79. The Crime Writer by Gregg Hurwitz

Waking up in the hospital, crime writer Drew Danner has no idea what has happened to him. When police inform him that he was found having a grand mal seizure over the body of his now-dead ex-fiancé, and that he had her blood on his hands and the murder weapon, Drew has no memory of that night. He is soon tried for Genevieve’s murder, but is found not guilty due to temporary insanity. Once home, Drew tries to find out who the real killer is, and when mysterious break-ins occur and people start following him, Drew is in a race to prove his innocence.

Set in the twisty streets of Mulholland Drive, this mystery starts out with a great concept that soon grows convoluted. Drew is a sympathetic character, and the idea of Drew being set up and the real killer out to get him works well to build tension. The shallow L.A. lifestyle description brings humor to this thriller as well, but the far fetched ending is a little over the top. For readers of Harlan Coben and Peter Abrahams.