John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Pink-haired Hilda and oddball loner Benji are not your typical teenagers. Instead of going to parties or hanging out at the mall, they comb the city streets and suburban culs-de-sac of Los Angeles for sites of celebrity murder and suicide. Bound by their interest in the macabre, Hilda and Benji neglect their schoolwork and their social lives in favor of prowling the most notorious crime scenes in Hollywood history and collecting odd mementos of celebrity death.
Hilda and Benji’s morbid pastime takes an unexpected turn when they meet Hank, the elderly, reclusive tenant of a dilapidated Echo Park apartment where a silent movie star once stabbed himself to death with a pair of scissors. Hilda feels a strange connection with Hank and comes to care deeply for her paranoid new friend as they watch old movies together and chat the sweltering afternoons away. But when Hank’s downstairs neighbor Jake, a handsome screenwriter, inserts himself into the equation and begins to hint at Hank’s terrible secrets, Hilda must decide what it is she’s come to Echo Park searching for . . . and whether her fascination with death is worth missing out on life.

My take on this book:
I was surprised at how much I really liked this book.
Even though the author focuses alot on celebrity death, I mean both of the main characters are totally engrossed in the morbid hobby of visiting the sites of celebrity death, there is a depth to the characters that is exposed very early on in the book that really hooks you in.
The characters are very believable and the problems they deal with make them seem very vulnerable at times.
I was so glad that Hilda started distancing herself from Benjy enough to allow us a true glimpse of her character. When we are given a back story on Hilda it is truly easy to understand where she is coming from. When she befriends Hank you honestly know she is actually a good kid, just trying to come to grips with the awful tragedy that fate dealt her.
This debut novel is well worth the read, the authors writing style flows easily and her descriptions of people and places make you feel as if your along for the ride as the characters visit various "death sites" in LA.
I would caution readers that there are some vivid descriptions of death that may not sit well with some, but if your willing to look past that then your in for a gripping novel that will hold your attention until the last page.
Here are some links of other blogs on the tour!
Lucky Rosie's

See Michelle Read

from the tbr pile

The Fiction Enthusiast

The Country Bookshelf

my book views

I was provided a copy of this book from Gallery Books for review, but in no way does it alter my opinion of this book!