Cover image of "Everybody Knows," a story about power

Here’s a story about power and the violence that sustains it. Violence erupts on the page in Jordan Harper’s thriller, Everybody Knows, from its lede (“Los Angeles burns. Some sicko is torching homeless camps.”) to its inevitable conclusion. And the woman at the center of Harper’s story, Mae Pruett, is a high-priced specialist in “crisis PR” whose job it is “to disconnect power from responsibility.” She and her ex, Chris Tamburro, both work for what they call “the Beast.” It’s a network of lawyers, PR firms, and private security consultants. She’s a crisis manager and flack. He’s an ex-cop, a “fist” who administers the violence that’s needed from time to time when verbal persuasion is ineffective. And that’s often the case. Because this is L.A., where “Nobody talks. But everybody whispers.” And sometimes the whispers simply have to stop because they threaten a powerful client.

“It’s not that the truth isn’t important. It just doesn’t matter.”

Those clients may include a fading Hollywood star whose narcissistic antics jeopardize her comeback. The city’s leading Democratic power broker who’s accused of luring drug addicts to their deaths. A City Councilman whose son is accused of being the “Bum Bomber” setting off fire-bombs among the homeless. In every case, Mae’s job is to quash or question the stories surfacing in the news and ensure her clients speak only to friendly press. And Chris may be needed to persuade witnesses their self-interest lies in shutting up. Because, no matter the circumstances, Mae and Chris know not to “worry about the truth. It’s not that the truth isn’t important. It just doesn’t matter.”

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper (2023) 323 pages ★★★★★

Photo of Hollywood mansion where some of the action takes place in this story about power
In this novel about power in Los Angeles, much of it resides in mansions like this one high above the city. Image: Anthony Barcelo – Robb Report

A universal truth about power

Author Jordan Harper comes to his story knowing whereof he writes. As a TV writer and producer in Hollywood, he may be prone to exaggeration for dramatic effect. But just enough of the reality he depicts in Everybody Knows has surfaced in the news to lend the novel credibility. Because this isn’t just a novel about Hollywood (or Los Angeles, a little more broadly). It’s a story that reflects a universal truth about power—those who lack it, those who have it, and how they sustain it. Harper’s story is not for a squeamish. But it’s well written in a distinctive, hard-boiled style. And if you can tolerate the violence and the gore, you’ll find it rewarding.

About the author

Photo of Jordan Harper, author of this story about power
Jordan Harper. Image: Amazon

According to Goodreads, “Jordan Harper is the Edgar-Award winning author of She Rides Shotgun, The Last King of California, Everybody Knows, and the short story collection Love and Other Wounds. He lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer for television.”

You’ll find this novel in good company at Great mysteries about Hollywood and Top Los Angeles mysteries and thrillers.

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