Zero to the Bone A Nina Zero N (Nina Zero Novels) [Hardcover]

I read a review of this book in some publication, and as it sounded like the sort of thing I might like I requested it from my local library. While I waited for it to become available, I pulled out a different Nina Zero novel (Burning Garbo) and read that. I realized that I liked the author's writing so much that I went back to the beginning, found all of the Nina Zero novels and read the series start to finish (Zero to the Bone being the latest.) They were all well worth a read.

If you like mystery/crime fiction with strong female protagonists you will like Nina. Her life as a kid was a very tough one. It has not gotten easier as an adult. She is a papparaza who repeatedly finds herself embroiled in various crimes and misdemeanors as part of her job. That's all I'll give away. You need to read it yourself. She is an engaging character and I consider Eversz a very fine discovery,indeed. I'll be anxiously awaiting his next Nina Zero book.

Nina Zero is an artist-excon whose violent child hood has turned her into a woman who uses violence to solve her problems. The lack of impulse control seems hereditary as her father and her niece's lack of foresight plummet her into as much trouble as her own ill-considered decisions. While Nina serves the cause of truth in her role as a scandal rag photographer, she is unscrupulous in her methods.

Despite this Nina is a sympathetic character who one wishes would stay out of trouble. Unfortunately her proclivity for unprotected sex and assaulting people with weapons makes her prone to trouble.

The backdrop for Nina's escapades is the art scene and porn industry in Los Angeles. Eversz prose is superior; but he gets a little flamboyant in plot creation.

"Zero to the Bone" was my introduction to Mary Alice Baker a.k.a. Nina Zero, the savvy, sexy, complex protagonist of author Robert Eversz's mystery series, ("Shooting Elvis," Digging James Dean"). Ms Zero, in this her fifth outing, is a paparazzi for LA's ignominious tabloid, The Scandal Times, and an ex-con out on parole. She solves murder cases as a hobby. Unfortunately, as with many series novels, there are numerous references to the protagonist's past. In "Zero to the Bone," the author alludes to so many incidents in Nina's earlier life, from prior works, that even though he includes some background information, I really felt left out - like I should go back and read books one through four to thoroughly understand the heroine and this particular plot. I enjoyed Nina as a character, (we bonded), but not the storyline. However, Mr. Eversz has my attention and I am now curious enough to read more Nina novels, but that's not the point...right? "Zero to the Bones" should stand alone, unless the reader is informed otherwise. I do not think it fulfills its promise.

Our story opens with Nina's debut as an artiste. She obviously has talent and is showing her very original photographs at the upscale Leonora Price Gallery in Santa Monica. The photos are "staged tableaux carefully composed to look culled from the pages of the National Enquirer" - in other words, arty Hollywood pulp! Her two main models, blonde, wholesome looking Christine, and Nephthys, a kind of "punk Barbara Stanwyck type," are scheduled to accompany her to the opening, along with her trusty bodyguard The Rott, a toothless but formidable Rottweiler, and teenage niece Cassie. A plus - the crowd likes the work. Even her parole officer appreciates it. A few sales are made, and a potential romance surfaces in the form of handsome Sean Tyler. Frank, her cohort and editor-in-chief at the Scandal rag introduces them. THE minus - Christine, a friend as well as Nina's model, is a no show...and she promised to attend this important event.

The evening turns into a nightmare when Nina receives an unmarked DVD which turns out to be a snuff film. Christine is the victim, definitely identifiable by the unique Betty Boop tattoo on her shoulder. Shortly afterward, the model's body turns up in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Parole rules forbid sleuthing. They also prohibit Nina's burgeoning association with hunky Sean, who turns out to be a LAPD detective. But rules have never stood in our girl's way and she is determined to find out who murdered her friend. Her investigation takes her to Hollywood's seamiest areas to question the scum who dwell there.

Along with the mystery and associated complications, Nina's abusive father surfaces and details about her dysfunctional family emerge. "His beatings taught me discipline, how to walk quietly and be silent, how to tune into the moods of your opponent and hit him before he hits you or run before he strikes. Above all, he taught me how to watch. I'm a photographer because of him, because of my fear of him."

I was interested in Nina and various other characters to keep reading until the end - not a bad experience. I do get the feel that if I study up on her past through the earlier books in the series, I will appreciate this one more. So, if you are a Nina Zero fan already, you will probably enjoy "Zero To The Bone." If you haven't met her yet, try book number one first!

JANA