Howard Rosenberg's BLIZZARD OF LIES, a gumshoe journalist in "Heaventown" uncovers the truth behind a war hero immortalized by Hollywood .

 

Heaventown New York's claim to fame is Saint Billy, a film about  a local war hero, Billy Temple. Starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara, this Xmas favorite has spawned a plethora of tourist traps; a Billy themed museum, hotels, restaurants, boutiques. When veteran reporter Charlie Ginsberg is assigned a "puff piece" on the quaint town in advance of their annual Billy Festival, he's resigned to his fate. While The Word, a news site, offers few challenges, at least he's got a paid trip to a scenic place. He vows to enjoy the view but Charlie can't mothball his brain. Why are there no photos of the real Billy Temple in the museum that bears his name?  What about his accidental" death from the Billy-named bridge?

BLIZZARD OF LIES, Howard Rosenberg's entertaining mystery, is both a satirical and earnest look at American values and character.  Charlie mercilessly investigates stereotypes who often are on target and not--including himself. Yes he's an east coast intellectual, a pushy Jewish reporter, a type he also recognizes in a smart sexy local entrepreneur, who's President of the Chamber of Commerce. There's the officious African American police chief, first in the town, who has mysterious dealings, a cantankerous yet wise 90 year old founder of the local newspaper, a couple with a business empire built on curios, and a tender wiseacre barmaid, pretty as a prom queen. The personalities of Heaventown both define and defy cliches as they seek to mislead or direct Charlie's search for Billy Temple and the soul of the town. 

With  a nod to Citizen Kane , BLIZZARD OF LIES traces the paths of the GI legend and his reality,  from the trenches of WW2 to the making of the movie, and his death. The discrepancies between the official Billy story and the facts grow wider. As Charlie gets evidence to back his hunches, the town's "muscle" closes in. Before he's done, he exposes the shenanigans of  local commerce and the role of race and racism in the town's formation. He also contends with the cynical politics of  journalism involving The Word. Yet Charlie's ending is an unexpected happy one with an old love--serious hard hitting journalism. 

Less "Twin Peaks" than "the banality of evil", BLIZZARD OF LIES' reveals the every day corruption for profit that exists in many towns and the eternal price to individuals of cover-ups. But most of all, this is a fun read. Charlie Ginsberg is a fascinating detective; a merciless investigator and an instinctual lover, who defies logic in his affairs. Can he find a love that lasts?  What chaos and career suicide will his nose for truth lead him to next?  I look forward to the next Rosenberg saga. 

Howard Rosenberg, former LA Times critic and Pulitzer-winner, airs his views on his blog ROSENBEAST at https://howardrosenbergblog.wordpress.com

S.W.



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