Fiction

The Shards

The Shards

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  • Create Date：2023-03-04 08:51:25
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bret Easton Ellis
  • ISBN：1800752458
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Summary

LA， 1981。 Buckley College in heat。 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past。 Robert Mallory is bright， handsome， charismatic， and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends， even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle。 Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler， a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends， taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific， sharply local acts of violence。

Can he trust his friends – or his own mind – to make sense of the danger they appear to be in？ Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires， buffeted by unhealthy fixations， Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision。

Gripping， sly， suspenseful， deeply haunting and often darkly funny， The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at 17 – sex and jealousy， obsession and murderous rage。

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Reviews

John David Bull ，

There’s too much for a review。 It’s a cliffhanger up for endless debate。

Jc Olsen ，

A few things。 There’s no elevator up to Gilley; the bell tower is on the primary school side of campus; and Bell Canyon isn’t a neighborhood in Calabasas。 Also， space ships can’t travel faster than light， and you can’t hear explosions in outer space。

Vanni Santoni ，

È tornato in forma。 Bene。

Brian Rothbart ，

I enjoyed this book， and it kept me want to continue reading。 However， it would have been a much better， stronger book if it was about 100 or 150 pages shorter。

Virginia ，

This book was so intense。 The author is amazing。 Great setting， great characters。 I didn’t want it to end and it was a long book。 I definitely recommend this thriller

Laura Jordan ，

I’m not sure if Bret Easton Ellis is entirely my cup of tea， but this was an addictive read， if nothing else。

Vegard Hatteland ，

I could read Bret Easton Ellis portrayal of privileged disillusioned LA youths all day。It's the inherent contradiction in his portrayal:One the one hand， the youths he portrays are deeply disillusioned; on the other hand he creates this underlaying sense of mystique， here magnified by the uncertainties surrounding the serial killer and the Robert Mallory character。It's like the characters are disillusioned yet still not completely closed 0ff to the possibility that disillusionment rules out。It m I could read Bret Easton Ellis portrayal of privileged disillusioned LA youths all day。It's the inherent contradiction in his portrayal:One the one hand， the youths he portrays are deeply disillusioned; on the other hand he creates this underlaying sense of mystique， here magnified by the uncertainties surrounding the serial killer and the Robert Mallory character。It's like the characters are disillusioned yet still not completely closed 0ff to the possibility that disillusionment rules out。It might just be me， but I can't help but asking: isn't there a certain truth to this？ isn't this essentially how we all are living？ 。。。more

Algernon （Darth Anyan） ，

“Well， I’m always looking for fresh voices，” Terry said。 “It’s an exciting time for young people，” he offered blandly。 “But their stories aren’t told well enough。 Slasher films， sex comedies。 Dumb stuff。” ‘The Shards’ isn’t a dumb novel。 It may actually be too clever， too metafictional for its own good， but Bret Easton Ellis knows how to sell it to his audience: pimp it up， ramp up the violence and the flaunting of sex， drugs and money。 It’s all about The Pitch ， that veritable institution tha “Well， I’m always looking for fresh voices，” Terry said。 “It’s an exciting time for young people，” he offered blandly。 “But their stories aren’t told well enough。 Slasher films， sex comedies。 Dumb stuff。” ‘The Shards’ isn’t a dumb novel。 It may actually be too clever， too metafictional for its own good， but Bret Easton Ellis knows how to sell it to his audience: pimp it up， ramp up the violence and the flaunting of sex， drugs and money。 It’s all about The Pitch ， that veritable institution that turns the wheels of the dream factory that is Hollywood。 。。。 a boy， his friends， young people in L。A。， sexy， a little bi， drugs， someone is killed， there’s a chase， violence and bloodshed， a mystery the boy solves or maybe not。 I preferred the downer ending but we could make it upbeat as well。 I’d offer， we could negotiate that。 This is the synopsis， as free of spoilers as I can make it， and in the author’s own words。 Because Bret Ellis is actually the name of the narrator in this fictionalized memoir， and he is here pitching a movie idea to a big Hollywood producer。 Or he is working on his first novel [‘Less Than Zero’] while attending a private college in the city of angels。The self-referencing is strong in this one， but don’t be deceived: it’s just another deliberate trick to create a strong fictional character。 More on this later。。。>>><<<>>><<>><<<>>><<>><<<>>><<>><<<>>><<

