Mae Pruett, a “black-bag” publicist, works for one of LA’s most powerful crisis PR firms known as “The Beast.” Her job? Not to let the good news out, but to keep the bad news in. When her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate. What she uncovers leads her on a joyride through LA—a city teetering on the edge of chaos. Influencers, pills, fillers, sprawling mansions, and homeless encampments collide as Mae navigates the twisted machinations of The Beast.

Former cop Chris Tamburro, now working for a security firm, also gets drawn into the web of intrigue. When Mae’s co-worker is killed, they secretly team up to unravel a web of murders, sexual outrages, and untouchable power. As bodies pile up, they confront their own complicity and struggle with ethical boundaries.

The characters—flawed, desperate, and driven—are the beating heart of this story. As Mae and Chris fall back in love, they shed their cynicism, revealing vulnerability beneath their tough exteriors. The adrenaline rush of their work contrasts sharply with their growing moral dilemmas.

Jordan Harper’s “Everybody Knows” thrusts readers into a dark, adrenaline-fueled world of secrets, lies, and moral ambiguity.

It’s appropriate that Hollywood screenwriter Jordan Harper (The Mentalist, Gotham) begins his exquisite noir Everybody Knows at the infamous Chateau Marmont. Overlooking Sunset Boulevard and loosely modelled on a French royal getaway, the hotel and celebrity residence has seen it all over its 90-plus years, cycling through renovation and disrepair, generations of Hollywood glitterati on the rise and fall.

Harper masterfully takes readers on a skin-crawling journey through an amoral landscape that resides beneath the glamour and mythology of Hollywood, with ‘black bag’ publicist Mae Pruett as our guide. Most publicists try to get their clients into the public eye, cutting through the noise to garner maximum attention. Mae’s job is to strangle stories pre-birth, to divert attention like a magician; look here, not here. When Mae arrives at the Chateau Marmont, her client, a fading 20-something starlet, has a black eye from a sugar Daddy date gone wrong and could lose her film gig. Mae puts that fire out, another flares. Then Mae’s boss is gunned down, taking secrets with him, and Mae finds herself teaming with ex-lover and ex-Sheriff’s Deputy Chris, who works similar dark arts as private security.

Can Mae and Chris survive when the very Beast they’ve served turns on them? Harper’s stylish prose enlivens a sordid journey behind the curtain of modern-day Hollywood, where money, power, and excess feast from the boulevard of broken dreams.

Everybody Knows is not just a best of the year contender, but a best of many years.

[This review was originally written for Good Reading magazine in Australia]

In this impressive fast-paced noir private investigator mystery, Los Angeles public relations “fixer” Mae Pruett solves problems for her clients by wiping social media and using her press contacts to manipulate the story. When her own boss is executed in the street, she must utilize all her assets, including her ex-boyfriend Chris, former crooked cop turned security enforcer, to solve the case and ensure her own livelihood against “The Beast,” Hollywood’s underbelly of millionaires and politicians who are above the law. Narrators Megan Tusing and William DeMeritt wonderfully narrate the alternating chapters from Mae’s and Chris’s point-of-view with clear diction and expressiveness. However, audio production errors consisting of clipped words and skips keep this title from receiving a starred audio review. Harper, whose She Rides Shotgun won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, has excelled again with gritty noir that hits hard and is packed with impactful sentences like Mae’s mantra, “Nobody talks, but everybody whispers.” Sure to be a hit with adrenaline and crime fiction readers, give to fans of Raymond Chandler and Jonathan Ames.

Phenomenal book! Great pace, enjoyable experience. Will definitely check out further books by the author. Thank you for the opportunity!

A shattering book with an echo of hope at the end. Bit of a stretch here, but it's like John LeCarre's later novels, only a noir vision of modern LA. You can't beat the System (in Everybody Knows The Beast), but you struggle against it the best you can, maybe save a few people, and somehow retain your humanity.

Thanks to Mulholland Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This dad read Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper, a mystery/thriller published in January 2023. This one had been on my Netgalley shelf all year long and I’m pleased to say that I not only finally read it but really enjoyed it.

