I Really, Really Want It by Richard Hennerley
| I Really, Really Want It by Richard Hennerley | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A dark story about the celebrity culture and those who surround them, with sex, drugs, murder, suicide - and the occasional comeuppance. A good read. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 210 | Date: August 2014 |
| Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | |
| ISBN: 978-1500739584 | |
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Andrew Manning is what I would call 'a fixer'. He's got decades of experience in sorting out those little problems which so plague celebrities and, frankly, if he's got to bend the law just a tiny bit - or even more - to earn his crust then that's OK by him. He's wealthy, with a list of clients to die for (and some will...) and happily unfaithful to his long-term partner, Johnny on a regular basis. And Johnny does exactly the same. When we meet Andrew his main problem is Shelley Bright. She's 'England's Sweetheart', chart-topping singer and television star. Andrew prefers to think of her as 'a vicious, avaricious snake, a nasty, nasty piece of work' - and he's probably got the right of it.
Shelley wants to make it to the top in the States and she's already lined up a boyfriend who will help her along the way. The only snag is her husband, Jack Brierley, a famous Premier League footballer who is secretly gay. He married Shelley to douse the rumours about his sexuality and in return Shelley got the exposure she wanted and a rich husband to boot. Their opulent mansion in Cheshire is where she keeps her £300k collection of designer handbags and she has no thought that this might not sit well with her role as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. But then that's the thing with celebrities - they're not bound by the usual rules which apply to mere mortals.
Add in to this a superstar who feels that the only way to maintain her youth is by consumption of young foetuses (twelve to fifteen weeks only, though), Joey Camps, an adored celebrity who makes a most uncomplimentary remark about the Queen (no - I am not going to repeat it...) on live television whilst under the influence of drink and drugs and The Producer whose 'Fun Days' are not that much fun for the girls involved and you'll understand why life is never boring. Only, this time the fixing is not going to go smoothly and people are going to die.
It would have been easy for Richard Hennerley to fall into the trap of stereotyping the celebrities. I succumbed to the temptation of trying to put a real name to the fictional characters, but couldn't do it - and I actually found myself cheering on a Premier League footballer in his off-pitch antics.
I'll confess that I'm not a great fan of celebrity magazines (other than in the Dentist's waiting room, which is obviously quite different) but this book grabbed me from the first page. It is seriously fast-paced and bang on the money when it comes to what we've been hearing about the goings-on of the famous in recent court trials. But it's a lot more than a collection of wicked goings-on - there's a more-than-decent plot in here and it had me gripped to the very end. I cried at one death scene.
My only quibble with the book is that it really could have stood a more enthusiastic proof read, but if that doesn't worry you then you'll find this a great read. Prepare yourself for sex, drugs (but no rock 'n roll) and the language which fits what's happening.
I'd like to thank the publisher for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
If this book appeals then you might also enjoy The Deaths by Mark Lawson.
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