Fun, fast paced mystery set in the early '60s. Ryan Zorn is a young surf bum who has been running errands as an apprentice at his uncle's private detective agency. With his uncle convalescing in the hospital Ryan takes on his first solo case... A simple missing person investigation that soon has the young detective in way over his head in blackmail and murder.

Ryan Zorn is casual cool, into hip jazz and early surf music. The author sets up the era nicely. It's that period where the Rat Pack will soon be eclipsed by the British Invasion (Beatles, Stones, etc.), a band called The Beach Boys has a new hit called Surfin' U.S.A., and the Hollywood Blacklist is gone but not entirely forgotten.

The book tries a little too hard at times to make some of its points on social justice and prejudices but it stops short of being preachy. More like a well intentioned person who doesn't realize they are going a bit overboard. All-in-all it's a pretty good read.

Might be offensive to some readers, contains adult language (f-bombs) and slurs against gay men.

“Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows...you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one.” (Danny DeVito, LA Confidential)


Whilst set in the early 1960s, a time of counterculture and revolution with regard to social norms and mores, a time of relaxation of social taboos especially relating to racism and sexism, this book definitely takes you back to the seedier side of the 1950s movie industry and the period just after the McCarthy witch-hunts that dominated Hollywood and elsewhere in America.

Naive wanna-be private eye Ryan Zorn embarks on a case (in his sick uncle's stead) to find a missing boy, before stumbling upon scandal, blackmail and murder, and someone intent on reviving long-dead secrets.

I get the impression that this could quite easily become a series.

This was a very interesting mystery. Explores a time in history when individuals could be blacklisted for a multitude of beliefs. Ryan was very likeable and his complex role of characters were diverse. Enjoyed the interaction between the two different generations.

This was a fun read set in 1960's sunny southern California. The setting and the character—a young man taking over his uncle's private investigation firm—kept it from being too "noir" It felt fresh and somewhat upbeat in spite of it being a murder mystery.

This was such an interesting read! I really like how mysterious the story started off and offered an ominous tone that kept me on edge. Hollywood Hang Ten was definitely a page turner and would certainly recommend!

Hang Ten reminds me of the old dime novels, a little sensational, but not amounting to much. I have to admit to some disappointment as the story just didn't build much interest. A young man working for a private eye finds himself in the lead as his boss recuperates. He makes rookie mistakes, and goes too far to satisfy a client. Thanks NetGalley for the review copy.

An interesting 1960s Hollywood-set mystery book.

Ryan is running his uncle's PI firm while he's in hospital, and although he's been his uncle's apprentice (of sorts) for a while, he soon realises that there's a big difference between helping with cases and solving them yourself. His first solo case is a missing child and in solving that he stumbles into a Hollywood studio mystery and finds himself getting sucked in to something that may be beyond his control.

I'm not sure that the road this went down was entirely a surprise, but I still raced through the book to find out how it was going to resolve itself.

I received a free electronic copy of this mystery from Netgalley, Eve Goldberg, and Thistle Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

1963 was a very good year. That said, Eve Goldberg can bring it alive for those of you who cannot remember/have never been exposed to 1963 Southern California. She has the music, the films, the highways, the cars, the crimes. And a sweet young protagonist, attempting to keep his Uncle Lou's PI business up and running through an extended hospitalization. Ryan has worked with his uncle for the five years since high school graduation, but his heart and mind has been committed to his surfboard. But when push comes to shove, he knuckles down to protect the client and solve the mystery.

This novel differs from authentic 1960 PI novels in that it explores the bias' intentionally overlooked in everyday life back in the day. An excellent read.

Hollywood Hang Ten by Eve Goldberg. I requested this one because of the connection to the years of Hollywood Blacklisting. This disgraceful period of blacklisting writers and actors who refused to name names was instituted by HUAC in 1947 and lasted until 1960.

In 1963, young Ryan Zorn, who has been working with his uncle for a number of years, finds himself alone at the detective agency during his uncle's hospitalization. Twenty-three-year-old Ryan has never been in charge of an investigation and has not always paid strict attention to his uncle's techniques and advice. On his first solo case, Ryan has to learn from his mistakes.

The case of a missing boy leads to stolen photographs, blackmail, and murder--with tentacles reaching back to the 1950's.

Hollywood Hang Ten adeptly places the reader in time and place. I liked the way Ryan's character is forced into growth by the circumstances he encounters. It is particularly interesting to see the cultural differences that have occurred since 1963.

Eve Goldberg is a writer and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her screen credits include the Emmy-nominated "Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist" (co-writer), "Cover Up: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair" (writer) and "Maestra" (writer).Her writing has been published in American Popular Culture, The Reading Room, The Gay & Lesbian Review, Hippocampus, and Censored: The News that Didn¹t Make the News. Hollywood Hang Ten is her first novel.

NetGalley/Thistle Publishing

Mystery/Historical Fiction. Oct. 5, 2017. Print length: 247 pages.

Hollywood Hang Ten is a genre novel about a expert surfer, but novice private investigator looking into crime around Venice Beach California in the 1960's. The period details are laid on, and the book smoothly written and well edited, and the plot and character development are of interest. However it didn't quite convince me as a period piece and lacked depth. Original 1960's detective novels are grand - if you can ignore the biases which are explored in Hollywood Hang Ten.

This did invoke some classic Ross MacDonald, which I love, along with my other favorite mystery setting, Hollywood of the past. Good job by Goldberg and I look forward to her future titles.

Ryan Zorn is learning to be a PI from his uncle but now Uncle Lou is in the hospital so Ryan is on his own. It is 1963 and a divorced mom hires him to find her son who has taken off. This leads to another client and that leads to another client. The story goes from a boy disappearing to blackmail and murder. Ryan is up and down the California coast with trying to keep up with it all. He learns as he goes but much of what Uncle Lou told him comes back as he goes. This story gets better the further you go in the story.