Jenni E ，

I didn't finish this book because it's terrible。 I read about 3/4 and wasted about 5 days on it。 It's so boring。 So beyond boring。 Why do I need to know what streets they are driving on？ This book dragged and dragged。 If he had stuck to the murder stuff， it would be have been really good。 But I was 3/4 in and still had no idea what was going on with this serial killer。 Instead I was learning the names of all the roads in LA。 I love 80's pop culture， but if you don't， then be prepared to hear a t I didn't finish this book because it's terrible。 I read about 3/4 and wasted about 5 days on it。 It's so boring。 So beyond boring。 Why do I need to know what streets they are driving on？ This book dragged and dragged。 If he had stuck to the murder stuff， it would be have been really good。 But I was 3/4 in and still had no idea what was going on with this serial killer。 Instead I was learning the names of all the roads in LA。 I love 80's pop culture， but if you don't， then be prepared to hear a ton of song and movie references that also deter from the main point。 I don't want to count this book in my book tally because I didn't finish it and never will。 What a waste of time。 。。。more

Ema Asmadi ，

Its semi-autobiographical narrator Bret Ellis and his friends， an elite group of overprivileged high school at Buckley when a serial killer， The Trawler started haunting Los Angeles in the early 1980s。 I couldn't help but keep reminding myself this is a fictionalized memoir。 The content of the book might be triggering for some readers。 The moment after I finish reading the book is inexplicable。 5 ⭐️ reads。 It begins with Bret， a notorious author who write this novel reminiscing about the bands， Its semi-autobiographical narrator Bret Ellis and his friends， an elite group of overprivileged high school at Buckley when a serial killer， The Trawler started haunting Los Angeles in the early 1980s。 I couldn't help but keep reminding myself this is a fictionalized memoir。 The content of the book might be triggering for some readers。 The moment after I finish reading the book is inexplicable。 5 ⭐️ reads。 It begins with Bret， a notorious author who write this novel reminiscing about the bands， songs， cinephilia， rampant sex lives， parties， and then， of course， there was the Trawler。 For about a year there had been various break-ins and assaults， and then the disappearances of teenage girls in 1981。 The narrative technique of present events is combined with the narrator's flashbacks。 Bret can be seen as an unreliable narrator。 The presence of Robert Mallory in September of 1981 to Buckley change everything。 He portrays as handsome yet mysterious and reserved。 He has indeed had an awful history and kept to himself。 But Bret being dramatic and emotionally pressing somehow Robert related to The Trawler。 Thanks to @times。read and @putrifariza for giving me an ARC。 Opinions are my own 💙 *Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores。 。。。more

Rachel Ashforth ，

Never have I been more immersed in a novel; my heart raced， my breath hitched and the fear that Bret felt I felt myself feel strongly… I will be down a rabbit hole for weeks because of this boo

Anne Henn ，

what to say？This one will stay with me for awhile， in a deeply troubling and disturbing way， and I really don’t know what to think。 I almost feel complicit in a way for trusting the narrator and reading til the end， only to be left feeling a little sick to my stomach and disappointed in us both。

tara ，

my first bret easton ellis！ idk if this is really 5 stars but i can’t remember the last time i got this absorbed in a book （maybe secret history， kinda， but different）。 he is so good at writing characters， motivations， inner thoughts… i was a nervous anxious wreck the whole ~4 days i spent devouring this 🥲

Matt Miller ，

Holy shit。 The rare type of book that I want to talk about and recommend- it is so FUN and so HORNY and so GAY and so SPOOKY and so THRILLING and so WEIRD- but also warn everyone about- it is GORY and UNNERVING and UNCOMFORTABLE。 I devoured it， staying up late to read it- I loved the concept， the characters， the 1980s LA Buckley setting， and as a fan of Bret Easton Ellis already I felt like his writing style and autofiction-ish narration works really well- I need time to let it sink in fully， bu Holy shit。 The rare type of book that I want to talk about and recommend- it is so FUN and so HORNY and so GAY and so SPOOKY and so THRILLING and so WEIRD- but also warn everyone about- it is GORY and UNNERVING and UNCOMFORTABLE。 I devoured it， staying up late to read it- I loved the concept， the characters， the 1980s LA Buckley setting， and as a fan of Bret Easton Ellis already I felt like his writing style and autofiction-ish narration works really well- I need time to let it sink in fully， but I think this is my favorite book of his。 Everything just worked for me and I got sucked in right away。 。。。more

