Review of "Hollywood Ending: Detective by Day #2" by Kellye Garrett

In this 2nd book in the 'Detective by Day' series, private detective Dayna Anderson investigates when a Hollywood publicist is killed. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

In the first book in the series, called Hollywood Homicide, pretty black actress Dayna Anderson lost her job as the face of "Chubby's Chicken" commercials and needed a new source of income.





So - when money was offered for information about a hit-and-run killer - Dayna partnered up with private detective Aubrey S. Adams-Parker to investigate. Dayna eventually got a reward for calling the police hotline with a good tip, and a new PI was born.

Dayna now needs another big score to pay her bills and gets right on the job when Lyla Davis - a celebrity publicist for the Silver Sphere Organization - is shot and killed. A reward is offered for information leading to Lyla's killer, and Dayna means to get it.



Dayna soon becomes convinced Lyla's death was a hit, and makes it her business to find out who hired the killer. Initally, Dayna's attention is drawn to Silver Sphere employees and the clients they represent.



Dayna also looks into an anonymous gossip blogger called 'Anani Miss.'



Anani Miss exposes celebrity secrets, and has published a jaw-dropping teaser about a Silver Sphere client.....with promises to tell the whole story soon. Dayna is sure Anani Miss has an informant, and she's determined to discover who it is.

Dayna is certain her peripatetic investigation will eventually expose Lyla's murderer.

As Dayna is making her inquiries, she gets help from her partner Aubrey and her two best friends, Sienna - a fashionista who's semi-famous for her umpteen Instagram selfies;



And Emme - a computer nerd who's adept at hacking.



In the course of her inquiries, Dayna snoops around Silver Sphere; tries to discover the true identity of Anani Miss; uncovers a blackmail scheme; meets a Hollywood fixer; sneaks around a sensory deprivation tank; attends a swag giveaway party; and more.

While all this is going on, Silver Sphere is preparing its annual awards show, called Silver Sphere Awards. It so happens that Dayna's boyfriend - TV star Omari Grant - is nominated for best actor, and there's great excitement surrounding the event.



Omari's publicist Nina is doing her best to further her client's chances of winning. Thus, Nina drags Omari to innumerable promotional events and spreads the word that he's involved with a famous actress named Toni Abrams.



The fake 'Tomari' romance annoys Dayna no end, and her attempts to fix the problem cause all manner of trouble.

Meanwhile, Dayna's pursues her investigation into Lyla's death, and hits on one suspect after another. Determined to get the reward money, Dayna calls the police hotline every time she identifies a new 'killer.'



The constant calls lead to sarcastic comments from the person that answers the hotline, which is very amusing. In fact most of Dayna's antics are good for a laugh, and the entire novel is filled with humor.



On the downside, the story is over-complicated, there are too many similar characters, and Dayna's shenanigans get repetitive. These quibbles aren't deal-breakers though, and I enjoyed the book overall.

Rating: 3.5 stars