Mae Pruett’s Los Angeles is a city where silence prevails, yet whispers echo through every corner. As a covert publicist tasked with containing rather than disseminating positive news, Mae is employed by one of LA’s preeminent crisis PR firms. Positioned at the heart of a vast network she dubs “The Beast,” comprising lawyers, PR experts, and private security firms, Mae and her colleagues safeguard the affluent, influential, and morally compromised using any means necessary.

When Mae’s superior falls victim to a random attack outside the Beverly Hills Hotel, she takes it upon herself to unravel the mystery. In her pursuit of the truth, Mae confronts The Beast’s unrestrained schemes and the corrupt systems it perpetuates. This journey thrusts her into a vibrant yet dystopian Los Angeles, where influencers are fueled by pills and fillers, opulent mansions stand mere steps from sprawling homeless encampments, and the night conceals crooked cops and enigmatic wrecking crews. Will Mae succeed in not only taming but taking down The Beast?

An aspect of Everybody Knows that I really enjoyed is Harper’s writing style. It’s a touch more artsy than is typical for a thriller. His word choice and sentence structure consistently surprised and delighted me. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I’m trying to say here, but basically I was impressed with Harper’s skill as an artist in the writing of this book. It’s a page turner yes, but one that frequently pays off if you slow down and pay attention.

Harper’s tale is definitely a dark one, with the seedy underworld of LA brimming with real danger. This isn’t to say that there isn’t any hope, but Everybody Knows is solidly based in the “real world” of Harper’s version of Los Angeles. As a protagonist, Mae is likable but has her faults. She has a drive and passion for doing the right thing, but rarely follows that advice for herself. Whether she’s being let down by herself or by others, she has the interior fortitude to soldier on simply because it’s the right thing to do. For me, that’s what makes for a captivating main character; not someone who’s perfect but continues to strive for perfection in an imperfect world.

For all of the mysteries that are setup, Everybody Knows ends on a somewhat disappointing note. The entirety of the story didn’t feel conclusive enough to me, I can only hope that this isn’t the end of Mae’s journey for justice because it seems like there’s more story to tell.

Mae is employed by one of Los Angeles' most influential and highly sought-after crisis PR firms, situated at the heart of an intricate network encompassing lawyers, public relations experts, and private security firms, collectively known as "The Beast." They are dedicated to safeguarding the wealthy, the influential, and the morally corrupt, employing any means necessary.

When Mae's superior is unexpectedly gunned down in a seemingly random assault in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, she takes it upon herself to delve into the incident. In doing so, she plunges headfirst into the unscrupulous schemes of The Beast and the corrupt systems it perpetuates.

This narrative alternates between Mae and Chris, a former police officer who has transitioned to the private sector, specializing in "making things happen." They operate within a morally reprehensible industry, initially oblivious to the ethical ramifications of their actions. However, the plot takes a dark and rapid turn as they both undergo a transformation in their outlook, making them recognize the extreme risks associated with their course of action.

The conclusion of the story is meticulously crafted, filled with a sense of desperation, ambiguity, and self-realization. It's a dark and gritty read, offering an insider's view of Hollywood, replete with celebrity drama and the inner workings of public relations, making it an enthralling choice for those intrigued by the behind-the-scenes dynamics of this world.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book reads like a Chinatown for the modern age. Just like the film, it's about a seemingly mundane municipal conflict juxtaposed against an awful crime. Unfortunately for us, the rot isn't confined to the city built on stolen water. It's everywhere and it's not supposed to be this way, but it's not permanent. Nothing gold can stay, but everything cycles and every day is a chance to be better.

I must confess that I was a huge fan of Ray Donovan - the Showtime drama about a Hollywood fixer who hailed from Boston's Southie neighborhood. Highly recommend. So that's what made me think this book was for me - a twisty thriller about a Hollywood fixer. This book delivered for the genre, but I have finally realized that this is 100% not my genre.

If a twisty thriller about a young woman working at a crisis PR firm, dealing with overdoses, kidnapping, murder and more sound good, then give this a try. There were colorful characters and a fairly intriguing scenarios.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

This is a unique book of behind the scenes of the rich and famous. I really enjoyed this one, I've actually never read anything like it. It was action packed and had me on my seat the whole time.

