'Dead West' review: Movies, money and mystery

The business side of Hollywood take the spotlight in "Dead West," Matt Goldman's fourth and highly entertaining mystery about Minneapolis private investigator Nils Shapiro.
Nils has no desire to visit Los Angeles until wealthy Beverly Mayer hires him to check on her 30-year-old grandson, Ebben. She disapproves of him spending his $50 million fortune in the movie business. Ebben, whose fiancee recently died, is trying to launch a creative-focused studio.
But Nils is impressed with the intelligent Ebben, who has invested little of his own money while raising millions. Ebben also has little regard for his imperious grandmother, who continues to bully and disrespect his parents and be hateful to him. The perceptive Nils quickly suspects Ebben's fiancee was murdered, and that Ebben was the real target. Nils delves into the intricacies of making movies, including endless meetings, intrusive agents and more than a few criminals.
Goldman wisely keeps the focus on Nils' sleuthing skills and the myriad characters in "Dead West." This is not a story about the cult of the celebrity or movie gossip — just a well-plotted detective story with plenty of surprising twists. Goldman knows very well what goes on behind the scenes of filmmaking. He won an Emmy Award for his work on "Seinfeld" and also wrote for the TV series "The New Adventures of Old Christine."
Goldman continues to explore Nils' persona and the changes this character has gone through. The Nils of "Dead West" is not the same Nils that Goldman presented in "Gone to Dust," the series debut.
Nils' evolution in "Dead West" should inspire more stories about this cerebral detective.