Rafferty Returns by Thom Mount

Rafferty Returns is a razor-sharp Hollywood noir that plunges into the shadows cast by the spotlight.

“A crossword puzzle of a detective story—I very much enjoyed the way
Thom Mount writes Chandler-style: brief, incisive, witty.
Those who appreciate puzzles will much enjoy.”
—Oliver Stone

Jon Rafferty once reigned supreme over Hollywood’s spin machine. But after a spectacular fall from grace marked by scandal, divorce, and the collapse of his PR empire, he is restored to power and responsibility at Selwyn Bros.-Ince, one of the few giant studios, bearing the enigmatic title: Director of Special Projects. 

His mandate? To handle the studio’s most sensitive challenges, volatile movie stars, powerful studio executives, relentless law enforcement, ambitious politicians, and a voracious press. Rafferty is the man who douses flare-ups, contains brush fires, and manages full-blown catastrophes. And Jake Burnham, the studio chief, owes him—deeply. 

The governor’s daughter is discovered at a murder scene. A predatory Wall Street raider begins circling the studio. Their top producer slips into scandal. It’s just another day at the office for Jon Rafferty. But when megastar Jimmy Mathews is found dead at the legendary Chateau Marmont mere days before the premiere of SBI’s most expensive and anticipated film, Rafferty finds himself thrust into a high-stakes chase for missing witnesses. Navigating a shadowy world of rogue Vice Squad detectives, MS-13 enforcers, and an ever-growing body count, Rafferty must solve the mysteries and find killers—or risk being the next victim of a criminal conspiracy far more dangerous than he could have imagined. 

Fast-paced, razor-sharp, and steeped in the intrigue of Hollywood’s power struggles, Rafferty Returns is a riveting plunge into the hidden underbelly of the dream factory, where every secret comes at a price—and every fixer faces his reckoning.

Thom Mount began his career in film at Roger Corman Productions, developing scripts for producers Daniel Selznick and Hannah Weinstein. He also worked as a journalist, contributing to publications such as The Village Voice and Interview Magazine. In 1973, he joined Universal Pictures, rising to head of production and becoming president by the age of twenty-six. During his tenure, films like The Deer Hunter, Animal House, Scarface, E.T., and The Breakfast Club were produced under his leadership.

After thirteen years at Universal, he founded The Mount Company, producing acclaimed films including Bull Durham, Frantic, Tequila Sunrise, Natural Born Killers, and Can’t Buy Me Love. The company also produced for Broadway and London’s West End.

Mount served two terms as president of the Producers Guild of America and co-founded The Los Angeles Film School. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1977. Frequently cited as the inspiration for the studio head in Robert Altman’s The Player, Mount famously quipped, “Not me. I’ve never murdered a screenwriter—yet.”

“Rafferty Returns twists like a hot pretzel with lots of fun on the curves.”
—Ed Ruscha

“In Rafferty Returns, author Thom Mount lifts the lid off the seamy underbelly of the City of Angels. Jon Rafferty, a Hollywood studio ‘damage control’ specialist, leads the reader through an assortment of scandals that plague both executives and A-listers on an almost daily basis. With rice rockets, Range Rovers, and sun monkeys as backdrops, Rafferty takes a wild ride through star factory indignities that major studio heads (like Mount was) deal with on a regular basis. It all rings true—because it is. These are the escapades that were kept from TMZ and the tabloids, real insider stuff.
So, enjoy this highly entertaining book.”
—Gus Russo, author of Supermob and The Outfit

“In Rafferty Returns, movie star Jimmy Matthews is found dead in a hotel room on Sunset Boulevard shortly before the release of his new movie. The studio assigns veteran studio fixer Jon Rafferty to ensure news of the death does not affect the profit potential of the film. The situation escalates when individuals connected with Matthews begin to be killed. Rafferty and his police detective girlfriend find themselves struggling in a life-or-death kaleidoscope of Hollywood drug dealers, actors, decadent millionaires, dilettantes, lawyers who carry guns, gang members, and corrupt cops. 

At the heart of Rafferty Returns is a dark, insightful view of the motion picture industry whose outrageousness and insincerity could only have been properly chronicled by an insider. Author Thom Mount, successful motion picture producer and studio executive, speaks with authority on all the shady characters he writes about.
The ultimate Hollywood insider has written a novel that is not only compelling,
but unique, revealing, and worthwhile.”
—Gerald Petievich, author of To Live and Die in L.A. and To Die in Beverly Hills

“Knowing, controlled, hilarious…pages fly by like Hollywood nights, ironies abound.”
—Terry McDonell, editor of Rolling Stone, Outside, Esquire, Sports Illustrated

“Rafferty Returns uses the iconic locales of LA, running into tripwires set by criminals Rafferty’s encountered. In both Hollywood and law enforcement, he finds ‘the best of the best and the worst of the worst.’ Hang on to your seat and enjoy a great ride.”
—John Marcello, DEA Senior Special Agent, charter member 1973