This was an excellent noir storyline that really brought the realities of Hollywood to the forefront. It certainly wastes no time in taking off and holds the reader in its grip until the extremely satisfyingly ending. Jordan Harper may not be as prolific as some of his contemporaries, but when the output is as strong as this, that hardly matters. His will be books that are talked about for years to come.

I wanted to love this book based on the blurbs and buzz, but I couldn't even finish it. I couldn't even get a quarter way through. I figured it would be as engaging as Scandal was for politics, but I found the writing confusing.
I'm obviously not the right reader for this one.

Fascinating and intricately drawn with two terrific leads. I loved Mae and Chris. Harper shows us a gritty and seedy underbelly of Hollywood and it’s so hard to look away. I did have a bit of a hard time remembering who all the characters were as the puzzle pieces were assembled, but that might just be me.

Well written with plenty of underworld Hollywood lingo, this book had so many characters and different story lines, I began to lose track. The heart of the story (or what I perceived to be) revealed itself so far along that I had already lost patience. Ultimately, I found there was more atmosphere than story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Everybody knows is a story about secrets. On the surface, anyway. The deeper you go, the more you realize it's actually a story not about the secrets themselves, but instead about the people who keep them - and the desperate lengths they'll go to keep them forever.

I closed this book feeling like I was covered entirely in a layer of grime, and not because the book wasn't good. Quite the opposite actually. This book is supposed to make you feel like you rolled around in dirt. In a way, you did. You just witnessed the worst of humanity, you saw everything. You weren't shielded from it. And the worst part is you couldn't do a single thing to stop any of it.

That's how a book SHOULD make you feel. Like you were part of something. Whether you wanted to be or not you were a witness - you opened the book, after all. You made this choice.

This book is fiction. But the truths it paints likely aren't. And that's what makes it one of the best books I've read so far this year.

Jordan Harper has written a tour-de-force of neo-noir with echoes of Chinatown overlaid with the language, slang, and dialect of a new corrupt celebrity-ridden Los Angeles.

Homeless camps are burning while at the helm of power an unnamed antagonist called The Beast moves the characters around like a loaded videogame. Mae works as a “publicist” for a company that covers up the slippage of high rollers and spins whatever local celebs need to keep their reputation. Chris, once a cop, now works for whoever needs his muscle. Once lovers, Mae and Chris end up in a situation that pits them against The Beast while LA burns and Mae and Chris finally try to do one good deed.

But this is noir. Harper takes on a fast and furious race against the clock, and we keep pace with the hope that Mae and Chris survive to accomplish their one good deed. Details like a beheaded concrete Buddha bring the story to life and foreshadow the carnage that ensues. A brilliant, complicated, literary steamroller with characters who have us crying and swearing at the Beast with so much power that all you can do is watch the bodies fall. In the end, we just hope that Mae and Chris make it out alive and maybe keep some sliver of integrity.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jordan Harper, and Mulholland Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing thriller, I couldn't put it down!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

By far and easily one of my favorite books so far this year. I have not yet read a book by Jordan Harper I didn’t like. I absolutely want to read more books about Mae. She reminds me of Ray Donovan a bit, and I feel like she has more work to do.

I think more people should be talking about this book. Harper's story and characters are fresh and original and her writing style perfectly supports the urgent pace of her plot. Writing in present tense is not easy, but Harper's prose is seamless and natural and gives the novel the hard edge it needs to be effective as contemporary noir. Bravo!

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper is a thrilling adventure that takes place in the modern day entertainment world of Hollywood.

Mia is a publicist, the fancier name for what in Hollywood’s golden era was referred to as fixer. She and others help clean up messes made by the stars in her employ. When a colleague is killed under suspicious circumstances, Mia finds herself caught up in the drama and must find ways of surviving while unmasking those powerful persons behind that and other efforts.

Not only did I enjoy the protagonist and her “co-star,” a former sheriff’s deputy who works for a private security agency, but the writing was also stellar. The author knows of what he writes and that fact made this thriller an enjoyable read on different levels.

Fans of thrillers and show business will enjoy this novel, and perhaps like me, be left with wanting more. Hopefully, this is a first satisfying entry into what I trust becomes a successful new series of books.