Review: Design for Dying by Renee Patrick

A Mysterious Review of Design for Dying by Renee Patrick. A Lillian Frost and Edith Head Mystery.

Review summary: The murder mystery plot has a few clever twists, but in the end, isn't all that interesting. Rather, it is the series characters who really shine here. Too, the narrative, dialog, and setting are all pitch perfect, taking the reader back to late 1930s Hollywood and making them feel part of the story. It's remarkably well done. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Design for Dying
Renee Patrick
A Lillian Frost and Edith Head Mystery
Forge Books (April 2016)

Publisher synopsis: Los Angeles, 1937. Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl … until she discovers she's a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Party girl Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.

Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she's barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian's name and save Edith's career, the two women join forces.

Unraveling the mystery pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who's not on the level. All they have going for them are dogged determination, assists from the likes of Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck, and a killer sense of style. In show business, that just might be enough.