The Search for Sonny Skies - Hardcover

Rooney, Mickey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1559722312 ISBN 13: 9781559722315

Publisher: Birch Lane Pr, 1994

Synopsis

Former child star Sonny Skies, who lives in the delusionary world of his past, falls victim to a journalist's misguided attempt to readjust him to the present

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Despite the favorable reception of this legendary film star's 1991 autobiography, it will likely surprise even Rooney's devoted fans to discover, with this faintly Raymond Chandleresque first novel, that he has genuine skill as a storyteller. Down on his luck, former high-rolling movie columnist Jay Richards uncovers a forgotten reel of film containing the screen test of '40s-era MGM child actor Sonny Skies, who, parachuting into Normandy on D-Day, became the only screen star killed in combat during WWII. When Jay is contacted by cable-TV exec Elle McBrien regarding a 50th-anniversary documentary on the invasion, the pair stumble onto a number of surprises, not the least of which is that they already know each other from AA. Then Sonny's casket turns up missing from its French cemetery, and Jay and Elle's efforts to uncover the truth lead them into a murky maze of murder, infidelity and Machiavellian influence in high places. Along the way, although Elle is 15 years Jay's junior, the two act on their libidinous attraction, as they encounter an ill-assorted cast of characters who are intriguingly reminiscent of Hollywood notables of a bygone era. Though Rooney occasionally stumbles as a fledgling literary stylist, his ability to spin a yarn is indisputable. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

The primary rule for any aspiring author is write about what you know. Mickey Rooney follows this rule with a vengeance. His first novel concerns a disgraced gossip columnist and a struggling cable TV producer who are working together on a documentary about a 1930s child star named Sonny Skies. Sonny supposedly died as a paratrooper in the D-Day invasion, but there are no records to substantiate this fact. When his grave in France is opened so that his body can be reburied in the States, it proves to be empty. As our intrepid duo close in on the truth, they are threatened, assaulted, and forced to drink Gallo jug wine. The plot is ridiculous (Would anyone really care about all this after 50 years?), and the reader risks serious bodily harm from all the dropping names. Rooney should have skipped the last two chapters and the epilogue, which uses the old deus ex machina trick to resolve most of the book's loose ends. Still, for readers who like their Hollywood stories frothy and cynical, Rooney's debut makes a happily harmless diversion. George Needham

About this edition

• Publisher: Birch Lane Pr
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1559722312
• ISBN 13: 9781559722315
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 252