Hollywood Lies, by David Ambrose (Pan, £5.99 in UK)

David Ambrose began his career as a screenwriter for Orson Welles, and there is a distinctly Wellesian feel about these larger-than-life stories which tip the everyday lunacy of Hollywood over the edge and into the realm of the surreal. A virtual reality Marilyn Monroe escapes from her "Happy Birthday Mr President" fantasy; Elvis Presley tries to enlist the help of an English journalist to relaunch his career; a screenwriter is terrorised by a character in one of his own soap operas who refuses to die, either on screen or off. Ambrose knows his targets well - in some cases, doubtless personally - and hits the mark every time.