KEEP IT REAL, television writer and producers Bill Bryan’s debut book, starts big, reads big and ends big. “The sight of Ms. Gutierrez naked is all bad, but the thing that really jumps right out at me is her humongous bush.” That first sentence perfectly sets the internal narrative of our irascible lead, the puerile and loveable Ted Collins.

From a damn good investigative reporter to shill/producer of “The Mogul”, a reality TV show that is slowly bleeding his slow dry, Ted’s descent into Hollywood hell was brought about by divorce and Ted’s temporary break with normal adult behavior in the face of adversity. What gets Ted out of bed every morning, his beautiful and witty little girl Hallie, is denied him except under the supervising eye of the court appointed meany, the afore-mentioned Ms. Gutierrez. On one of these visits has Ted wading through shrubs looking for a lost ball when he gets an earful from next door. Gangsta rapper Boney his booty-licious girlfriend, Patrice are arguing. Fiercely. When Patrice ends up as a headline as a missing starlet, Ted reverts to his former career and begins to investigate for all he’s worth. For the first time, working in reality TV may not be the worst thing ever. Ted gets Boney written into “The Mogul” and suddenly he’s like Shaggy after a Scooby snack. Can Ted track down a killer before he a.) Gets fired b.) Gets found out c.) Gets killed? Bill Bryan’s vast experience with film and television, including Night Court and Coach, has given him the chops to write a snappy book. But some dark and twisted part of his brain has given him the power to write a fantastic debut that reads fast and will actually have you believing that a Hollywood producer can evolve into a human being.

Jennifer Jordan