Jane Reads: 16 Millimeters by Larissa Reinhart | Blog Tour with Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway

The Blurb

Body doubles, dead bodies, and hot bodies abound... Wait, what?

#StillAWannabeDetective In continuing her career-makeover quest as a for-real detective, ex-teen and reality star Maizie Albright has a big learning curve to overcome. A sleuthing background starring in a TV show — Julia Pinkerton, Teen Detective — does not cut the real life mustard. It doesn’t even buy her lunch, let alone extra condiments. Her chosen mentor, Wyatt Nash of Nash Security Solutions, is not a willing teacher. He’d rather stick Maizie with a safe desk job and handle the security solution-ing himself. But Maizie’s got other plans to help Nash. First, win Nash’s trust. Second, his heart.

Wait, not his heart. His respect. His hearty respect.

So when a major movie producer needs a babysitter for his hot mess starlet, Maizie eagerly takes the job. But when her starlet appears dead, and then not dead, Maizie’s got more than an actress to watch and a missing corpse to find. Body doubles, dead bodies, and hot bodies abound when the big screen, small screen, and silent screams collide. Maizie’s on the job, on the skids, and on thin ice, hunting a killer who may be a celebrity stalker. And Maizie just might be the next celebrity who gets snuffed.

16 Millimeters by Larissa Reinhart

Series: A Maizie Albright Star Detective Humorous Mystery, #2

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Romance

Publication Date: October 17, 2017

Publisher: Past Perfect Press

Paperback: 370 pages
ISBN-10: 0997885378
ISBN-13: 978-0997885378

e-Book File Size: 18191 KB

Kindle ASIN: B074TW9MZ8

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

The Review

I just read an amazing book, y'all — 16 Millimeters by Larissa Reinhart, book two in the Maizie Albright Star Detective Mysteries. Let me tell you a little about it.

I adore Maizie! She's so much fun to read about. She manages to get herself into some crazy situations, and then out of them — by channeling the roles she played as a teen star. When Maizie is unsure about what to do while sleuthing, she does what Julia Pinkerton: Teen Detective did in a similar situation. When faced with a villain that she can't disarm with her charm, Maizie relies on Kung Fu Kate's fighting skills. Maizie even still uses facial expressions from her Julia Pinkerton days — such as JP's smile ("sassy with an eyebrow lift"), the "winsome smile" she used in a TigerBeat interview, the "encouraging grin" used in a Girl's Life interview, and the "winky face" she used at Teen Vogue.

Maizie can be herself, and chillax, when she's with her friends Tiffany and Rhonda at LA HAIR.

True friendship like this, I'd not before experienced. According to Rhonda and Tiffany, friends keep it real. Sometimes painfully so.

Maizie wasn't always besties with Tiffany and Rhonda, by the way. They had a hilariously rocky start, which is chronicled in Book One, 15 Minutes.

15 Minutes also contains the rocky (boulder-y, even) start of Maizie and her "chosen mentor, Wyatt Nash of Nash Security Solutions." They're getting along much better in 16 Millimeters. I can't wait for NC-17, to find out what's next for Wyatt and Maizie!

Author Larissa Reinhart has included many LOL moments in her clever, snarky dialogue. Here are some examples:

Maizie with a Hollywood producer:

"But I'm so done with the old lifestyle. Like totally done. I don't touch anything. Except carbs. But we're allowed one vice, right?" My laughter was cut short by the confusion in Leonard's eyes. Not everyone thinks carbs are funny.

Maizie and Wyatt, running into her former co-star:

"Darling, it's your private dick. How wonderful. Are you on an assignation? Will you tango with a spy tonight?"

My private dick mumbled a remark about tangoing with a fist.

Maizie with two Hollywood actresses, Cambria and Dahlia:

M: "I'm going old school with my pre-workout drink."

C: "Like a protein shake?"

M: "Water."

D: "Wow, so retro," said Dahlia. "What kind?"

M: "Tap."

D: "I don't know that brand. Is it new?"

M: I shook my head. Daddy didn't believe in "purchasing what God gives out for free."

Maizie, about her ex-manager/ tiger-mom:

But telling Vicki and Vicki following Theodore's advice were two different things. Jesus could reappear on earth just to tell Vicki to stop [spoiler], and she'd say, "I'll take it under advisement" then ask him about the mansions in heaven. "What's the view like? And how exclusive is that neighborhood really?"

Maizie, Rhonda, and Tiffany:

"Now that we've figured out that someone is trying to kill me—"

"Girl." Rhonda's hands flew to her mouth. "That's bad juju. Don't say it out loud."

"Voldemort isn't trying to kill her," said Tiffany. "It's the reality of the situation."

I thoroughly enjoyed 16 Millimeters, and recommend it to all fans of cozy mysteries. I know it will have special appeal to fans of Larissa Reinhart's other books.

I absolutely love 16 Millimeters by Larissa Reinhart, and hereby grant it our highest rating of Five Kitties!

Five out of five kitties

Note: I received an advance review copy of 16 Millimeters,
and voluntarily reviewed it. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

The Guest Post

A Mystery For Film Buffs

My amateur sleuth, Maizie Albright, was a TV actress, not a movie star. However, she’s a huge fan of movies, particularly the classics. In her second mystery, 16 MILLIMETERS, she agrees (against her boss, private investigator Wyatt Nash’s, wishes) to babysit a hot mess actress during the filming of a big budget movie for the movie’s producer. Unfortunately, the actress appears dead. Then not-dead. So who was dead?

