Review by Booklist Review
Hambly's third installment of her Silver Screen historical mystery series, following One Extra Corpse (2023), once again finds young widow Emma Blackstone ensnared in on- and off-screen dramas that seem to follow her movie-star sister-in-law, Kitty, everywhere. As Kitty's personal assistant, Emma observes everything that occurs during filming, and is particularly disturbed by the dynamics between beloved child actress Susy Sweetchild, and her mother, fading actress Selina Sutton. Susy is Selina's meal ticket, and her meager maternal instincts are on display only when the press is around. When both mother and child are kidnapped, the crime threatens to derail the film currently under production, and the studio needs to prepare itself for the worst possible outcome. They call upon Emma's writing talents to create an alternate ending should that occur, a scenario the tenderhearted Emma can't bear to contemplate. Vividly evoking the myriad intricacies of the silent-film industry and the shifting fortunes of its players, Hambly crafts a fast-paced mystery infused with Hollywood flapper flair.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The moral compass of an English expatriate will not let her ignore some of Hollywood's more sordid exploits. After losing her husband, family, and fortune to World War I, Emma Blackstone has been reduced to working as a dogsbody when she's rescued by her American sister-in-law, Kitty Flint. Kitty, aka Camille de la Rose, is a lovely but terrible actress of the silent screen whose affair with the studio head allows her to keep churning out movies. Emma, who's ignored all sorts of illegal and morally repugnant activity, finds that she can't ignore the treatment of child star Little Susy Sweetchild on the set of Kitty's latest film. Susy provides financial support for her beautiful but untalented actress mother, Selina Sutton, who's unconcerned when her daughter is almost trampled by a horse while shooting a scene. Susy bravely keeps working with only her cat, Mr Gray, to help calm her fears. Emma, who serves as chaperone, Pekingese wrangler, and occasional scriptwriter, has also just accepted a part-time job sorting out the paperwork left behind by a UCLA professor who died, possibly by murder, in his office. When Susy and her mother are kidnapped, Emma is appalled by the studio's attempts to avoid paying the ransom. Susy's father is a drunk and her grandfather and aunts are all trying to get custody of her in order to live off her considerable earnings, which her mother spends entirely on herself. With help from her lover, cameraman Zal Rokatansky, Emma embarks on a search for Susy, whom she fears no one cares about enough to rescue from what may be an inside job gone wrong. Exciting adventures and thorny mysteries gain gravitas from pointed social commentary. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