Heather ，

Chock-a-block full of sex and drugs and rock n roll。 And gore and treachery and mind-f*ckery to keep you up at night。 Not my normally favored genre， but Bret Easton Ellis does a great job doing what he does here。

Andy Mascola ，

Story is told by a 17yo Bret Ellis who is wary of a new boy at school。 A serial killer targeting young men and women is getting closer to Bret and his friends。 I’ll be thinking about this book for a while。 Perfect for a TV series。 I liked it。

Ylva Sørli ，

4。5⭐️I just love Bret Easton Ellis’ way of writing。 Obsessed！！

Roger ，

Bret Easton Ellis grew up in Los Angeles。 He attended Buckley High， graduating in Spring 1982。 He was gay， but trying to blend in with a girl friend。 The students in this fictionalized version of his senior year were all extremely privileged with very wealthy， mostly absent parents。 They weren't academically motivated or challenged。 They drove expensive cars， lived in a haze of alcohol， recreational drugs， parties and casual sex。 They were all physically beautiful or handsome。 The men were effor Bret Easton Ellis grew up in Los Angeles。 He attended Buckley High， graduating in Spring 1982。 He was gay， but trying to blend in with a girl friend。 The students in this fictionalized version of his senior year were all extremely privileged with very wealthy， mostly absent parents。 They weren't academically motivated or challenged。 They drove expensive cars， lived in a haze of alcohol， recreational drugs， parties and casual sex。 They were all physically beautiful or handsome。 The men were effortlessly athletic。 It is hard to care about these spoiled， shallow people。The novel is overly long。 In the e-book version I read， the page count was over 900。 Bret keeps mindlessly telling us what songs they were playing and what movies they saw。 They attended endless parties。 Bret went into graphic detail about every sexual encounter he had and was just as thorough with describing his countless fantasies。 When Bret was driving somewhere， he gave us a turn by turn narrative of which streets he used。 Every banal and obtuse conversation he had was analyzed sentence by sentence， mostly to no conclusion。 In other words， Bret padded the novel。 The action didn't really get started until the second half of the novel。 The characters remained clueless despite the heavy handed hints and made decisions that anyone with any commonsense wouldn't have made。 In the end， it was hard to have any sympathy for the fate that befell the individual characters。 。。。more

Dennis Holland ，

A metafiction masterpiece that also brilliantly expands BEE’s previous work。 My fellow Goodreader， Jeff， described it as long and drawn out and， after a 13 year wait， I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way。

Ceilidh ，

Okay this book was。。。。 a lot。 I have no idea how to actually rate it。 It has confirmed one thing for sure， although whether or not I actually enjoyed this book or not is still uncertain， BEE's writing always leaves me in awe。 There were parts of this book that frustrated me so much。 It did not need to be 600 pages long， and certain details and descriptions were completely and utterly irrelevant （I know they are usually used to describe the aesthetic and mood of the time period， but why did I nee Okay this book was。。。。 a lot。 I have no idea how to actually rate it。 It has confirmed one thing for sure， although whether or not I actually enjoyed this book or not is still uncertain， BEE's writing always leaves me in awe。 There were parts of this book that frustrated me so much。 It did not need to be 600 pages long， and certain details and descriptions were completely and utterly irrelevant （I know they are usually used to describe the aesthetic and mood of the time period， but why did I need to know which fast food chains were in the mall food court or that there was also a McDonald's and a Taco Bell on the second floor of said mall？） These factors aside， I think this is what I admire about all of his works; they make me feel like all the air has been sucked out of a room by some dreadful， unseen force。 The "eerie" effect of this book in particular is something that will likely keep me up at night。。。 and I am so impressed by his ability to create this effect through writing。 I dont know。 I feel woozy after reading the last 300 pages of this in one sitting。 Love him or hate him， his writing has an undeniable presence。 。。。more

