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Like most of the characters in EARTHQUAKE WEATHER, what Mark Hayes ultimately wants is to make movies -- good movies. To that end he has made uneasy compromises, taken ethical shortcuts, and found a job working for a ruthless movie producer, Dexter Morton. Dexter is hated by everybody, knows it, and yet doesn't care. In fact, Dexter's idea of a good time is to invite all the people who despise him to his birthday party so that he can lord it over them. To anyone who regularly reads mysteries, it should come as no surprise that Dexter turns up very dead and that Mark discovers he's the favored suspect. Mark is an unlikable cynic in a town full of unlikable cynics. No one, not even Mark, is particularly sympathetic. As much as that might sound like a turnoff, it's not. I have to admit that when I opened up the book and read the publicity, I cringed. As a rule, I generally prefer at least one or two sympathetic characters. This book did not sound like I'd enjoy it. I couldn't have been more wrong; EARTHQUAKE WEATHER is an engaging, fast read. Lankford's descriptions of Los Angeles and the film industry were fascinating. Raymond Chandler's name is invoked throughout the book, which is apt enough; EARTHQUAKE WEATHER is written firmly in the tradition of the noir. All the familiar ingredients are there: characters that discover they aren't quite as hard-bitten as they'd like to believe; sinister cops; fatalism that saturates everyone's actions. Lankford laces the book with enough humor to keep it from going too dark, but stays firmly away from sentimentalizing anything. In some respects, I think he may have overdone that. Most of the characters are fully-fleshed creations; Clyde McCoy, the embittered author, for instance, is beautifully rendered. Others are not so well-written. I found it hard to care about Charity, the starlet on her way down. More importantly, I couldn't see why Mark would care either. The issue of character likeability aside, EARTHQUAKE WEATHER is well-written. For anyone who enjoys reading about the film industry, particularly its darker side, or who has a penchant for noir, EARTHQUAKE WEATHER is definitely worth picking up.
Reviewed by Michelle L. Zafron, March 2004
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