-zine

Amazon.com

"The story, which is fast paced, is interesting, because although Ray is obviously nuts, the reader (or at least I did) empathizes with why he acts the way he does and supports his crazy actions. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. It was a unique insight into the downfalls of celebrity-driven culture."

"When I read this book, I was amazed at how the character, Ray, even though he was psychotic, had thoughts so similar to mine. And though I didn't sympathize with the character, I was on his side. We could all end up like Ray... H. Baum has a lot of good novels in his future."

"Baum has written the nineties version of Jim Thompson's Killer Inside Me. Unsparing, direct and without condescending to his main character, he captures a mind reeling from boredom and outsider status. A brave book."

"Once you start reading you can't put it down. Strong stuff. Henry Baum is the real thing. It would make one hell of a motion picture. Can't wait to see what else this writer does. A natural. I gave it the highest rating and highly recommend it."