Brenna Nicolas ，

So…。。 my ultimate score is a 3。75。There’s a lot of things this novel did right， the main one being， keeping me entertained。 The scene is set in early 80’s Los Angeles ✅ A near constant reference to late 70’s， early 80’s music formulating an amazing playlist ✅A mysterious serial killer runs rampant in the sleepy hills of Los Angeles ✅That being said， I’m not sure if I loved or hated how he wrote his own pseudo character ‘Bret’。 He was an overly introspective， selfish， horny， closeted asshole who So…。。 my ultimate score is a 3。75。There’s a lot of things this novel did right， the main one being， keeping me entertained。 The scene is set in early 80’s Los Angeles ✅ A near constant reference to late 70’s， early 80’s music formulating an amazing playlist ✅A mysterious serial killer runs rampant in the sleepy hills of Los Angeles ✅That being said， I’m not sure if I loved or hated how he wrote his own pseudo character ‘Bret’。 He was an overly introspective， selfish， horny， closeted asshole who used others to fit his own narrative。 However， most of his friends were just as spoiled and just as selfish。 I guess that’s what you get when you write about teenagers in the 80’s at a private school in Los Angeles。 For how long this novel is， it didn’t take me that long to finish it。 I was thoroughly intrigued until the bitter end。 。。。more

Claire Beaver ，

wtf

Jason ，

Bret Easton Ellis has a lot in common with Morrissey。 Beyond the surface-level stuff like race and sex， they're both Gen X icons whose art portrays fluid sexuality and seem forever tied to the 1980s。 Both are outspoken provocateurs who've run afoul of our current orthodoxies and sanctimonious discourse。 And， frankly， both are still capable of producing great art decades after their ostensible peaks。 In The Shards， Ellis returns to the 80s L。A。 scene of spoiled prep school kids on coke that fuele Bret Easton Ellis has a lot in common with Morrissey。 Beyond the surface-level stuff like race and sex， they're both Gen X icons whose art portrays fluid sexuality and seem forever tied to the 1980s。 Both are outspoken provocateurs who've run afoul of our current orthodoxies and sanctimonious discourse。 And， frankly， both are still capable of producing great art decades after their ostensible peaks。 In The Shards， Ellis returns to the 80s L。A。 scene of spoiled prep school kids on coke that fueled his best-known book Less Than Zero and combines it with both the graphic sex and violence of American Psycho and the autofiction-but-not approach of his previous novel Lunar Park。 Here， the main character is Ellis himself。 He is in high school surrounded by fictionalized versions of his childhood friends， self-medicating with quaaludes， and struggling to be a good boyfriend to a young woman while coming to terms with his sexual attraction to men。 On some level， the book works as a confessional piece of autofiction about teenage sexual confusion and coming out albeit one with a surprising amount of graphic sex scenes。That is， if it weren't for the serial killer stalking Ellis's social orbit and the enigmatic new boy who may or may not be connected to the missing kids， the animal mutilations， the creepy phone calls， break-ins， rearranged furniture， and strange gifts left behind。 Clearly invented， this aspect of the book is jarring but also very successful。 There's a plot twist that isn't hard to see coming but still plays out in a satisfying way and plenty of tension as Ellis seems to be the one person connecting the dots between what he's reading in the Los Angeles Times and what's happening to the people he knows。 For a while， I wondered if this was meant to be allegorical and if the killer known as "The Trawler" is meant to represent how AIDS marked the end of the party for sexually ambiguous， drug-addled 80s debauchery， but I don't think it's that deep。 I think Ellis is just being Ellis: violent， disturbing， provocative， and， on at first glance anyway， morally relative。 It's nice to have him back after a long gap filled only by a cranky， unsatisfying collection of essays。 I'm looking forward to a new Morrissey album this year too。 Gen X never expected its icons to be good people anyway。 。。。more

Catherine ，

Phew， what a wild ride！ Although I liked the first half more than the second half and I guessed the end almost from the very beginning， this is such an accurate and moody depiction of the early 80s， it practically reeks of Tab and clove cigarettes and Soft Cell。 I loved every overindulgent， hyper-descriptive minute of it。 And there were lots of minutes， because it’s very long。 There’s a lot of gore and graphic sex scenes， so definitely not for the precious reader。

