Review by Booklist Review
Eva Kruse wants to leave her job as housekeeper for actress Melanie Cole, but she can't risk raising suspicions. She is posing as a Polish displaced person, but the truth is a lot more complicated. Meanwhile, Melanie, who thought she just had her big break, finds herself out of work when her leading man, Carson Edwards, is accused of being a Communist, and she is declared guilty by association. Carson is paying the rent on her Malibu house and Eva's salary, but she feels trapped. Melanie's only respite is conversation with next-door neighbor Elwood Blankenship, a reclusive screenwriter. But she hasn't heard from Elwood in a while, and his sister-in-law, June, who keeps house for Elwood, is acting suspiciously. Then Melanie's estranged brother shows up with a surprise that changes everything. Readers may guess Elwood's fate, but it's not until a climactic wildfire that the truth comes out, testing the bonds the three women have tentatively formed. Meissner (Only the Beautiful, 2023) captures the reality behind the glamour of 1950s Hollywood, especially for women, in this compelling story.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Meissner's well-rounded if perfunctory latest (after Only the Beautiful), three women caught up in America's Red Scare form a bond in Malibu, Calif. It's 1956 and Melanie Cole has just had her breakout role in a film alongside heartthrob Carson Edwards. But after Edwards is added to Sen. Joseph McCarthy's blacklist as a suspected communist, Melanie is shunned by association. She retreats to a secluded house in Malibu, where her only company is housekeeper Eva Kruse, a Volga German who avoided repatriation to Russia after WWII by claiming to be a displaced person from Poland. Now, Eva worries that scrutiny on Melanie will get her deported. When Melanie attempts to call on her screenwriter neighbor, Elwood Blankenship, for advice about the blacklist, his sister-in-law June refuses to let her in. Eva soon forms a friendship with June and reveals her true heritage, leading June to confide that she's the one writing Elwood's screenplays. Eventually, their lives entwine with Melanie's as the trio realize they're each other's only hope of reaching fulfillment. Meissner fully develops her characters and their baggage, and she credibly evokes the Red Scare's impact on the film industry, but the book's saccharine message about the value of finding where one belongs feels a bit pat. Still, it's an accomplished story of Hollywood's golden age. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Meissner (Only the Beautiful) returns with a post-World War II story set in California against the backdrop of the Red Scare. Blacklisted by association, actress Melanie Cole occupies her time pestering her housekeeper, Eva, and seeking the advice of her agoraphobic neighbor, Elwood, through their respective backyards. Eva is a displaced person from Europe, grieving her old life and trying to avoid entanglement with Melanie's alleged Communist reputation. When Elwood stops appearing for their chats, Melanie sends Eva over to spy on him. The plan backfires, as Elwood's caretaker, June, who is also his sister-in-law, has her own secrets to guard. The tension among the three women amplifies until they're forced to trust each other out of necessity. The story moves at a fast clip; regular mystery readers will easily guess what happened to Elwood but will stick with the novel for the motivations behind each character's choices. The epilogue, where the women reconnect under better circumstances, is nicely done. VERDICT Less somber than Meissner's previous works, this novel will attract fans of Heather Webb and Melanie Benjamin.--Tina Panik
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