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Sex.Lies.Murder.Fame.

lolita files

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In sex.lies.murder.fame., Lolita Files delivers a sizzling satire set against the affluence and sensuality of the literary and music worlds that explores the outrageous lengths to which three devout fame-chasers will go to seek their fortune.

Fame is a b*#%$. And when boy meets b*#%$, nothing can keep the two of them apart. Penn Hamilton is young, brilliant, beautiful, and ready to take on the world and claim his rightful place in the midst of celebrity. As a Writer. Rapper. Model. God. Unfortunately, the world is not quite ready for him. When Penn writes what he believes to be the "Great American Literary Blockbuster," he's rebuffed at every turn. Faced with ridicule, rejection, and mounting resentment, he decides to fight back using his assets -- rock-star looks, genius IQ, and killer charm.

Beryl Unger is a rising star in the publishing world, editor to literati and glitterati alike. Single, plain, obsessive, a bit on the dreamy side, she's a train wreck waiting to happen, and easy prey for a beautiful man with a seductive plan. When Penn meets Beryl, sparks fly. And sparks fly even higher when he meets the breathtaking superstar romance author Sharlyn Tate.

Two women, one man. A man with no boundaries, who will stop short at nothing -- even brutal, vicious murder -- to fulfill his desperate ambition. Lolita Files is the author of the bestselling Child of God, which has been optioned as a feature film by Kanye West. Files has a degree in broadcast journalism and lives outside of Los Angeles, where she is currently developing projects for television and film.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,2006

This edition

Format
368 pages, Hardcover
Published
January 10, 2006 by Amistad
ISBN
9780060786809
ASIN
0060786809
Language
English

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About the author

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lolita files

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Lolita Files is an African-American author, screenwriter, and producer. Among her six bestselling novels are book club favorites Scenes from a Sistah and Child of God. Her sixth novel, sex.lies.murder.fame was optioned for film by Carolyn Folks for Entertainment Studios with Files adapting the screenplay.
The book Once Upon A Time In Compton, by former Compton Gang Unit Detectives Timothy M. Brennan and Robert Ladd, along with Files, about Brennan and Ladd's years in the gang unit, the rise of Gangsta rap, gang wars, the L.A. riots, the investigations of the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., and the fall of the Compton Police Department was published on April 25, 2017.
Files has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Florida and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Files lives in Los Angeles, where she writes novels, nonfiction, and writes and produces projects for television, film, and new media.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 30 votes)
5 stars
12(40%)
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8(27%)
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10(33%)
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30 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
helios90
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Read October 2006

Was this supposed to be funny??? If so then it deserves 5 stars and all the praise some of the other reviewers gave it. If not then I can only, in good conscience give it 2 stars...and maybe that is being generous. It said on the back flap that this was supposed to be a satire, a satire of what I am not sure though. I enjoyed this book up until about half way through when it just became so preposterous that I kept finding myself laying it down to have a good laugh. Everything about the second half of this book was utterly ridiculous and had the feel as though it was written by someone who does not live in the real world. Also the ending, in my opinion, left a lot to be desired. There were many questions left unanswered and no real feeling of closure.

`SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME' is the first book by Lolita Files that I have read but despite my particular distaste for this book I do plan to pick up some of her previous works as I hear they are supposed to be very good. The one saving grace for `SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME' was the prose, Lolita Files is obviously a talented writer who should stick with story lines based somewhat in reality.
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Animenger
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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lolita files wasted no time with unraveling characters and laying out the plot....I love How easy it was to become invested in certain characters....It was impossible to look away from ....GREAT WORK Cool Story!
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Never_Know_Best
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Ha! I loved the main character, Penn. I was rooting for him the whole time. He takes what he wants. Small points are hilarious: like the way he hates his IKEA bed, and that it has a name and inspires him to greatness. I think this book is genius and really funny. (Though I sense an intended irony that is not lost, but certainly wasted on me. Penn is supposed to be a "bad symbol"? But things were so comical by the time he gets nasty that it did not matter.)
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hl54321
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This book was definitely racy...not a typical book I would choose but a fun/quick summer read, nonetheless. The author (female) should get props for writing from the perspective of an (egomaniacal) angry male...I honestly thought the author must have been a man based on the way things were phrased, written, etc.
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Mythicalx
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Not my favorite of Lolita Files' books. She didn't have a single character that you could root for. Maybe it was her goal to portray the characters in a glossy surface, tabloid kind of way. I only stuck with the book because I have so much respect for Files I believed it would get better.
I did like the way she used the concepts and literary techniques as the headings for the upcoming chapters i.e. nihilism, deus ex machina.
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AoiYukihira004
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This was a good book. I'm not sure if the reviews of the book gave me low expectations, but I thought it was an engaging book. There was a lot of character development as someone else stated, but I think it worked. It captivated me. I wanted to know how their stories would end and the trials they would go through along the way.

I like that she told us Penn's thoughts because there are so many women who get so caught up in the fantasy like Beryl did that they neglect or overlook reality. These were not stupid women, but they were being played like so many women are. I may be wrong but sometimes a writer inputs things like this not only because of the story but to call attention to readers. It's sort of like a slap on the hand, pay attention to these men out here type of thing.

I like the use of fame in the title, but I saw an obsession with money. Many characters "overlooked" Penn's sociopath qualities because they were financially invested or lustfully hoping they could fuck him. They even used the murder investigation and trial as a way to get money. They completely neglected that this was a person who died, and there were no other suspects.

All in all, this book was definitely interesting, and I enjoyed every bit of it. :-)
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Dhyan_kumar
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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The book was only 361 pages long and it took her 100+ pages to develop the two main characters. I was really wondering when the plot was going to begin, and by the time it did, I was already busy searching for things to like about the book rather than being immersed in it. I suppose I went into the story expecting more, especially in the comedy department, but I just couldn't get passed how slow it started. Though it compelled me to finish the book, and it was written well.
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Thomask_01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This was an interesting read. It confused me in the end though. I didn't get it. It got way out of hand when he killed his married lover and threw her in the lake. That was a bit far fetched. It just was... weird.
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