James ，

I've enjoyed Ellis novels in the past （mostly American Psycho， but also Lunar Park and Glamorama）。 This I have mixed feelings about。 There's no doubt that Ellis is a wonderful writer at his best， and there are passages full of tension， menace and existential despair here that are as good as anything he's written。 In fact， much of the novel has a queasy unease about it which is compelling and drives the narrative forwards。 That said， the endless microscopic detail is enervating; there's only so m I've enjoyed Ellis novels in the past （mostly American Psycho， but also Lunar Park and Glamorama）。 This I have mixed feelings about。 There's no doubt that Ellis is a wonderful writer at his best， and there are passages full of tension， menace and existential despair here that are as good as anything he's written。 In fact， much of the novel has a queasy unease about it which is compelling and drives the narrative forwards。 That said， the endless microscopic detail is enervating; there's only so many accounts of designer Polo shorts and bags that you can plough through。 At times， I was impressed by the almost Kubrickian obsessiveness with which Ellis has compiled pop culture details of 1980/1， then again it doesn't often translate into detailed pictures， because the passages come across as lists of things rather than portraits of scenes。 Then there's the milieu。 I suppose that Ellis is given to writing about a small subsection of very wealthy Californians， and if you aren't interested in them， you shouldn't be reading him。 But in the past there's been a bravura edge of satire， whilst here the feeling is less cutting。 The plot is two thirds basically a teen soap， with a homecoming queen and star sportsman coming to the end of their high school relationship。 It's not that compelling， and the big climax which involves their break-up is utterly inconsequential to everyone but the characters involved - young people have their first heartbreak， so what？ Of course， in the midst of this， Ellis introduces a murder mystery involving a serial killer， a weird cult， and a new student who may or may not be involved in the crimes。 I'm not sure that the elements of extreme violence and banal coming of age story ever gel - the former seems forced in， to give some interest to the utter disinterest created by the break-up story。 Ellis is the narrator and a fictional version of himself at 17 is the protagonist。 He's played this trick before， and there's some wit and intrigue in it， but it's unclear what it adds up to beyond a game。 Maybe it's a confession， that the extremities he introduces into the worlds he writes about are all him， rather than organically rising from the characters he creates around his fictionalized self。 But why we would care about this， I'm not sure。 I feel a bit mean saying this， because it's not a bad read， albeit fantastically overlong given the thinness of the material。 Sometimes his writing rises to the level of ecstasy， as he immerses us in the sensual world he's recreating。 But， like a lot of sensual experiences， it all becomes a little deflating in the aftermath - what was the point of it all， and isn't it time for Ellis to grow out of harking back to the milieu of his teens？ But the book is a confession that he never really grew up。 So， if reading a very fine writer confessing to not being able to write a grown up novel for over 700 pages is your bag， then you'll get all you need。 But given he's pushing 60， there's something a little sad about it。 。。。more

Priscilla Sotelo Klisch ，

I feel I’m being a little generous with my rating （3。5 stars is more accurate） since I can critique that the book was too long and filled with endless self-indulgence musings， shallow characters and gimmicky pop-culture references。 Yet this is all generally standard of Ellis’ style that still manages to do a good job of transmitting an aesthetic and era through the pages that is difficult to not enjoy。 It’s also a decent thriller with an unreliable narrator that remained sufficiently suspenseful I feel I’m being a little generous with my rating （3。5 stars is more accurate） since I can critique that the book was too long and filled with endless self-indulgence musings， shallow characters and gimmicky pop-culture references。 Yet this is all generally standard of Ellis’ style that still manages to do a good job of transmitting an aesthetic and era through the pages that is difficult to not enjoy。 It’s also a decent thriller with an unreliable narrator that remained sufficiently suspenseful and moody throughout。 However， I could have done without the excessive explicit sex scenes and graphic descriptions of animal abuse。 。。。more

Alison ，

I have been suffering with this damn thing evenings for the last month and I just have to end it now。 Why is a plot considered uncool？ DNF。 PS I think the Goodreads star average has been juiced on this one。

Dennis Schiavo ，

Tatsächlich habe ich die Lektüre etwa bei der Hälfte abgebrochen （daher keine Wertung）。 Den Start fand ich überraschend und stark。 Übergangslos vom „Vorwort“ in die Handlung befördert。 Diese kommt dann allerdings nicht zum Punkt， mäandert ziellos umher。 Und dann ständig Sätze wie „…， dabei wusste ich noch nicht， dass mir das in wenigen Tagen zum Verhängnis werden würde。“ - einfach nicht mein Fall :）。

