The idea of a mystery series set in old Hollywood was very appealing to me. I lived within a short stroll of the old MGM studio (now Sony Pictures) for most of my life, so I was hoping to read about some of the history of studios and personalities in this book. I was not disappointed. The writing duo responsible for this book is a husband and wife team (Rosemarie and Vince Keenan.)
While the story purports to be about a mystery team of Lillian Frost and Edith Head. While Ms. Head was a real individual and a famous wardrobe designer, Lillian Frost is the fictional failed-actress (probably the worst screen test in history) and would-be sleuth. While the character of Ms. Head is certainly in the book in numerous instances, it is really Lillian around whom this story revolves.
Lillian is working in a department store after her disastrous screen play. She is determined to stay in California (where the weather is so much more to her taste than that of her home in New York.) Her life gets turned upside down when the body of her former roommate, Ruby, is discovered near the rooming house where the two of them once lived.
Ruby is found in a fabulous gown that Lillian recognizes as coming from a movie wardrobe. The detective on the case allows Lillian to come to the studio to question Edith Head and so starts the collaboration between Lillian and Ms. Head.
The story is interesting with its tales of old Hollywood and a number of “stars” show up to make things interesting. The most memorable for me is Barbara Stanwyck (a favorite of mine.) There were references to movies being made (for the most part real ones) and the individuals who involved. The ambiance was appropriate for the time and place and was intriguing enough to keep me reading.
My one complaint about the book is a pet peeve of mine in mysteries. I want to solve the crime along with the sleuth. In this story, the solution is dropped on the reader in the last few pages of the book. There really weren’t any clues to provide me with a way to try to solve the mystery. As that is one of the foremost reasons I have for reading this genre, it was definitely disappointing. I hope that future entries in this series provide a solvable whodunnit. If so, I would certainly want to read more of them.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher
