Martini Shot

"The martini shot" is film slang for the wrap shot in a movie, the signal to strike the set and celebrate with a stiff drink. But aging action film star Charlie West doesn't need an occasion — the empty booze bottles in Charlie's closet risk crowding out the skeletons. Little does Charlie know that salvation is on the way in the unlikeliest of forms.

Matt Ravendahl, Charlie's illegitimate teenage son and an unforgettable character, is on his way to L.A. in search of acceptance from the father he never knew. When Matt reaches L.A. he must first overcome the doubts of his half sister, Ava, and soon the two form a memorable bond and a commitment to help Charlie confront his demons. With great elan, novelist Peter Craig shows how a family on the brink of dissolution reaches out and pulls together at the last possible moment. The novel's rollicking conclusion, a road trip that is part Beat generation, part National Enquirer, will leave readers cheering for more.