I can’t tell you that. ;)

Back to classic movies. In 16 MILLIMETERS, there are almost forty movie references. (As I wrote, I kept calling 16 “the big movie one” in my head.) I even included a list of all the referenced movies in the back of the book, because we book-y folks like lists, don’t we? I’m also a fan of classic movies, so this was a lot of fun for me.

Among the thirty-some movies referenced, Maizie focuses on these five more than once.

The Maltese Falcon (1941), starring Humphrey Bogart (Sam Spade) and Mary Astor (Brigid O’Shaughnessy), directed by John Huston and based on the book by Dashiell Hammett. When private investigator Sam Spade’s partner turns up dead, he’s called on to protect a beautiful woman who’s surrounded by dangerous men, all vying for a statue of a bird.

Double Indemnity (1944), starring Fred MacMurray (Walter Neff) and Barbara Stanwyck (Phyllis Dietrichson), directed by Billy Wilder. Based on the book by James M. Cain and screenplay by Raymond Chandler. Phyllis Dietrichson seduces insurance salesman, Walter Neff, into taking out a huge policy on her husband and murdering him.

The Bodyguard (1992), starring Whitney Houston (Rachel Marron) and Kevin Costner (Frank Farmer), written by Lawrence Kasdan. A bodyguard has an affair with a famous singer while she’s being stalked by an obsessed fan.

Halloween (1978), starring Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie) and Tony Moran (Michael Myers), written and directed by John Carpenter. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Michael Myers returns to his hometown and wreaks havoc on local teenagers.

Psycho (1960), starring Janet Leigh (Marion Crane) and Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates), based on the book by Robert Bloch, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. When Marion Crane takes the money and runs, she finds The Bates Motel, managed by a quiet Norman Bates who is dominated by his invalid mother.

Interesting trivia from these movies that helped to shape 16 MILLIMETERS:

Mary Astor was having an affair with the director, John Huston, during the filming of The Maltese Falcon. She was already well-known for scandal, having had affairs — including John Barrymore — during her several marriages. She was also an alcoholic and her diary, filled with her sexual exploits, had been leaked to the press during a custody battle. Her notoriety helped her to get the part of the nefarious Ms. Wonderly / Brigid O’Shaughnessy. (IMBD)

Double Indemnity was based on the real 1927 murder perpetrated by Ruth Snyder. Snyder persuaded her boyfriend to kill her husband Albert after having him take out a big insurance policy with a double-indemnity clause. The front page photo of Snyder's execution in the electric chair at Sing Sing has been called the most famous news photo of the 1920s. (IMBD)

From a budget of $300,000, Halloween went on to gross $47 million at the US box office, making it one of the most successful independent films of all time. Jamie Lee Curtis was only paid $8,000 for her first feature film. (IMBD)

For Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock deferred his standard $250,000 salary and instead received 60% of the film's gross. Paramount, believing that the film would do poorly at the box office, agreed. His deferment made him more than $15 million. Adjusted for inflation, that amount would be over $120 million. (IMBD)

To give Psycho’s viewers the feeling of voyeurism, Alfred Hitchcock used a 50 mm lens on his 35 mm camera. This gives the closest approximation to the human vision. (IMBD) In 16 MILLIMETERS, the importance of film size is also of significance. The 16 MILLIMETERS in the book’s title refers to the use of 16 mm film instead of the normal 35 mm digital.

Jamie Lee Curtis’s mother, Janet Leigh, had the starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Psycho. That’s my “Six Degrees of Separation” from Hitchcock who is also referenced a lot in 16 MILLIMETERS. Six Degrees of Separation is also referenced in 16 MILLIMETERS.

I hope I didn’t abuse Hitchcock in 16 MILLIMETERS, in accusing my character, director Ed Farmer, of attempting “Hitchcock results” with his actresses. I’m a huge fan of Hitchcock’s films and only meant this in jest. There is a legend that Hitchcock's films were extensively storyboarded so much so, he used that as an excuse not to change the filming. Tippi Hedren called Hitchcock a misogynist and accused him of sexual harassment, but other actresses who worked with him, like Kim Novak claimed he wasn’t like that at all. “I didn’t find him controlling whatsoever. I found him a joy.” Hitchcock was notorious for demanding discipline from his actors.

Here’s my favorite Hitchcock quote, “When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, ‘It's in the script.’ If he says, ‘But what's my motivation?’, I say, Your salary.’”

Can you find a relationship between these movies? If you can, you might figure out some of the story of 16 MILLIMETERS. Which of these movies have you seen? Are any your favorite? I’ll give a Kindle or Nook gift certificate for Maizie Albright’s first book, 15 MINUTES, for one lucky commenter!

The Author

About Larissa Reinhart

Larissa is a 2015 Georgia Author of the Year Best Mystery finalist, 2014 finalist for the Silver Falchion and Georgia Author of the Year, 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, 2012 The Emily finalist, and 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. Her family and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit, have been living in Nagoya, Japan, but once again call Georgia home.

See them on HGTV’s House Hunters International “Living for the Weekend in Nagoya” episode. Visit her website, LarissaReinhart.com, find her chatting on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads, or join her Facebook street team, The Mystery Minions.

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