Format: Hardcover, 432 pages
Release Date: April 3, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Mysteries
There’s no shortage of suspense, glitz, or scandal in the gripping conclusion to #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël’s Beautiful Idols trilogy.
Layla Harrison never imagined she’d see the inside of a jail cell, but sometimes fate can be as nasty as a commenter on her celebrity gossip blog. Luckily, she wasn’t alone—fellow promoters Aster Amirpour and Tommy Phillips were also detained when Hollywood It Girl Madison Brooks’s dead body turned up at an Unrivaled nightclub.
But it wasn’t Madison at all. The real Madison Brooks is alive and hiding out after escaping a kidnapping attempt that almost took her life. Once the police discover they’ve made a mistake, Layla, Tommy, and Aster are set free—only to discover that they’re all being played.
However, none of their dirty little secrets compares to the one Madison has been keeping her entire life, and her past is dangerously close to being revealed. Which means Madison must come out from behind the shadows to ensure that she doesn’t lose everything she’s worked for, regardless of who might get caught in the crossfire.
Infamous, by author Alyson Noel, is the third and final installment in the authors Beautiful Idols trilogy. Club promoters Layla, Aster, and Tommy never imagined that entering the Unrivaled competition would land them in the middle of a celebrity murder investigation, but sometimes fate can be as nasty as the anonymous comments on a Hollywood gossip blog. But Madison Brooks isn’t dead. Layla, Aster, and Tommy have been set up, and as Madison’s dirty little secrets creep closer to the light, they discover Madison will do anything to keep her past hidden—no matter who gets caught in the crossfire. Once more we find that the author has decided to tell her story through the narratives of Aster Amirpour, Layla Harrison, Tommy Phillips, Madison Brooks, Mateo Luna, and Trena Moretti. Infamous picks up right where Blacklist left off.
As the story opens, we find that Madison has been rescued by long time supporter, and protector Paul Banks. She's wounded, sore, malnourished, weak from her captivity by an unknown person or persons who apparently have a vendetta planned out to perfection against her, and holding a deeply seething anger against those who were responsible. Madison knows that Hollywood is a fickle town and while someone is destroying her reputation by digging up her past, she knows that one can have both devastating defeats, and soaring personal triumphs.
Layla's life has been turned upside down. She has been arrested, her blog, Beautiful Idols, has taken a huge hit and she is receiving death threats for her presumed participation in what is happening to Madison. Layla once again is in a precarious situation. Someone continues to send her strange text message, as well as packages wherever she may be. Whomever is responsible for what's happening to Madison, has apparently decided that Layla will be the person to totally tear apart Madison's life apart for the entire world to read about and expose her for her secretive background.
Aster spends most of the story with Ryan which in my opinion is a good thing. Ryan keeps her head straight and in the right direction when all she wants to do is be angry towards the persons who set her up for Madison's alleged murder and disappearance. With a court date soon approaching, and her future all but destroyed, Aster, who is also being blackmailed by the anonymous source, has to pull together every ounce of support she can find in order to remain free.
Tommy is the last person to see Madison alive, a fact that he can't live down no matter how hard he tries. Even though he has a deal of a lifetime with a record company, he has no idea what his future holds. Will he be sent to prison again, and spend the rest of his life behind bars? Or, will Madison be found and Tommy's name cleared? Tommy isn't from California. He moved here to find fortune and discover who his father was. That being discovered, it now becomes a question as to whether or not his father is behind what is happening to his friends, and himself.
Mateo is the odd man out in this story. He's Layla's ex, who has been taunted, teased, and propped up by Heather Rollins which has lead to some much need capital to help his very sick younger sister Valentina. Mateo is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and pretty much remains a non-factor throughout the story. But, I do believe that Mateo has a whole lot more moral high ground and standing than our last character.
Trena Moretti's stardom has rocketed to the top quickly thanks to her never relentless search for answers about Madison's past, and why she disappeared and who was actually responsible. To me, Trena is a morally ambiguous sellout just like all journalists on cable TV today who chase after the gold unicorn, while leaving facts behind. He even goes so far as to use Aster's younger brother Javen.
I really want to talk about Ira for a moment. While all of this with Madison, Aster, Layla, and Tommy is happening, Ira's business is blooming. He's raking in so much money now, that truth be told, you have to ask yourselves if Ira was working with whomever planned and set up this revenge plot against Madison. Would Ira really do that to his own son? Absolutely. Would Ira cast away the girl he thinks of his daughter? Again, absolutely. But, can Ira really be that cold and disturbed to put four innocent people thru literal hell? Read the book and find out!
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