Murder and mayhem follow Peter and Jeff when Peter is commissioned to paint a portrait of Olivia Winters, a popular daytime TV talk show host…
Olivia Winters, the elegant and beautiful star of a popular daytime talk show finds her perfect world begin to unravel when she receives threatening letters from a religious fanatic. In addition, enter Brad Kingman, her ex-lover, intent on blackmailing his way back into her life.
Olivia had recently interviewed artist Peter Brandon and his partner P.I. Jeff Stevens after a magazine had reported their near-brushes with death while investigating criminal cases. Nick-named ‘The Gay Hardy Boys’ they are a hit on her show although unaware that they are partly the reason for the threatening letters.
When Olivia asks Peter to paint her portrait he soon becomes embroiled in the chaotic life of the daytime celebrity. He also begins to realize that Olivia is not the warm and compassionate woman she appears to be in front of her adoring fans, especially after one too many cocktails.
As the threatening letters increase in number and the content switches from fire and brimstone judgement to a much more personal attack, Jeff and his business partner, Nick Fallon, reluctantly agree to investigate the matter. They are hampered by Olivia’s erratic behavior and her obsessive need for publicity. A murder and an attempted murder may be the catalysts that will bring Olivia’s career to a grinding halt. Who can she turn to in her hour of need? Who indeed…
****This book is a rewrite of a previously published work Portrait of a Daytime Diva. It has been largely re-edited and updated. Some characters and events have been changed, but the framework of the story remains more or less the same. Triggers – violence, bullying, murder, drunkenness and homophobia.****
Genre: Mystery
Olivia Winters, the elegant and beautiful star of a popular daytime talk show finds her perfect world begin to unravel when she receives threatening letters from a religious fanatic. In addition, enter Brad Kingman, her ex-lover, intent on blackmailing his way back into her life.
Olivia had recently interviewed artist Peter Brandon and his partner P.I. Jeff Stevens after a magazine had reported their near-brushes with death while investigating criminal cases. Nick-named ‘The Gay Hardy Boys’ they are a hit on her show although unaware that they are partly the reason for the threatening letters.
When Olivia asks Peter to paint her portrait he soon becomes embroiled in the chaotic life of the daytime celebrity. He also begins to realize that Olivia is not the warm and compassionate woman she appears to be in front of her adoring fans, especially after one too many cocktails.
As the threatening letters increase in number and the content switches from fire and brimstone judgement to a much more personal attack, Jeff and his business partner, Nick Fallon, reluctantly agree to investigate the matter. They are hampered by Olivia’s erratic behavior and her obsessive need for publicity. A murder and an attempted murder may be the catalysts that will bring Olivia’s career to a grinding halt. Who can she turn to in her hour of need? Who indeed…
****This book is a rewrite of a previously published work Portrait of a Daytime Diva. It has been largely re-edited and updated. Some characters and events have been changed, but the framework of the story remains more or less the same. Triggers – violence, bullying, murder, drunkenness and homophobia.****
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for J P Bowie's A Portrait of Olivia