Tim Blake Nelson’s debut novel is a chilling portrait of Hollywood

As a beloved character actor taking a spin through the literary world, Tim Blake Nelson is fittingly drawn to detours in “City of Blows,” his unfocused if intriguing debut novel about bitterness and ambition in Hollywood.

Nelson, also an occasional playwright and filmmaker, seemingly aims to capture the totality of the modern movie business in a tale framed around one agent’s indiscretions, a power struggle between two producers and the unassuming director caught in the middle. But the 58-year-old author appears less interested in that central story than in its myriad digressions, as flashbacks paint a chilling portrait of the disparate and damaged personalities ensnared by Hollywood’s allure.