Steven ，

Remember a few years ago when there were all those fan fiction mashups of classic novels with zombies inserted into the plot line （Pride and Prejudice and Zombies， etc。）？Well， Bret Easton Ellis took it one step further with this book。 It's sort of a mashup of his own classic 80's novel Less Than Zero， with a serial killer inserted into the rich， L。A。 disaffected youth coming of age plot line。 Not only that， but it's written in the form of a memoir， with young Bret as the main character。 There ar Remember a few years ago when there were all those fan fiction mashups of classic novels with zombies inserted into the plot line （Pride and Prejudice and Zombies， etc。）？Well， Bret Easton Ellis took it one step further with this book。 It's sort of a mashup of his own classic 80's novel Less Than Zero， with a serial killer inserted into the rich， L。A。 disaffected youth coming of age plot line。 Not only that， but it's written in the form of a memoir， with young Bret as the main character。 There are a lot of disturbing scenes， but I all in all， I really enjoyed listening to this long （23 hours。。。） audio book， which was narrated by the author。 The author recounts dozens of classic 80's songs and bands that he and the other characters were listening to as the novel progresses。 Everything from classic new wave to 80's pop and disco。 Someone on Spotify has already created a playlist of all of the songs mentioned in the novel。 It was great to listen to some of that music that I hadn't heard in years。 。。。more

Marie Stephanie ，

There is something about serial killers from that era around the 70's-80's that pulls us in and makes us addicts to its mystery。 And if there is one thing Bret Easton Ellis has perfected here， it’s exactly that。 Bret （yes， he has imposed himself in the story and I kind of hate it， but it also really works！） a 17-year old senior at Buckley is at war with his sexuality and hiding it from his friends。 He is obsessed with “the trawler”， a serial killer that has been killing young girls in LA， and he There is something about serial killers from that era around the 70's-80's that pulls us in and makes us addicts to its mystery。 And if there is one thing Bret Easton Ellis has perfected here， it’s exactly that。 Bret （yes， he has imposed himself in the story and I kind of hate it， but it also really works！） a 17-year old senior at Buckley is at war with his sexuality and hiding it from his friends。 He is obsessed with “the trawler”， a serial killer that has been killing young girls in LA， and he’s disappointed that his friends don't seem to care。 When a new student enrolls and befriends his group， Bret instantly gets suspicious of the new arrival and believes he is hiding something。 And so begins a game of who is watching who。 We are taken back to the early 80’s， Los Angeles described in perfect detail。 The movies in the theater， the songs on the radio， the books they read， the shoes on their feet and the cars that they drive down the roads we know。 The scene is set and the mood is eerie。 The whole way through there’s a vibration that you can’t put your finger on， you feel it in your bones。 A sort of drug induced haze lies over the story and while it’s not particularly exciting， it triggers your brains pleasure center。 You become a spectator to the whole thing sitting in the comfort of “this will never happen to me。” Until it does， sort of。 It takes a while， about 400 pages maybe， before the book goes from a slow and steady second gear to a racing fifth。 Luckily I’m a fiction person， so I am happy hanging out in the story。 A crime reader who is used to fast pacing， twists and turns， and whodunnits is not going to enjoy this。 This is for the people who just enjoy good writing and want to sit in it for a while。 Not necessarily looking for an answer or a resolution to it all， but just enjoying the setting and the mood it creates。 You can easily create a kick ass playlist with all the songs that are mentioned。 （is anyone on that yet？） I， myself， picked up Joan Didion because I wanted to read what Bret reads。It’s fun because this book straddles the border between reality and fiction。 Bret is real， the book he is writing the in the shards is real and published， but the rest of the characters are not。 Are some of these experiences real perhaps？ The big time film producer doing a casting couch in a bungalow at the beverly hills hotel？ Sounds very familiar。 If anything， the book feels real and I believed every word of it as I was reading。 And I believe that is the sign of great writing， it’s believable。 As a mystery thriller， I’d probably give this book three stars， because it’s too slow for the genre。 But as a fiction book it’s a five star easy！ So I landed in the middle， since the book is aiming for both。 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Ps。 set in 1981 the book doesn’t try to take into account the recent changes in “wokeness”。 It’s not diverse， it’s not PC， it’s raw and selfish。 It doesn’t give two shits about it’s secondary characters。 We only see things from Bret’s vantage point and he doesn’t really care about the people around him enough to give us backstory or their motivations。 But it’s done so well that I don’t care。 Which is what， I think， sets this book apart for me， since I’m usually all about giving depth to all your characters。 。。。more

Tag

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Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Shards

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Shards&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Shards&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0