The Boy Who Never Grew Up (1992) - Plot & Excerpts
Ghostwriter to the stars extraordinaire Stewart “Hoagy” Hoag takes on a wunderkind director as his client — equal parts Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra, and Bill Gates — in The Boy Who Never Grew Up, the fifth novel in the fabulous series. Matthew Wax, Hollywood’s hottest direct at just 38, simultaneously churns out blockbuster hit after blockbuster hit at his studio, Bedford Falls, but he doesn’t have the social skills or confidence of your average high-schooler. He prefers immersing himself in TV Land reruns or speeding around at a go-cart track to a night on the town in Hollywood. Even so, Wax had managed to marry the prettiest ingénue in Hollywood, petite, blonde, blue-eyed Pennyroyal Brim, a USC cheerleader Wax turned into a superstar. Wax thought his life was golden until 25-year-old Penny sues Wax for divorce, custody of their 6-month-old son, and half of Bedford Falls (her share coming to $150 million). Unlike in It’s a Wonderful Life, there doesn’t seem to be a way for a happy ending. Or is there?Enter Stewart Hoag — dapper, erudite, debonair, and a first-class smart-aleck — who has taken on the assignment of helping Wax write his autobiography — one to compete with the tell-all that pretty Penny is writing. The battle of biographies is just one piece of a brutally messy divorce; scandalous tabloid headlines, a stormy affair between Penny and her erstwhile castmate, and Penny’s unscrupulous attorney, Abel Zorch, ups the ante in the divorce wars. When Zorch and his boy toy turn up dead, Hoagy takes on the additional task of unraveling who amongst the many people who had reason to hate Zorch actually pulled the trigger — all the while wise-cracking with the best of ’em in this intelligent and humorous cozy.Readers will adore Hoagy’s sophisticate humor and sardonic wit. In addition, author David Handler delivers an incredible denouement that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I never guessed the villain — nor did I see the startling end coming. Highly, highly recommended.
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